As grand as the school, the outdoor track field matched their standards -- not a surprise there. A soft black cushion pavement wrapped around the large field, and was structured into a perfect oval. Several white lines were painted over them, which created lanes to guide runners. Meanwhile, wispy clouds decorated ahead, showcasing a bright and spotless day. The contrast between your mood and the world's was laughable.
In a plain, royal blue t-shirt -- school spirit colors -- black shorts, and running shoes, you were waiting with the others at the starting line. Maybe since you were all fired up today, you wouldn't be last for once. Yes, you were still dead on last after two weeks of daily running, but at least you were somewhat improving. The first day you had come out of class like a fucking zombie, wheezing and wishing for death. Your stupid limbs were also sore for a few days after that. But now, your endurance had you running a mile without actually dropping like a fly. Besides, you were not sore anymore. All that was left was to improve your slow legs and catch up with classmates.
Trapped between the heat of other students, you leaned your legs forward and tensed your body up. Waiting for the signal of the whistle, thoughts swarmed around your head and your teeth clenched. That stupid kid. If you were to ever stumble upon him again, he should be smart and run away, for you would make him pay. If he was scarred from his bully, he would be traumatized by you.
The shriek of the whistle sent everyone rolling, scrambling to gain any form of a head start. Taken off guard by getting distracted, you hurried after them, hitting your feet against the pavement. Left foot, right foot, left, right. Taking a deep breath, you kept a clear mind and proceeded onward. It was easy so far, but everyone knew that it would only get worse from here on out. The backs of the other students were lumped in a group, their bodies bobbing up and down. Damn, the general population was already increasing the gap from you. A few others lagged behind, so maybe you could catch up to them, but it would require effort.
Blond hair stood out from the rest, racing through the track with his legs. He wasn't even that tall, especially compared to the other elites, but for some damn reason, he was fast. Zooming through the course, he went off at the speed of light. Increasing the distance from the runner up, it was impossible for anyone to catch up to him. Of course, you weren't speaking of anyone but Kouki.
Rolling your eyes at the show off, you returned your focus to the view in front. Anger went to fuel your energy and as you kept on thinking about that one ungrateful brat, you increased your strides. Blood rushing up to your face, oxygen entering your system, and sweat dribbling down the side of your face, you ran as hard as you could. To your astonishment, this run was beginning to feel a little freeing.
Vision blurring the more you pushed, you could make out a person running a corner. Just a few more meters and you could surpass them. If you did that, all you had to do afterwards was secure your place.
Just as you were about to stretched your legs just a teensy bit more, footsteps echoed behind you, disrupting the rhythm you had going on for yourself.
Whirling your head around, you made eye contact with large, brown ones. They glistened in amusement and a delighted smile accompanied its features. His hair was waving against the momentum of the run. Unlike you, he was enjoying the run and barely broke a sweat. What was pissing you off the most was how he had slowed down considerably to match your own pace. Was he mocking you?
"What a nice walking speed. You sure are taking it easy," said Kouki, leaning his head to one side. Watching you closely for any reaction, he appeared to be quite pleased with himself. Okay, you were right. He was making fun of you.
You were already in a bad enough mood today. He was not making it better. Before you could prevent yourself from doing anything you'd regret, you lifted your hands up. Roughing shoving him away, you landed a withering glare on him -- one as mean as a witch.
Stumbling to the right, he blinked in shock at what you just did. Quickly resuming his run and catching up to you again, he had no idea what to say, for once. Dark outlines were imprinted on the front of his shirt though, from when you placed your sweaty palms on him. He had noticed it too, and his jaw had dropped in an expression of horror. "You just ruined my uniform! Your disgusting sweat is all over it! And I personalized it too!" Oh... that was true. He did fix the uniform to look better than the ugly ones everyone else received. His sleeves were cuffed and the neckline was done better. And being the dramatic fashionista he was, he was lowkey panicking, attempting to brush the stains away.
"Go back to running," you huffed, turning the other way. It was frustrating how you couldn't help but feel bad for him. Because he deserved it, right? Karma more or less bit him in the ass. "The others are going catch up soon, you know."
"I don't care about that right now," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Nasty. Weren't his own hands sweaty? "You need to compensate for my shirt."
You squinted your eyes in exasperation. "I don't have the mon--" Clamping your mouth shut, you internally groaned at your carelessness. You were no longer the broke [Y/N] [L/N] you used to be. "Whatever. I'll pay it back tomorrow then."
He neared you once more, but kept a safe distance to ensure you wouldn't touch him for the second time. "So what's your plan to steal my spot?" He brought up the stupid elite talk again.
"Shut your trap," you growled. "How many times do I need to tell you? I. Don't. Want. Your. Damn. Spot."
Letting out a low whistle, he rocked on his heels. "Someone's in a bad mood."
He only just noticed now? "I'm on my period," you blurted, side eying him. It was a lie, but to your surprise, he had grown red at the sound of this. Cheeks flushing crimson, he averted his gaze from you and his once fluid motions were growing rigid. Raising your brows at the sight of this, you held in the smile that tried to form on your lips. He actually got flustered over something like this. Kouki acted high and mighty, but he was like a little, egoistic kid on the inside, wasn't he? It was hard to admit, but it was pleasantly cute to know. It just meant he was someone easy to tease back.
"Alright. People are catching up. I'm ditching you. See ya!" he exclaimed, darting off so fast you could barely catch a breath. It was crazy to see him run at his fullest potential so up close.
"Hey! Come back here! You interrupted my running, so you should help me..." you called after him. Talking while running was so difficult, and it was taking every willpower in you to not collapse. Dammit, Kouki. He had messed up your plan.
Maybe you didn't actually mind it though. It was unexpected, but he cheered you up a tinge.
When the run was finally over with and you completed four laps around the track, you were jugging down a water bottle. Allowing the cold, fresh liquid run down your parched mouth, you licked your lips to taste salt. It wasn't over yet. There were two more miles left to run... which you were dreading for. Your anger from earlier was quickly dissipating and instead, you wished to go take a nap.
Not using this break for granted, you sprawled across the green, ticklish grass and stared at the sky. A flock of birds soared through the space, creating a 'v' shape in a teamwork effort. Turning over to one side, you could see Kouki in the distance. Sitting on the benchers nearby, he was conversing with a few other students, seemingly boasting about something. You realized each elite held different air around them. It was amusing, but Kouki was the least like an elite out of the four you'd met, regardless of how hard he tried to be seen as one.
It was a compliment actually. He wasn't as intimidating as the others to you. Sure, he was annoying, but you preferred that over the former.
Before each run, they had wanted everyone to stretch. The class went to create a large circle, sitting on the grass to do the exercises. Somehow, you found yourself sitting right next to Kouki. Your luck was awful.
Doing your best to ignore him, you opened your legs apart and bent down to touch your toes. Feeling the groan of your limbs from the stretch, you winced at the slight pain.
"Your knees are bent."
You raised your head to find Kouki eying your slightly bent leg. Self-consciously straightening it, you frowned when the pain increased. "Sorry for not being as flexible as certain people," you muttered sarcastically. Thankfully, the other students were too busy with their own conversations to notice this.
"Yes. I'm quite flexible, aren't I?" he said, nodding energetically. He knew you were being sarcastic, but he pounced at the opportunity to showcase his skills. Bending his body down until his fingers surpassed his toes, he waited for you to look amazed.
Ugh, he sought for validation too much. Instead of giving him what he wanted, you ignored his little show and switched to the next exercise. His disappointment was too obvious.
It was time for the next run. And this time, you weren't going to be last.