Love's Not A Competition: Senior Year

Classes started on the Monday. I was kind of excited to get back to class. I was ready to get this year over and done with already. I was also glad to get back to training. I never could force myself in my training like Coach could. Maybe it was the threats or the yelling but somehow, in training, we all got very motivated and pushed ourselves to the limit. But it was all in good spirits. The Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships were being held in Fresno this year and I hoped to go. So that meant that I had to train extra hard on top of studying full out since our last year was meant to be the hardest. That left no time for drama which was definitely a good thing.

I walked downstairs on Monday morning after coming back from training. I was glad that I got my own bathroom now so I didn’t have to wait for Zeke to get out after training. I swear that boy took longer doing his hair than I did. But I guess it paid off since his hair always looked perfectly messy. I kissed him on the cheek when I sat down with my tray. I looked at my friends but they were too busy staring at Brittney. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

“You sure seem hungry,” I said slowly.
She looked up before looking back down at her tray. She had two bowls of cereal, three pieces of toast and some yoghurt. She shrugged her shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal but it was. I had never seen Brittney eat so much in one day, let alone a whole meal.
“I guess,” she said. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

I smiled kindly before looking away, turning to my own meal. I kicked Eric under the table when he kept staring at her. He shot me an evil look but did turn away from her. I wondered if Brittney was sick. Maybe she was eating a lot to fill the emptiness that I’m sure she felt because Aidan wasn’t around. I must think of something that she can do that will distract her. Maybe I could get her to join a club of some kind. If only they had an anime club or something about makeup and designer clothes. I would have to ask Katie for some ideas.

The bell rang and I heard kids nearby sighing and grumbling. But I was happy about going to class. It was an odd feeling, one that I hadn’t really had before. Zeke grabbed my hand and walked me to class, kissing me lightly on the lips before walking off to his own class. He did turn and blow me a kiss before he walked around the corner. I could feel the glares from other girls but I ignored them. He was mine and nobody could come between us, especially not petty school girls.

Zeke was waiting for me after my class and he walked me to my next one. I loved how he rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand when we walked. I loved how he leaned really close when he wanted to say something to me even though he could’ve just said it normally. I loved how all of his attention turned to me when I talked. I loved how he smiled whenever he saw me, like he was always happy to see me. Most of all, I just loved him. And I knew, hoped that he loved me back just as much.

Later that night I was studying in my room when there was a knock on the door. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see the dorm head poking her head around the door. She was doing her nightly rounds and smiled at me. She bid me goodbye and I waved as she closed the door. I heard the clicking of her high heels echo down the hallway. I looked at my clock and saw that I only had five minutes. I put my homework away and went to go put some perfume on and to also brush my hair. I walked out of bathroom just as my door opened again. Zeke grinned at me. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bed.

“I’ve been waiting all day for this,” Zeke sighed.

I grinned as he kissed me roughly, passionately. I ran my hand through his hair as he rolled on top of me. He ran a hand under my shirt, tickling me slightly as his fingertips touched my stomach. I sighed into his touch and sighed when he started trailing kisses down my neck. I was just unbuttoning his shirt when there was a really quiet knock on the door. They didn’t wait for a response and I quickly pushed Zeke off of me. He landed in between the bed and the wall with a loud thump while I sat up quickly. Brittney looked at me before closing the door. She walked over to the bed and sighed.

“I miss Aidan,” she sniffed.

I could tell by her red eyes that she had been crying and shuffled over to her, wrapping my arm around her. She rested her head against my shoulder and I could hear her sobbing quietly. I made soothing noises while trying not to feel annoyed at her. It did seem that whenever Zeke and I tried to be together or have an important conversation Brittney always interrupted, even before we had started dating. It was like she had some sort of radar that alerted her when a private moment was happening and she had to go and interrupt. But of course, I knew she was sad so I didn’t turn her away.

“I’m sure you just need a good night’s sleep. How about in the morning, we look at some clubs to join up to? It will be a good way to keep your mind off of Aidan.”
“That sounds alright.”

I nodded encouragingly before telling her to go and sleep with Katie if she was feeling lonely since Katie would definitely be on her own. She left after a bit of persuading. Zeke jumped up when I had closed the door and I sighed as I turned to look at him. We both smiled sheepishly and he lay down on the bed, patting the spot beside him. I walked over and snuggled up against his side while he grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers.

“Talk about a mood killer,” Zeke whispered.
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” I giggled.
“Yeah, she might try and kill me. Or get Aidan too,” Zeke teased.
“Hey, are you trying out for the championships this year?” I asked.
“Of course,” Zeke said. “Fresno here we come.”
“If we get in,” I sighed.

“Don’t worry about it right now. They aren’t until February. We have plenty of time until then. Just relax and enjoy our last year in high school.”
“That has a nice ring to it,” I smiled. “Last year.”
“Remember our motto from summer,” Zeke said.
“I don’t remember having a motto,” I said, looking at him.
“‘Live like there’s no tomorrow’,” he grinned.
“I should’ve guessed.”

He grinned at me before leaning down and kissing the top of my head. I didn’t want to fall asleep. I wanted it to be like summer where we would stay up all night just talking about ourselves, our families, our hopes and dreams, the things we liked or disliked. They had been some of the best nights of my life and I wanted more moments like that. Things were different now that we were back at school, I knew that. But I didn’t mean that I wanted it that way. We had to sneak around at school and we couldn’t be together all day long. I would just have to live with it. Life never went the way you wanted it to, that was something I had learnt last year. I just wanted to be happy with Zeke. Was that too much to ask?