Follow Me Home

The next morning I woke up at eight, surprised I was able to sleep so late. My routine schedule involved waking up at five and taking a run before school. To most people, it looked like overkill but to me it was a stress reliever. Running was a constant in life-something you could always control.

I emerged from bed, aware that I would have to go to school tomorrow for the first time since the incident. Somehow I didn't think Agent Cooper would be so willing to lay off. I decided I did need that run, and replaced my pajamas with a pair of shorts, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt. I laced up my running sneakers and headed downstairs.

"Good morning." I jumped at the voice that cut the morning silence. Agent Cooper stood behind me, dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Although he had only been at my home for a day, he seemed as comfortable as ever. It made my skin itch.

"Good morning, Agent Cooper." I answered, speaking with a kindness that didn't reach my heart.

"You're up early." I started to head down the stairs, and he followed. "What are your plans for the day?" I entered the kitchen, inching onto my toes to open a cabinet and reach for a plastic water bottle. Agent Cooper followed, casually grabbing the bottle off its shelf and turning it around in his hands.

"Actually, I was just about to go for a run." I said, holding out my hand.

"Perfect, I'll join. It's been a while since I've gotten the chance." I pressed my lips together, looking for a way out.

"I'm running six miles." I stated, although I hadn't actually planned to run so much. He shrugged and handed me the water bottle.

"Perfect, I'll change."

~~~~~~

The two of us stood alone at the beginning of a pavement path. I had suggested we run on a path that swerved through the forest, and he had agreed, saying it would be a more scenic route. The two of us were stretching, watching each other warily like two lions in the same cage.

Agent Cooper had changed into athletic shorts and a muscle shirt. Through the water proof fabric, it was easy to see the outline of his abdominal muscles, leading to his arms, which were well defined. His shorts showed off his toned calves and it suddenly occurred to me he might easily keep up.

"Are you ready?" He asked, snapping me out of my trance. I stood, giving a little nod and putting my headphones into my ears. I pumped up the music and took off, letting my feet bounce along to the fast tempo of the song. Immediately I took up, leaving feet between the two of us on the path. He was quick though, with longer legs then mine. He was quickly able to catch up with just a few strides. I turned the sound up, running faster as I sped to put space between us. But he caught up again. I pushed myself till i could feel the sharp lack of air in my lungs, but the space seemed permanent. He remained four strides behind me this time.

We ran like this for a while, giving me a sense of false confidence and pride. The wooded forest provided a cool mist in the air and beautiful scenery. The winding path became narrower as we went on eventually leading us to a tall hill. I tried to push through, but Agent Cooper was suddenly in front of me. My legs screamed in protest, but I continued. At the top of the hill, he stopped and turned to me. I could hear his voice through my music but I ignored him, running right past him and turning the music up. The end of the path was just straight ahead, and I was determined the make it there first.

I was yards in front of him, and feet away from the end when I felt it. A body colliding with mine, sending me toppling to the ground and bumping along the pavement. My knees scraped and my head hit the ground with a thud, causing my head phones to pop out of my ears. The silence rang in my head like a bell.

"Hello? Carolina?" I blinked my eyes open to see Agent Cooper hovering over me. Behind him, a face came into focus and I recognized Liam Dangora, a boy who had graduated two years ago.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, pushing away his arm that supported my head and starting to sit up.

"You just blacked out." He said. "You need to take a minute."

"Hey Carolina." Liam said, "I'm sorry we had to run into each other like this." I grinned, holding up my hands to him. He took them and pulling me into a sitting position.

"How's college treating you?" I asked, brushing dirt off my face.

"I dropped out." He answered, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not the right path for me. I'm taking the rest of the year off, got some traveling planned, and then I'm gonna intern at my dad's company." Liam's father owned a successful business.

"That's great. I'm happy you found something that works for you." Agent Cooper rolled his eyes as Liam pulled me onto my feet.

"You good?" He asked and I nodded. "Well, I better get going. Listen, if you end up getting a concussion or something, call me." He smiled and I waved as he jogged off, leaving the two of us alone.

"We should head back to the car and check out your head." He said, turning the corner to where the car was parked.

"My head is fine."

"Signs of a concussion may not appear at first, but that doesn't mean your fine." I started walking faster.

"I'm not a porcelain doll." i mumbled.

Back at the car, he checked my eyes and asked my questions like what year I was born in. I begrudgingly answered them all (correctly) until he decided we could go home.

"So you knew that guy from school?" He asked after a long silence.

"Yes." I crossed my arms and looked out the window.

"Interesting life choices he seems to be making." He said, pulling onto our block.

"Do you have a problem with his decision?" I asked, counting the seconds until we reached the driveway.

"I do, actually. I don't think its fair that some people have the opportunity to fast forward college and join daddy's business." I turned to face him.

"It's his life." We pulled into the driveway and I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"He's taking a position that any one else would have to work for. And he gets it why, because he was born into money? He doesn't even care." I stepped out of the car before it came to complete stop.

"Yeah well, you seem to." I slammed the down, climbing the stairs by two. When I reached my bedroom I peeled off my sweaty clothes, leaving them on the floor and running into the shower. I climbed in, turned the water up until it was so hot my skin burnt. I let the water wash the dirt off my skin and out of my hair, loosening my muscles to the heat. Busting into the tears, I let the water wash my problems down the drain.