The Last Lap

Chapter Sixteen

The first snow of the season fell a few days later, more Christmas trees were hung, and the constant commercials about buying the perfect gift started to sound like a shattered record. I switched the channel each time I saw one. Jia and I were still ignoring each other. It was the longest we went without speaking. Jasmyn, however, was still present in my life.

"Em, what do you want to do this weekend? Jia is going to see Andy. Maybe you guys should make up. It's about time," Jasmyn encouraged as she sat across from me at lunch. Jia went to sit with all the other trackies at lunch. It was a surprise that Jasmyn sat with me instead of the music kids. I shook my head in response. I was stubborn. Jasmyn would call me obstinate. I believed I was right (only because I was). I missed her like hell, but I was right and I didn't want to be the first one to apologize.

"No. I don't want to."

"You're going to stop going to practice, skip math all the time, and go the long way to lunch every single day, just to avoid her?" Jasmyn asked. She stared me down with annoyance.

I sighed, "Jas. She doesn't miss me. There are a thousand other people in this school that she probably would like because they're not obsessed with Isaac and don't care that she's ruining her life spending it with that piece of garbage."

Jasmyn pursed her lips into a line to stifle a laugh. Even Jasmyn knew I was right but she wasn't the type to speak out unless something really bothered her. She patted my arm, which was the closest to affection I ever got from her, and tilted her head to the side, "Don't worry about Andy. He'll get out of the picture eventually. It's you that needs to be in it."

Before I could respond, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a familiar tap almost too soft to feel but filled with determination. I quickly spun myself around to look at the boy standing behind me. It was Alex.

"You need to be in what?" Alex asked as he sat down across from Jasmyn. She retreated back into her secluded self and stared at the screen of her phone. If it hadn't been for Alex, we would have kept talking. But he was there and I didn't want him to go away.

"Something that isn't important right now," I replied and tried to change the subject, "How have you been? Enjoying the snow?" He shrugged in response and took a fry from my plate. He stirred it around in my mayo and ketchup combination before eating it.

"I have some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Alex asked me. Jasmyn got up to throw away her plate and head over to Jia. They were always closer to each other anyways. I thought about their relationship before turning back to Alex, "I don't care. I just wanna hear it."

"The principals came to an agreement and the kids can come to our school for the next two weeks. This last one before break and then one in the new year. If they do good here and find it interesting then they get to come back for the next semester," He told me. My cheeks started to hurt from my smile.

"Okay, but what's the bad news?" I wondered.

He sighed, "I have to drive them everyday, which isn't that bad because I know them and they are my friends, but there are only two kids that feel comfortable doing it. They are quite hesitant about it. I was too at first but I don't regret coming here."

I twisted my necklace and started to think about this. The kids would come and they would face some loneliness if not some hostility. I never knew what the other kids in my school really thought about the lack of diversity in these four walls eight hours a day. They weren't ones to talk about those things.

"What do you think will happen?" I asked him, wanting to make sure I wasn't the only one thinking what I was thinking. I wanted to make sure I wasn't overthinking again. Jia would have told me to just wing it and see how it goes. Jasmyn would have told me that taking time to think about this would have been the right thing to do.

"I think that it will be weird at first. I think people would wonder who they are, what they are doing here, and what they're like as people. I think there are a few kids, some even on the track team, that would tease them. I don't think it would be too bad," He told me with honesty. I nodded. I put my head on my hand and leaned against it.

"How was your day?" Alex changed the subject. He put his phone face up on the table and smiled at me. "Why isn't Jia here? You haven't made up?"

I shook my head, "She's sitting with the cool kids. We still haven't talked." He looked over his shoulder and said, "They're not the cool kids. They just happen to live in the same neighborhood and been gassed up since they were in middle school for being able to run or jump. Just because you've won a couple medals and state championships does not give you an excuse to be an asshole to people."

I laughed at him and nodded. He looked at me, "The kids that we met at the school the first moment we walked into the school, Khalil and Melody, they're going to be the only ones to attend the program. The principal, my uncle, said that he would pay for the gas money and make sure to check in. They even want to get a chance to be on the track team."

I got up to throw away my tray as the bell rang throughout the dining hall, "Yeah. They seem like good people."

Alex started to look excited, "It'll be just like old times. They are really like Gods on the track. Khalil is fantastic and Melody is even better because she's been the best for the past three years. Number one girl on the team," He sighed. I looked at him and smirked before nudging him.

"You think Melody is great huh?'

He gave me a frown, "It's not like that. That's against the bro code. She's like a sister to me anyways."

"Uh-huh, okay," I laughed at his furrowed eyebrows. The bell started to ring a second time as he walked me to my next class. Mr. Reynolds looked at the two of us and waved both hands at us. Today his room smelled like strawberries.

"I'll see you later. Let's talk at track," I suggested. He came close to me and gave me a side hug before giving Mr. Reynolds a nice firm handshake and leaving, "Bye Ema."