Seven.
The cold, biting air snipped at my face and the exposed body parts visible through the blue shorts and shirt the girls' coach lend me for the time being; I would need to buy my own uniform. As I followed behind the girls, I rubbed my hands on my arm, creating frictions that will hopefully warm me up. The track was round and it ran around the football field. Barbed-wired fences ran the perimeter of the field, keeping out local residents on school days.
The weather was chilly and sharp. Somehow, over the course of five days, the temperature lowered drastically. I remembered the warmth and sun-filled days. How could it morph into something so harsh in just a short period of time? Stumbling down the rocky path that led to the track, the blades of the grass tickled my ankle and I had to repeatedly bend down to brush it aside. I ached to be back in Cali, basking in the rays of the sun. It was better than trekking to begin physical education.
In the distance, I spotted the male coach leading a group of boys toward the opposite side of the track. Distracted, I ran into the back of one of the girls, who whipped around and scowled. "Sorry." I mumbled.
"Watch it." She snapped, apparently ignoring my apology.
I shrugged, excusing her irritability. Honestly, I was feeling a bit under the weather. And the fact that we had to run out in the freezing cold didn't help.
We stepped onto the red concrete that circled the main field and the coach demanded that we stretched before running.
The boys reached us then and they merged with the opposite gender, teasing and appreciating the provocative uniform we had to wear. Officially, we had to wear booty shorts and a tight-fitted tank top with the school's logo on the right breast. I didn't know who decided on the combination but promised that once I did, they'll get one hell of a lecture.
Unfortunately, I had Yolanda, Allison and Genevieve in this period so the prospect of the first day going well darkened and faded into nothing. I stood with my feet apart and stretched my arms and clasped my hand together high above my head.
In my peripheral vision, I saw Ryan striding to where I stood with girls draping themselves across him as he walked. He was wearing gray sweats and a loose fitting shirt which sparked up annoyance in me.
"I can get use to this every day." He smirked, eyes raking up my shorts and over my torso.
"Why do you guys get to wear sweats? It's freezing cold out here and they've got us in shorts!" I tediously ignored his comment and sat down, both legs out and proceeded to stretch.
He followed in suit but sat cross-legged. "Imagine guys with hairy legs in those shorts," He nodded at the blue on my lower half, partially hidden by my arms. "would you want to see that every day for the rest of the year? I don't know about you, but I really don't want my innocence to be corrupted."
I shuddered at the image he'd planted in my head. It was an unattractive sight and I was glad that I didn't have to endure another dose of self-pity even for something as shallow as seeing hairy guys in shorts. "Thanks for the picture." I replied curtly.
"You're welcome." He grinned and surveyed me. "How good are you in running under a time limit?"
I gazed at him. "Are you kidding me? You're talking to a girl that was on the cheerleading squad and they make you run, a lot, on the squad. I don't think that's going to be a problem."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, I need an answer."
"To what?"
"To whether or not you're trying out for the squad."
I bit my lips, uncertain. "I don't know..."
"Would it help if I told you Yolanda, Allison and Genevieve are all on the squad and that it'll pissed them off if you made it?"
"Why are they on there if the tryouts hasn't begun yet?" I questioned, standing up and brushing the remains of the grass off my bottom.
"They're the old members. A few girls on the old squad made it back on but there isn't enough people so they're holding tryouts."
"I'll...consider it."
He stared at me skeptically. "That's what you said last time."
I shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't get to it. I was too busy inserting booby-traps to keep out a certain somebody." The last part, I glared at him when I said it.
Ryan grinned and shook his head. "Do it, please? For me?" Then he jutted his bottom lips and his eyes widened.
I laughed. "That's a pathetic attempt at persuading me."
"I don't usually do it! A normal person would have succumbed to my charms." He glared at me accusingly and narrowed his eyes. "You're kinda wounding my ego."
"I'm not what you would call a normal person and yes, your ego needs to be wounded." I replied, flitting over to the group of girls gathering around our coach.
"Four laps in ten minutes or less. If you do that then you won't have to do an extra four sets of twenty-five push-ups and sit-ups." The coach barked, holding up a black and navy blue timer. "Start at the mark."
I shuffled to the white mark; stark against the redness of the track, and stretched out my legs. I hadn't had a good run since last summer and if I was going to tryout for the squad then I needed to exceed my limit. That is, if I was going to tryout.
"Good luck, Jamie." Ryan murmured, walking past me to stand at the sidelines.
"And what will you be doing?" I demanded.
"Watching you." He grinned.
"Stalker."
"Only with you." He responded.
I rolled my eyes. I saw all the girls glaring at me venomously but the face I focused most on was the one named Genevieve. She was seething; so was Yolanda and Allison, the brunettes who'd unsuccessfully tried to turn me against Ryan. I felt my face break into a wide grin and pulled my hair up before securing it in place with a holder. I run better if my hair wasn't whipping across my face all the time.
"Ready? Go!" The coach jumped back as we bolted forward. Her thumb clicked the start button and the timer began.
I started off slow, rounding the curve of the track with the grace and the agility of a gazelle. Passing the second set of bleacher on the opposite side, I glanced back, surprised at how many girls were just now at the light pole, a good twenty feet from my position. I caught Genevieve's awed eyes and smirked, diverting my attention back to the exercise.
Sooner than I'd expected, I tired out and slowed to a jog. I was on my third lap, racing past the group of boys who'd watched us pass with a hoot or shout of appreciation. I'd overlapped Genevieve and her girls way before I hit the second lap mark and all the girls that were taking their sweet time, either unaware of the exercises they were going to do if they didn't make it on time or they simply didn't care.
More often than not, I found Ryan pointing and cheering me on. That spurred my speed and before I knew it, I'd finished. With two minutes to spare. Breathing heavily, I crossed the short distance to the coach, who was staring at me with outward daze. I swept the back of my hand across my forehead and fiddled with the hem of my shirt as I announced, "I'm done."
"Impressive. We have a position for you on the track team if you want to join." She said, jotting down my time on her clipboard.
"Actually," My gaze slid to Ryan, who was watching me intently. "I'm not. I'm trying out for the cheerleading squad. But thanks for the offer."
The coach nodded and pointed to the little area where all the boys were lounging. "You can wait there until the rest finishes up."
I headed over and Ryan met me halfway, "What did she say?"
I stopped just shy of his friends and turned to face him, "She asked if I wanted to join track."
"And?" He pressed.
"And I told her I didn't want to. That I was going to tryout for the squad."
He laughed and crushed me to him, my cheeks smashed against his hard chest. "Sweet! You'll be cheering for me!"
I pushed him off, smiling slightly. "Don't make me regret agreeing to this."
"You'll be like my personal cheerleader." He chattered as we walked to his friends.
"You're pushing it, Tyler." I warned.
"I can just imagine you in that short skirt and crop top right now." He hooted.
"That's it! One more word and any chance of me trying out for anything is gone!"
...
"How did it go?" Ryan asked anxiously as we ran to his car, the rain thundering down mercilessly. I slid into the passenger seat and shook the droplets out of my hair. I rubbed my hands together and gestured to the knobs on the dashboard.
"T-turn on the heat." I ordered, my teeth chattering painfully.
Ryan complied and we sat for a while, waiting for the hot air to warm the space around us. I looked out the window, seeing nothing but streaks of thunder and sheets of rain. The coldness this afternoon was only the start of a severe thunderstorm. According to the meteorologist on the radio, high pressure and low pressure air systems have met and the impact will create incessant rain for days or even weeks. He advised us to stay indoors.
Due to inclement weathers, all the school in the district have closed until further notice. The staffs at Bryce Middleton were more than happy at the news. Not only do they get a surprise vacation with pay, they'll also be free of the delinquents of the school; if only just for a few days.
However, after school activities for today hasn't been canceled. That means I did have to attend cheerleading tryouts, much to my dismay and Ryan's delight. It went well, I suppose. I performed one of the routines that had gotten my old squad to the national competition. The coaches were easily swayed.
"How did it go?" Ryan repeated impatiently.
"I made it." I said with a sigh. I wasn't exactly happy. I could've purposely blown the tryout but I didn't want to disappoint Ryan. In a way, I couldn't deny his request. The look on his face when I told him I was going to tryout was one of the most remarkable things I'd seen so far. It was a mixed between joy and accomplishment and the look bode well with his features. It lights up his eyes and transformed him into someone much younger and more carefree.
He grinned so big that I thought his face would split in half. "That's so amazing! I told you you could make it!"
"Hm, you did." I replied amusingly.
"Show me the routine you wowed them with." He demanded.
"No!"
He glanced at me, cautiously maneuvering his car through traffic with ridiculously slow speed. The speedometer barely exceed over thirty and we were on a road whose speed limit was forty. I wondered if he could get pulled over by driving so slowly. "Why not?" He whined.
"Because I don't want to!" I retorted, staring grimly out the window. I hope my mom and Andy are okay.
"Some other time?" He asked hopefully.
I suppressed a sigh and, not wanting to damper his mood, nodded, "Sure."
We lapsed into silence but the grin stayed on his face. I glanced nervously at the sky. It was inky and thick with only the slight outlines of clouds. Thunder and lightening strike, booming and flashing. Rain still fell but with a more urgent ferocity. Mists made it hard to see past five feet and the fog swirled all around. Steams in the car fogged up the window and the car jerked to rough halts more than once to avoid being skewered.
I gripped the armrest and my heart thumped unevenly. Terrified of thunderstorms since I was a kid and hiding under the covers of the bed every time there was one currently didn't aid the situation. I was scared out of my wits and jumped every time a boom reverberated through the drizzling of the freezing rain.
"You okay?" Ryan asked, his face scrunched up in concern.
"Fine." I answered then added, "Though the fact that I'm petrified of thunderstorms doesn't help."
"You're not gonna puke in my car or anything, right?" He replied.
"It's so nice that you care about me like that." I responded sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
Suddenly, the car swerved and Ryan gripped the steering wheel, jerking it sideways and righting the car.
"Maybe we should pull over until the rain lets up." I suggested breathlessly.
He nodded and turned on the blinkers. When it was clear, he carefully pulled to the side of the road, turning off the ignition and leaning back against his seat. "How long do you think this is gonna take?"
"I don't know. Hey, will the heat work if the engine's off?"
He pondered and finally said, "I don't think so."
"Great. So, we're stuck on the side of the road in the midst of a severe thunderstorm and we'll possibly die of hypothermia." I leaned back and crossed my arms in agitation.
"Such the optimistic." He teased.
"I'm serious!" I insisted.
"Look, it'll blow out - or at least to a drizzle - and we're out of here." He reassured me.
I blew a lock of hair out of my face and pulled my legs up on the seat. "And what are we gonna do in the meantime? Beside freezing to death, of course."
He sighed and grabbed my arm.
"What are you doing?"
Ryan ignored my question and tugged harder on my arm. I relented and let him pulled me over the console. I landed on his lap and he shifted me so I was facing him but straddling him.
"Again, what are you doing?" I asked, ignoring the burning sensation spreading through my body.
"Sharing body heat." He replied as if that should've been obvious.
I resisted the urge to smack him and instead leaned against his body. I might as well take advantage of the situation. I dropped my head on his shoulder and his arms wound around my waist. I sighed and felt my insides turned to mush. I was suddenly warm and it had everything to do with the heat he was giving off.
"Now what do we do?" I asked, my words muffled against his heated flesh.
"Now, we play twenty questions."
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