My Only Wish // Asa Butterfield Fanfiction

Chapter 12

Chapter 12 ~ Rowan

I lifted my feet off the gym floor and started running. The teacher played some loud music and I lost myself in the music, step after step. I concentrated on my breathing. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Burning calories, burning calories, I sang to myself as I stepped forward. My breathing was good and I moved my arms in a steady rhythm as I kept going, counting every time I passed the start line. So far so good. I could go on like this forever. No one knew this, but I used to dislike running immensely. It wasn't till I started restricting that it became part of my life, especially since it burned so many calories. And I actually enjoyed it. Especially since I had my special running shoes.

The alarm rang through the gym and I slowly stopped, leaning over and taking a deep breath.

"Go get a place to stretch and then meet me at the door. We're gonna do some outdoor sports today." Ms. Peters said. A few people groaned.

"Oh shut it. Some fresh air will do you mole rats some good." She said. Asa shot me a look from across the room. I went over to find a place to stretch, and sure enough, he joined me.

"So how many laps?" Asa asked.

"Thirty seven laps." I said, leaning towards my foot with my arm.

"Aww man! Thirty four! You're a good runner Rowan. I watched you." He said, and noticed that I raised an eyebrow. Asa laughed.

"Not in a creepy way, ha sorry. I meant that since you kept saying you like to run, I'd see how you do. You have a great pace. Steady rhythm and just do well. When did you start running?" He asked. I blushed, flattered at his comments.

"8th grade." I replied quickly, trying to avoid the conversation. I didn't want to think about it.

"What made you want to s-"

"Oh look! We should go!" I interrupted him, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door.

"So, Rowan? I was asking how-" Asa began.

"Oh hey Rowan! Can we talk to you for a second?" Ashley, one of the pretty blond girls in my class walked over to me and Asa. I shot Asa an apologetic look, even though I was glad they got me away from the convo. He pursed his lips, gave me a small wave and turned to his friends.

"Yeah? I asked, stepping into a stead pace with Ashley and her friends.

"Well first off, good to have you here! You're Michigan, right? New Yorker. Good to have an American around here. Oh and I love the hair. But what I wanted to tell you was that, well, Asa totally likes you." Ashley looked at me with her dark green eyes.

"Are you serious?" I asked. I could feel my heart start pounding.

"Completely serious. The way he looks at you?? Geez, he acts like you're the only person in the room!! And you know his ex-girlfriend?" She asked. I looked up at her again, and nodded.

"Payton, right?"

"Yeah. They broke up, which is good because they didn't fit well together. Anyway, it's the exact same thing he did to her. Talking, staring, flirting."

"He flirts with me?" I asked, raising both my eyebrows. How was I missing this?

"Duh!" Ashley said.

"Get into pairs people. Then grab a ball and start kicking." Ms. Peters shouted across the field. A few boys snickered, thinking of it the dirty way, and I saw Asa look at me.

"Oh my god did you just see that? He totally just looked at you!! Whenever a teacher says something weird or funny, or you have to get into groups, guys stare at the girl they like. They want to see her reaction. It's a scientifically proven." Ashley said confidently. This girl seemed cool. She was popular, yet she was talking to me.