Status: Up and Running.
Rat Race
Late for a Very Important Date
“5, 6, 7, 8!” Giselle shouted, her red hair getting tousled by the wind. She was leading her squad in a routine. “Get it together, Amber!” she yelled when the girl stumbled to the ground after doing a toe touch. She glowered at Giselle for a second, but then tried it again.
Hearing a scuffle behind her, Giselle turned around and saw Tabitha running up, her cheer bag banging against her hip and her heels sinking into the wet grass.
“You’re late,” Giselle said.
“I know,” Tabitha slung her bag on the bleachers, kicked her heels off and slid her Nike sneakers on.
“This is the fifth time, Green.”
“Well, I had a crisis.” She piled her blonde hair atop her head with a hair tie and started stretching.
“Crisis or no, you still have to be here at 2:45—right after school.”
“Well I’m here now!” Tabitha propped her hands on her knees and glared at Giselle.
“Well!” Giselle clapped her hands and smiled a syrupy smile, “Since you have so much on your plate right now, how about you do some laps around the track until you think you’re fast enough to both handle your ‘crises’,” she put air quotes around the word, ‘crises’, “and show up to practice on time?”
Tabitha gaped at her in disbelief.
Giselle made a shooing motion with her hands. Tabitha rolled her eyes and walked to the track. The other cheerleaders stopped what they were doing, looked at Tabitha, and started laughing.
Giselle smirked and called out, “Three miles should do it, don’t you think? We have a few hours, so don’t be afraid to pace yourself, sweetie,” she said in that same insincerely sweet voice. Tabitha’s shoulders tensed, and then she started her voyage around the track.
Then she turned to face her squad, her face hardening. “What is this, Stare R Us? Get back to work!”
~
The view outside the window passed by in a white blur until she started to feel a sense of déjà vu.
Scarlett knew where they were going. They’d been on the road for at least ten minutes and she’d spent most of her time staring out the window and avoiding the cute guy’s glances at her. But now she was definitely paying attention.
“So… where are we going?” She asked carefully.
“The bridge,” he said, his eyes trained on the windshield.
“Okay,” Scarlett replied, “Why?”
He remained quiet until they came to the entrance of the bridge. He stopped the car, got out, and came around to open her door.
She did it herself, almost hitting him with her door. “Why are we here?” She said as she scrambled out of the car, ignoring the fact that they were centimeters away from each other. She gripped the car door with one hand and ran the other through her hair.
He stared at her for a second and then turned around. “Just follow me,” he said, walking towards the bridge.
Scarlett felt panic rising up inside her, but she quickly tamped it down. She couldn’t show him what she was feeling. He couldn’t know; he just couldn’t. So she slammed the door shut and followed him.
There they stood, in the middle of the snow covered bridge, staring down at the river. The bridge was an old wooden one that was moist and smelled of mildew. People were banned from crossing it in their vehicles because the bridge was bound to collapse soon.
Scarlett shivered and drew her jacket closer around her. The wind and the violent river current were flowing her way, tossing her hair and chapping her cheeks. “What the hell are we doing here?” She asked, exasperated.
“I saw you.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and turned to face the bane of her existence at that moment. “Saw me what?”
“I saw you standing here, last year around Halloween,” he said.
Scarlett’s breath stopped in her throat, and she stared at his profile, at his long lashes, at his ponytail swinging crazily in the wind, his cheeks growing rosy from the cold and she bit on her bottom lip. “What are you talking about?”
“You were about to jump weren’t you?” He finally looked at her, stared at her with those bottomless black eyes.
In the back of her mind, Scarlett figured that’s why he brought her here. But she still didn’t understand. Nevertheless, she was shocked and speechless. “Wha-what do you mean? How…?”
“I was walking back from a party and I usually come here for a smoke—“
“A smoke? I thought smoking was bad,” Scarlett snarked despite, or rather because of the situation.
“—and I saw you. You were crying and standing on the bridge ledge and I didn’t know what to do. I knew one thing though; I wasn’t about to let you jump. But then you climbed back over the bridge and walked away like—”
“I know this. I was there, remember?”
“Then tell me why you were here.” He stared into her eyes, looking for something, she didn’t know what.
Scarlett faced forward and stared at the water moving beneath them. Her lips flattened into a thin line. Who did he think he was, bringing her here? Like it was his business, like she could just tell him. No, she just didn’t want to tell him.
“Lettie.” She felt his hand on her shoulder, and without thinking, she jerked it away and turned away from her view of the river.
“Take me back.” Her voice was shaking and she noticed that her hands were curled into fists. She heard him sigh behind her and then he was walking past her to the car.
Hearing a scuffle behind her, Giselle turned around and saw Tabitha running up, her cheer bag banging against her hip and her heels sinking into the wet grass.
“You’re late,” Giselle said.
“I know,” Tabitha slung her bag on the bleachers, kicked her heels off and slid her Nike sneakers on.
“This is the fifth time, Green.”
“Well, I had a crisis.” She piled her blonde hair atop her head with a hair tie and started stretching.
“Crisis or no, you still have to be here at 2:45—right after school.”
“Well I’m here now!” Tabitha propped her hands on her knees and glared at Giselle.
“Well!” Giselle clapped her hands and smiled a syrupy smile, “Since you have so much on your plate right now, how about you do some laps around the track until you think you’re fast enough to both handle your ‘crises’,” she put air quotes around the word, ‘crises’, “and show up to practice on time?”
Tabitha gaped at her in disbelief.
Giselle made a shooing motion with her hands. Tabitha rolled her eyes and walked to the track. The other cheerleaders stopped what they were doing, looked at Tabitha, and started laughing.
Giselle smirked and called out, “Three miles should do it, don’t you think? We have a few hours, so don’t be afraid to pace yourself, sweetie,” she said in that same insincerely sweet voice. Tabitha’s shoulders tensed, and then she started her voyage around the track.
Then she turned to face her squad, her face hardening. “What is this, Stare R Us? Get back to work!”
~
The view outside the window passed by in a white blur until she started to feel a sense of déjà vu.
Scarlett knew where they were going. They’d been on the road for at least ten minutes and she’d spent most of her time staring out the window and avoiding the cute guy’s glances at her. But now she was definitely paying attention.
“So… where are we going?” She asked carefully.
“The bridge,” he said, his eyes trained on the windshield.
“Okay,” Scarlett replied, “Why?”
He remained quiet until they came to the entrance of the bridge. He stopped the car, got out, and came around to open her door.
She did it herself, almost hitting him with her door. “Why are we here?” She said as she scrambled out of the car, ignoring the fact that they were centimeters away from each other. She gripped the car door with one hand and ran the other through her hair.
He stared at her for a second and then turned around. “Just follow me,” he said, walking towards the bridge.
Scarlett felt panic rising up inside her, but she quickly tamped it down. She couldn’t show him what she was feeling. He couldn’t know; he just couldn’t. So she slammed the door shut and followed him.
There they stood, in the middle of the snow covered bridge, staring down at the river. The bridge was an old wooden one that was moist and smelled of mildew. People were banned from crossing it in their vehicles because the bridge was bound to collapse soon.
Scarlett shivered and drew her jacket closer around her. The wind and the violent river current were flowing her way, tossing her hair and chapping her cheeks. “What the hell are we doing here?” She asked, exasperated.
“I saw you.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and turned to face the bane of her existence at that moment. “Saw me what?”
“I saw you standing here, last year around Halloween,” he said.
Scarlett’s breath stopped in her throat, and she stared at his profile, at his long lashes, at his ponytail swinging crazily in the wind, his cheeks growing rosy from the cold and she bit on her bottom lip. “What are you talking about?”
“You were about to jump weren’t you?” He finally looked at her, stared at her with those bottomless black eyes.
In the back of her mind, Scarlett figured that’s why he brought her here. But she still didn’t understand. Nevertheless, she was shocked and speechless. “Wha-what do you mean? How…?”
“I was walking back from a party and I usually come here for a smoke—“
“A smoke? I thought smoking was bad,” Scarlett snarked despite, or rather because of the situation.
“—and I saw you. You were crying and standing on the bridge ledge and I didn’t know what to do. I knew one thing though; I wasn’t about to let you jump. But then you climbed back over the bridge and walked away like—”
“I know this. I was there, remember?”
“Then tell me why you were here.” He stared into her eyes, looking for something, she didn’t know what.
Scarlett faced forward and stared at the water moving beneath them. Her lips flattened into a thin line. Who did he think he was, bringing her here? Like it was his business, like she could just tell him. No, she just didn’t want to tell him.
“Lettie.” She felt his hand on her shoulder, and without thinking, she jerked it away and turned away from her view of the river.
“Take me back.” Her voice was shaking and she noticed that her hands were curled into fists. She heard him sigh behind her and then he was walking past her to the car.
♠ ♠ ♠
Hi :)