Run faster.
I continued to use my feet to travel towards my destination, the wind grazing every single crease and corner of my skin as my arms swung in rhythm with the rest of my body.
This is what total control feels like.
I didn't think about Carson when I ran, I didn't think about my haunted past or the fact that my dad left us. All I think about is the path, the dirt path that doesn't lie to me, it doesn't kiss me and date Kermit The Frog the next morning, the path doesn't cheat on me, the path doesn't leave me.
When did my life turn into a Telenovela?
I'm surprised I haven't had sex with my mortal enemy who turns out to have an evil twin, Rodrigo, that is trying to take over the family business and kills absolutely everyone in his way. Whoops! Now I'm pregnant. Oh no! I had a miscarriage. Or did I? Or did Alberto sneak into my room in the middle of the night and put acid into my sleeping pills. Woah! Now I'm in a coma and my mother is taking over my restaurant, but somebody is threatening to close down the restaurant. Plot twist! It's my great grandfather who was banished from the family for stealing the family heirlooms twenty years ago. Plot twist again! It's actually me in a mask.
"I won!" Jackson cheered from where he was standing ahead of me, he then proceeded to do an almost pathetic victory dance that had my stomach hurting from laughter.
"How do girls find you attractive? You're like a puppy who's on heroine all the time." I said holding my stomach in pain from all the laughing.
"What can I say? I'm sexy." He used his pointer finger and his middle finger to rub his nipples in circles, while sticking his tongue out like a dog at the same time.
"Stop I'm gonna gag." I said faking a throw up behind me. "I feel like I just saw an old vulture's mating call."
"How do you know so many exotic animals, like at the top of your head?" He ran back to where I was standing, handing me the water he had packed and I had completely forgotten.
I gave him a sheepish smile and he rolled his eyes, "I watch a lot of animal planet."
"Speaking of animals, how have the boys been? Sebastian stopped coming to watch us practice." He grabbed the water from me and used his shirt to clean the bottle opening.
"Really? I guess we've been hanging out more than usual." I shrugged and picked up jogging again, Jackson obviously catching up to me faster than I caught up to him the first time.
"Really?" He raised one of his eyebrows in speculation. My entire body went rigid.
"No, no! It's not like that all." I said putting my hands up in reassurance. Just the thought of me kissing any one of the boys was enough to make me squeamish, obviously not one of the boys but...
It's not like that was an option anymore.
"Do you want to go eat breakfast? I'm hungry." He pouted and made a pleading puppy face that earned a scoff from me.
"I thought this was a morning run, is little baby Jackie hungry already?"
"A young growing man like me needs food, what if I'm teaching a kid archery and suddenly pass out in front of him just as he's about to shoot? What if I die Bree? Do you want that? Do you want me to die from starvation before the big field trip? That's an important moment in any adolescence, going on a camp field trip to the zoo overnight. It could teach me a lot, like- "
"Okay, stop talking." I said groaning as I struggled to comprehend his inability to be normal. "Let's go to breakfast."
His face broke out in a gleaming grin and I tightened my ponytail holder. "Did you ever fix your phone?"
"Yes fortunately, it took a few heart transplants but I think she's going to be okay."
"She?" I questioned.
"Well I just assumed that my phone is a woman, it would be weird if a guy watched me- "
"Please, for the sake of our healthy sibling relationship, do not finish your sentence." I said stopping him by putting my hand over his mouth and closing my eyes with patience.
He nodded and I released him from my grasp, we continued to walk to breakfast. Him sneaking glares at me whenever he was about to say something, but immediately closing his mouth again. "You know we're getting a few more counselors right?"
"Really?" I shrugged. "I didn't hear about it, who are they?"
"Just a couple people from all over, but apparently there's someone coming in from our town."
My eyebrows knit in confusion, thinking about all the possible people who would want to come over here. The only people I knew from my town being Adam, Alex, and Jackie... Jackson.
I really need to work on that.
"Why are we in such desperate need of counselors?" I proclaimed, peering ahead at the distant site of the dining hall.
"I guess a lot of people have been dropping out, you should be a counselor next year ya know? I think you would be good with kids..." Jackson spoke, making my heart warm at his compliment.
"Because are you one." He finished off, I scowled at him as he continued to laugh at his own joke.
Sometimes I wonder if he's adopted.
• • •
"What's so cool about playing soccer?" Indi said, grabbing a chip out of my bag.
My eyes narrowed down at her and she gave me a look of disbelief. "Dang what's up your butt today?"
"She's been in a bad mood all day, when we were getting our bunks checked Hilary came up to her and she growled... like bear growled." Lucy said shaking her head like she was reciting a tragic accident.
"Are you on your period?" Abby said, more loudly than she should have. A couple guys looked over at us in confusion and I could feel my cheeks heating up.
"No! I think..." The forth, the fifth, last Monday... No I'm not!
"Okay, just asking." Abby put her hand on my shoulder and turned back to Indi. "What were you saying about soccer?"
"I mean what's so fun about it? We're about to go to a field where a stupid lady is going to teach us how to kick a ball into a net. Why don't we do something to better ourselves like, I don't know, learning piano?"
"I like soccer, plus I have small hands so piano isn't for me." I said, biting down on another chip as we continued to walk to our next activity.
"What do you think Lucy?" Abby said walking backwards in front of us.
"Huh?" Lucy said breaking her intense stare down she was having with the boy sitting down on the bench. "Oh yeah I love getting balls into hoops, go tennis! Excuse me..." She started walking over to the bench leaving us dumbfounded once again.
"I-... I worry about her." Indi shuddered, we continued our journey to the field.
We finally arrived to the soccer field, cones set up everywhere. There were already girls surrounding our trainer for the activity, probably bombarding her with stupid questions like "Why are soccer balls black and white? Why not blue and yellow? That's so much cuter!"
"Let's get this stupid thing over with." I bent down collecting all of my hair to put it in a bun.
"Hey is that..."
"Wait that's..."
"Sorry Sheala couldn't make it today guys, she has a bad case of the runs, I'll be taking her place today."
Oh hell to the no.
Not today.
Not in this universe.
I flipped my hair back up, looking at Carson who was standing in the distance. Talking to about a million girls at once, at first thought you'd actually think he looked flustered, but no.
He was loving every second of it.
He wore gray joggers and a blue hoodie that wrote our camp logo on the front, he had a lanyard around his neck with a silver whistle connected on it's end. His bed head was tousled as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Damn it.
"Abby if you love me you'll give me your hoodie." I said not breaking the glare I had on Carson, making sure not to make any sudden movements to attract his attention.
"What? Why?"
"Abby, this is a life or death situation. Give... me... your... hoodie."
"Who's going to die?"
"You, if you don't give me your hoodie."
She hastily began to take her hoodie off, panic written on her face. "Abby!"
"What!"
"Stop taking your hoodie off like a gorilla! Make less movement, stop breathing through your mouth. He can sense you." I said through gritted teeth.
"What the fuck?" She said looking around the field, "Is this the hunger games?"
"Give it to me." She passed me her hoodie and I slowly put it on, trying my best to not accidentally make any sounds. I then tucked my hair into the hood and used the strings to tug on the hood, now only half my face was covered.
"You look like a penis right now."
"Indi shhhh! Austin could be around here too, you'll attract his attention." We slowly made our way over to the group of girls surrounding Carson, thankfully, my short body had finally came to my advantage. I was lost in the sea of thirty-two girls, all of them shamelessly flirting with him.
"Actually you look more like a cone head in my opinion."
"Shhhh!"
"Okay ladies find a partner and form a line, I want sixteen girls on this side and sixteen girls on this side. You guys are going to practice kicking to each other." All the girls squealed, running to there friends like the rat scene in Ratatouille.
I saw as Abby and Indi had already started kicking the ball to each other, leaving me partnerless.
Traitors.
Thankfully I saw Lucy come running over, knowing that I wouldn't be the odd one out and a practical spot light for Carson gave me immense relaxation.
"You don't understand how happy I am to see you!" I whisper-yelled, running over to her and giving her a hug.
Never thought I'd say that.
"What are we doing? Sorry I got caught up with this cute asian, his name was Jack and apparently his dad owns a company that sends you lamps! How cool is that!"
"That's amazing sweetheart, okay I'm going to need you to kick me this ball and make the least amount of noises come out of your pretty little mouth. Okay?" I patted her shoulder and crossed over to the other line, everyone else had already began the exercise.
"Alright, did you know that my friend brought a piercing kit with her to camp? Apparently she told me she'll pierce my tongue as long as I give her a lock of my hair, but I told her I'd never cut my hair. Also apparently they're new counselors coming to camp, I hope they're hot! I peeked over at Mrs. Gerald's clipboard and saw their names. Their was some girl named Clarissa and some guy named...What was his name?... I think it was Dane. Then their was two other girls named Jenny and Janet, I think they're twins. Personally I find twins annoying but when it's like hot twins like the do- "
I tuned her out.
He was staring at me.
"You're kicking the ball wrong." He said from behind me.
"Mmh?" I mumbled, trying my best to mimic Harry Potter spells in my head.
What was the spell to make him go away?
Riddikulus? No.
Alohomora? That's not it either.
"You have to kick using the inside of your foot, if you kick using your toe the ball will go everywhere and you'll end up hurting yourself." He came closer behind me and I tensed up. "Try it again."
I kicked the ball again, this time using the inside of my foot. It went straighter towards her, this time with a little more power.
Curse him and his ability to be right about everything.
"What's your name?" He said from where he now stood beside me, I could see him cock his head in my peripheral.
"Sabrina." I said more manly than I should have, I coughed and made my voice sound more squeaky. "Sorry, I have a cold."
"You kick like somebody I'm friends with." He crossed his arms and I could see my plan deteriorating.
That's it, I might as well take my hood off now.
Just as I was about to take my hood off, I heard him speaking again. "Yeah, I taught her right where your standing just a few weeks ago. She's short like you and has terrible aim."
Gee, thanks.
"Mhm." I said nodding along, making sure that my hood was as low as possible. I kicked the ball to Lucy who was still enjoying a conversation about a hot asian, even though I was no where near paying attention.
"I think you have some potential here, unlike my friend you seem more focused. My friend always has a million things on her mind, she's also kind of out of shape. Always going on about gymnastics even though from what I've seen she's not even that good at it."
Oh hell no.
"Oh really?" My squeaky voice coming out strained, I stayed turning away, giving him the back of my hoodie.
I could kill him right now.
"Yep." He said popping the "p." He rocked back and forth on his feet, watching me and the girls next to me kick the ball.
Please just leave, don't make this harder than it has to be.
"Well I'm going to get check out the other girl's kicking, keep up the good work Sabrina."
I could feel myself release the breath I was holding in, slightly angry, slightly sad.
Was I really that bad at aiming? I knew for a fact that I was good at gymnastics, whether he called me trash or not.
Medals don't lie.
"One more thing!" He called out, even though he was a reasonable distance away.
"Mhm?" I squeaked once again.
"You should really take that hoodie off Jones, you look like a cone head."
Woah.
I'm double posting today my loves.
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