Finding Sloane Winters Crazy

Kayla Cecilia Mac Robertson
Glastonbury College for Girls
Unofficial Beauty and Fashion Advisor
Student No# 13829

Hair slaps across my face, heart pounding.

I’m running, sprinting, actually, I’m halfway there, there are five people in front of me, there are six people in this race.

I’m last, I’m losing.

Frustrated, I try to pick up my pace, beat Mandy Sommers, who’s just half a metre ahead of me, she’s wheezing, her hands flying to her gold clad side to hold a stitch. I grin, as I race past her slowing form and I make it through the line fifth place.

I move towards Sarah, who sits in a shirt the same colour as Mandy, the gold Moran one. She holds out a bag of chips for me, and I stare at her quizzically, shaking my head.
She had been acting weird since last week.

Then there’s the sound of a ‘Ready, set, BLAST’. The blast of a gun, and the other seventeen year old girls age group are sprinting, I see Bess struggling, stopping every once in a while to breath, and I laugh.

It’s not an offending laugh, it’s like I’m laughing with her, laughing at her physical co ordination.

Most Xavier boys hang around, watching the sporting events, in hopes that maybe a shirt will fly up, and they’ll catch a glimpse of a bra, or maybe they like seeing girls getting dirty. They like glimpses.

I catch a glimpse… of Teak Richardson.

He’s there… grey eyes intent and amused as he watches the seventeen year old girls sprints, but they’re focused on someone, on the person whizzing through the field, first place.

It’s Sloane.

She’s wearing her burgundy Edelstein shirt, as opposed to my emerald Crayden top, pale legs contracting as her Asics sneakers hit the ground. She looks happy, carefree and calm as she sprints ahead of everyone else, winking at Imogen Tomis as the petite redhead yells, “GO SLOANE!
BEAT THE HELL OUT OF EVERYONE ELSE! YEAH! COME ON! GO EDELSTEIN!”.

The Edelstein house chant erupts… and they’re cheering her on. Even Riley, who stands beside Teak, in his boring Xavier uniform, grinning widely, clapping his big hands before he puts them around his mouth and yells, “Whoop! Go Slo! Kick their motherfu—“

Ms Daylesford, our homeroom teacher, sends him a withering look, and he grins sheepishly, Teak ignores this, watching Sloane, as if there’s nothing else in the world, other than the sprinting beauty.

Then there are even more cheers that come, swishing and flying with the Autumn wind, and Sloane’s walking towards me, sweat tangling with her dark blonde hair, her first place ribbon shining obnoxiously on her shirt, lazy arms slung around a exhausted Bess.

People come to congratulate her on the way, and she grins laconically, and says, “Thanks.”
She stops by me, plopping down next to Sarah, and she takes some of her chips before Sarah can offer them, “Zdravo!” she says excitedly, not the slightest bit tired.

Bess collapses, “I’m never going to sign up for the 800m sprint again!”

Grinning, Sarah says, “You weren’t that bad.”

Blue eyes perking up, Bess smiles, “Really?” she bites her lip, “But Riley’s apparently excellent at sport, I mean, I asked their head of school committee Toby Kershaw, and he said that Riley aces Physical Education and—“

“We don’t care.” I mutter.

Sloane shoots me a warning look, and then says, “Look Bess, who cares if you're bad at sports? We love you for who you are..”

“Okay then.” Said Bess quietly, looking down at her hands.

Sarah groans, standing up, “Well, you people are getting boring, I’m going to find some… eggs. Yeah, I want eggs… boiled? Or sunny side up? Nah… poached.” She wandered off.

“Eggs?” Bess says incredulously, “Hasn’t she been acting weird lately?”

I shrug, not caring.

It’s comfortable silence, I’m basking in it, us three are, feeling good in each other’s presence and we’re—

There he is again.

He’s walking towards us, stoic as ever, but that knowing quirk gracing his lips, his coloured arms are shoved in his pockets, and his eyes are set on Sloane. Beside him, is Riley, who’s grinning and swinging his arms.

“Heyo Slo!” he cheers, clapping a hand on Sloane’s shoulder, and plopping down ungracefully.

I notice Teak’s eyes narrow slightly at this gesture, but then he’s normal again, lazy smirk, “Sloane.” He nods shortly.

Sloane stiffens the slightest bit, and she smiles softly, “Hey.”

Bess looks put out, fiddling with the end of her shirt, until her hands freeze as a long tanned arm swings around her neck, and her head is pulled into a chest, “Riley!” she cries, surprised.

I roll my eyes, “Go flirt somewhere else.”

Blushing, Bess shakes her head, “I—“

“Fine then!” Riley exclaims, “It’s clear that Kayla here doesn’t appreciate us.”

He grabs Bess by the waist and chucks her over his shoulder, walking away.

Sloane looks after them, mouth hanging slightly open, while Teak looks amused as ever.

“Okay…” she says slowly, turning back, smiling, “That was—“

“Hey!” a voice calls, “Sloane! Schuster wants you!”

Sighing, Sloane picks her legs, along with her hat, up and waves a pale hand, “Catch ya.”
Out of earshot, I turned to Teak who leans against a pole silently watching her, and say, “Stay away from her.”

My own voice startles me. I’m hissing.

Like a snake.

He turns to me, black brows rise, and sits down in front of me, “And why is that? Kayla?”

Teeth grinding, “I don’t know what the hell you’re doing with her or what you’re going to do with her, but I have a feeling that it’s not a good thing, and I want this to end.”

He sighs, “And I want new drumsticks, but we don’t always get what we want, do we?”

I lean closer, “Look, however badarse you think you are, you aren’t, I don’t care for your shitty quips.”

“And I don’t care for this conversation,” he says, getting up.

I stand up too, feeling short as he towers over me, “This isn’t over Richardson, I want you to stay away from her!”

Teak clicks his tongue, and his eyes blaze, grinning wickedly, “But apparently Sloane doesn’t want me to stay away from her, so until then…” he shrugs.

Frustrated, I cry, “You’re… a plonker!”

He laughs, “Original, but that’s what you think.”

"Look," I hiss again, "If you break her, then I will kill you."

"Good to know."

He’s walking away, walking away from our conversation, walking away from my warning, walking away.

Walking away… to Sloane.