Crash and Burn

f o r t y o n e: Photographs

"Come on! Keep pushing Tessa!" coach yells from across the track. Upon hearing his words I pump my legs faster and faster, feeling my lungs burn more intensely by each passing second. Sweat drips into my eyes but I don't have the time to wipe it away so I merely squint instead. Finally, the finish line is within reach, basically at my fingertips. I run past it, not being able to stop my momentum quite yet. My legs slow up gradually until I finally come to a complete stop as I greedily gulp up all the air I can get. 

"Good work Walker. You're improving at a good speed. At this rate, you'll be ready for the state race in no time," coach comes over and pats me on the back and I give him my best smile despite the fact that I'm still gasping for air. 

"Thanks, coach," I wheeze. He chuckles at my breathless state before motioning over to the locker rooms. "Go shower up, why don't you?" 

"You got it," I give him a thumbs-up then enter the locker rooms, excited to feel the hot water of the shower pouring over my fatigued body. 

I step into the shower, then strip out of my clothes before I turn the water on. I was still pretty positive that someone was watching me and the last thing I need is for whoever it is to see me naked. I wash my body and hair, not bothering with shaving my legs today. It was January, after all. 

After ten minutes I turn the water off and grab my clothes off of the hook outside of the stall, slipping into them after drying myself off with my towel. I brush my hair and grab my shoes and all but sprint to my car because I'm so eager to get home and just sleep. 

I usually went to Roman's house after practice, but I just couldn't find it in me to do that today. After everything with the notes and the fight yesterday, it was getting increasingly harder to be around Roman and pretend that everything was dandy and normal. Today was Thursday, so I really only had to make it through tomorrow and then I would have a whole weekend to relax and hopefully not have to worry about anything. I gave Roman the excuse that I have a couple of college applications that I need to finish up before the deadlines and luckily enough, he bought it. I felt bad lying tom him about yet another thing, but I just needed to sort out in my head what I'm going to do about this mysterious note leaver. 

I pull into my driveway around five in the evening, so dinner wouldn't be ready yet. I internally groan at this when I realize how hungry I am, but I would survive obviously. I walk into an empty house, which confuses me. I know my mom is still at work but Casey never mentioned that he wasn't going to be here. He must be hanging out with some baseball friends. With a shrug of my shoulders, I climb the stairs, school bag and cross country bag in tow. 

I push open my bedroom door with my elbow since both of my hands are full, but when I enter my room everything drops out of my hands and onto my hardwood floor with a 'thud'. 

My eyes scan my room and all the air in my lungs leaves in an instant and suddenly I'm shaking. 

My window is wide open, curtains billowing in the wind. The vase on my desk below the window is shattered into a million tiny pieces, most likely from someone coming through the window and landing on it. My desk drawers were also messily pulled open, the contents inside no longer neat and organized as I had it before. 

I shift my eyes to my nightstand, and my heart hollows out at what I see. Two notes are placed neatly atop it which is a sharp contrast from the mess in the rest of my room. I numbly walk towards the notes, knowing I need to read them despite not wanting to in the slightest. 

I fumble with the first one in my shaking hands and read it out loud to myself as if the writing will register with my brain better that way. "You've had your warning," I mutter, chills instantly breaking out all over my body. I reach for the second one and read it aloud as well, and it reads "It's too late to escape now." I drop both notes to the floor and wordlessly watch as they flutter gracefully. Both were written in thick black marker, the messy handwriting still identical to all of the previous notes I have received.