The end of the spring semester was insanity and I had almost forgotten the looming 5K until the week before when Victor reminded me of it. I must have looked as startled as I felt because he smiled.

"You don't have to do it," he said.

"I have to, I promised Jackson to spirit walk," I said. The unraveling of my hair was escalating as I had just barely passed my Pre-Calculus final that morning.

Victor rolled his eyes and tossed his gym bag over his shoulder. Of course, he had nothing to worry about, he was perpetually fit. Yes, I had been doing a lot of walking for the HSIC but I hadn't prepared for a 5K, to me a 5K sounded like hell. Utter hell.

"It's not that bad," Victor said.

"I really can't trust you on this, you run like 10 miles a day," I said.

He laughed. "I really don't. I'm more into weightlifting. I haven't really run since Coach Nago."

Coach Nago had been a brutal little man with the Varsity Football team and us girls had often enjoyed the view from the bleachers as the guys were made to run shirtless until most of them passed out under the Florida heat.

"Plus, you're just walking, think of it like going to Disney," he pointed at my badge. I had just landed a part-time summer job at the theme parks.

"I'm going to be red, sweaty, and smelly," I said. "None of this is sexy."

Victor raised a brow.

"Get your head out of the gutter," I said with a finger to his face.

He laughed and tugged at my bun which did not need much help from him to completely unravel making my wild curls tumble down.

"I've just got to train before the 5k –"

"It's in 5 days."

"No Burger King until after this is done," I said to him specifically. "And –" I stood up and hovered over him. "You meet me at the track by my house at 7 am tomorrow morning," I said.

He raised a brow. "I'm not waking up that early."

"May I remind you that you volunteered yourself for this so you're in this hell with me."

"I didn't sign up to wake up at 7am."

"7:15."

"Eight. And not a minute before." He stood clearly overtaking me in the height department. I gave him my best Montana glare but he remained rooted.

"Fine 8 am. But stretching starts at 7:45," I smiled sweetly and turned to walk away.

What the hell had I been thinking? I couldn't even manage to put in my contacts, my glasses were smudged, my hair was in some sort of rat nest embrangle, I had no workout clothes so my baggy size 16 joggers were low on my hips and my tank top had coffee stains on it.

"You don't look OK," Victor studied me in slight distaste.

He, of course, looked awake and refreshed. His clothes were not the wrong size and stained, they fit well and he made a Rubik's cube of black and white tonalities.

"I got my period this morning," I said.

He closed his eyes and sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "This friendship thing is stretching the boundaries."

I frowned. "It's life. Men get to stay firm and unblotted and we're cursed to carry their spawn or be punished by bringing the fury of the gods upon our vagina."

He bit his lip, hiding his smile into his hand. "Ok, c'mon, let's stretch."

"I can't," I whined. "Stretching makes it worse."

"Actually stretching is –"

"Don't you dare explain to me what I go through on a monthly basis based on what you read in a book written, in all likelihood, by a man," I pointed my finger at him.

He held his hands up. "You woke me up at this time, Montana. Stretch."

I watched as he lithely sat down and effortlessly touched his toes like a ballerina before a recital. I took a deep breath and lugged myself down, testing my ability to stretch.

GUSH. Oh god.

I rested my forehead against my knees and whined.

"C'mon, Montana," he said.

"I can't." My mouth muffled against my joggers.

"I will tickle you," he warned.

I gasped. "You wouldn't."

He raised a brow and gave me a smirk. I don't know how I stretched without drowning the both of us but I did. And then we started with the slow walking. It wasn't long before I was panting and struggling.

"How much have we done?"

"About half a mile." The bastard looked like he was strolling through the mall.

"How much is a 5K?"

"Three miles, give or take, really it's not that much," he said.

I glared at him.

"No, no," he smiled. "This is all about you and impressing Floppy-haired Jackson."

"I should be attracted to poets. I write pretty good poetry."

"Your poetry sucks," he said. "I'm telling you this as a friend."

I wrinkled my nose at him. "I could work on it."

"How was it that your poem went in the 7th grade? He doesn't know I exist, so I might desist –"

"STOP!"

His laughter was unabashed and loud as I shoved him, my small body barely making him stumble.

"C'mon, let's jog!"

"No," I shook my head. "I can't, Victor."

"You're going to look like this for the 5k?"

"Tell him I died," I said.

He chuckled but grabbed my hand and started jogging. "I'm not letting go of your hand, c'mon!"

I stumbled but tried to keep up with him, grasping at him, my breath sharp, pinching me until my stomach hurt. "Stop. I'm going into cardiac arrest!"

"Harder, Montana, push through!"

We never made it to the full run, but he had me jogging for a good mile then he let me collapse on the grass moist with the morning dew. The entire front of my tank was wet and I was sure he could see my bra clearly but I didn't care. Here I ended, Victor Manning had killed me. I opened my eyes to look up at him. He had the gentlest sweat sheen on his brow but he was fully smiling as he looked down at me.

"You're enjoying this too much," I wheezed.

"I am."

"You're an asshole."

"As you've graciously written on my car." He crossed his arms.

I dropped my head on the grass.

"Rest, I'm going to finish a few laps."

And there he went, sprinting like a gazelle, effortless over the African bushland. I could finally breathe normally when he finished and when he did finish, he was as sweaty as I had been. The white t-shirt he wore was see-through and clinging to his chest. He went to his bag and gulped thirstily from his Gatorade and I watched interestingly as his throat bobbed up and down. He took a deep breath and laid on the grass as I had. I loomed over him, already feeling more and more like myself. I was no longer sweating and drenched. He looked like he had emerged from a pool.

"Come here," he said.

Before I could run away, he grabbed my leg and yanked me down, toppling over him he rubbed his face and chest all over me covering me with his sweat. I let out a screech of disgust, pushing him off me but we stumbled in the grass and his laughter rang in my ears. Then he pinned me on the grass and rubbed his hair on my face.

"Nooooo!" I howled when his sweaty hair landed in my open mouth.

His laugh was so loud and contagious that I started laughing and before I knew it we were both wheezing, tears dribbling from our eyes and I could not see because I laughed so hard.

"I can't see!" I tried to open my eyes and he watched me and laughed even harder.

When we calmed down, small giggles erupting from me once in a while, my stomach hurt but no longer from cramps, just from laugher. I realized laughter could cleanse my soul, heal my heart, and when I looked at Victor I realized with a jolt that I loved laughing with him.

×××

I would not say I was in better shape by the time the 5K rolled around but at least I wasn't a panting beast of bodily fluid. Plus, my period had ended, and I was in that magic moment when you feel your thinnest because you're no longer bloated. Victor asked if I wanted to ride together so he was parked in front of my house at 6:45 AM, the BMW's windows were completely tinted but my Mom sensed a guy had picked me up.

"Quien es ese?" She was peering through the kitchen blinds.

"Victor, I told you about him, you know who he is. His Mom goes to the Santa Catherina." I grabbed a bottle of water.

"He's never come to my house to introduce himself," she said.

"Because I've never invited him because he's just my friend."

"Is he Catholic?"

"Yes." I rolled my eyes.

She eyed me up and down, she was even shorter than I was but more terrifying. Her brows were slightly over plucked and her glasses hung from the tip of her nose as she surveyed me over the rims.

"I'm going to be late, bye. Bendicion, Mami." I kissed her cheek but she grabbed my arm with a clenched fist. How the hell was she so strong?

"Becka Inez, you better be careful with that boy," she said. "I'm too young to be a grandmother and I raised you like a lady!"

"Oh my god!" I pulled away from her and stormed to the door.

Victor was already honking. I slid in the car but he was staring at my front door where my mother was standing, wearing her pink robe and glaring at him even as she wore a smile. Something I did not know could happen.

"Please go," I said.

He raised his hand and waved at my mom and I hit his arm.

"She thinks we're fucking, do not encourage her!"

He turned to me shocked. "Why the hell would she think that?"

"Because you came to pick me up in your pussymobile," I said.

I had to reassure Victor that he did not have to speak to my mom to clarify anything. That would make it worse, she would be even more suspicious. And why is that boy coming to see me, ah? He should have the decency to tell me the truth! I'm going to have to speak to his mother. No, it would be a disaster. The good thing is that my crazy mom thwarted my nerves and when we pulled up to the lakeside for the 5K tons of people were already there. Victor and I picked a spot to stretch and we watched other professionals intensively stretch. I had not spotted Jackson but I was trying to be as casual in my perusal as I could be.

"There he is," Victor pointed behind me.

"Who?"

Victor gave me a look of 'please'. "He's talking with a redhead."

"What?" My heart thundered as I turned my exorcist head to glare. He was talking to a girl, a pretty petite redhead. I also knew her; I had taken Composition II with her. My stomach twisted; she was far prettier than me. But then Jackson was pointing her to the sign in area and it didn't seem like he knew her at all. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I know her," I said.

"You do?" Victor looked at me. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Crystal, she's was in my Composition class. She's very nice."

I saw his head turn and stare at Crystal as she signed in, she wore small neon green shorts and a cut off top. She was so tiny and perfect that I felt something like jealousy sit in my stomach. Victor was watching her and I fought the urge to smack him. Honestly!

"Becka!"

I'd been so annoyed with Victor that I had forgotten about Jackson who came jogging to us. His blond hair tossed in the morning sun and the green of his shirt brought out his eyes.

"Hey!" God, so lame. Why couldn't I be witty and enchanting like Crystal probably was?

He stopped in front of us, glancing at Victor who was staring at him with a neutral face.

"Manning," Jackson reached out to shake his hand. Victor shook it and nodded but remained quiet.

Jackson noticed Victor being standoffish and took a deep breath, looking at me. "So you ready? To spirit walk?"

"I might be able to jog a little," I said.

"Alright!" He smiled that Ken smile which I returned.

Jackson had to help organize some things in the operations side of the 5K so Victor and I idly waited, he was being suspiciously monosyllabic.

"Are you upset at me?" I asked him.

He turned to me in surprise. "Nah. I mean, I don't know, there's something off about that Jackson guy."

I raised a brow at him. "What?"

He shrugged his shoulders and cracked his neck, bouncing from one of his legs to another as he loosened up.

"Whatever."

Jackson found me right before the race started and when the gun went off Victor sped off and left us behind. I gaped after him.

"What the hell?"

"He's serious," Jackson said, glancing at me.

We were jogging so we didn't get to talk much mostly because I began panting and sweating. I was glad I had gotten new workout clothes a couple of days ago because at least I looked nice compared to my baggy sweats. I lost track of Victor in the crowd but at one point I saw him ahead and I noticed he was near Crystal but I didn't see them talking. I noticed she was also running, her red ponytail bouncing in the wind as delicately as she was.

"We can walk if you like," Jackson said after our first mile jogging nonstop.

I must have been looking like pure hell, I felt like pure hell, but something about Victor bouncing ahead with Crystal kept me going like a rabid animal. I pushed myself until my calves were screaming and I could no longer talk. Honestly, I could not stop or I would have collapsed, trampled by those behind me. By the end of the second mile, I wasn't sure if I was crying or if sweat was blinding me, but I refused to stop even if I had slowed down considerably. Pain was now radiating up my left calf but I kept jogging. I could dimly hear Jackson telling me to slow down to a walk but I was determined. I would jog until the end even if I died. Then Victor would be sorry for leaving me behind to chat up with some petite redhead. He'd better read a nice eulogy at my funeral.

I do not know how I made it that last half a mile, the pavement felt like it was personally attacking me, each time I landed on my left ankle and I hobbled like a twisted creature from fairytales. I let out a cry of relief when I saw the finish line and then my ankle gave out and I would've collapsed on the pavement had Jackson not grabbed me. He pulled my arm over his shoulders and held me up.

"Lean on me but finish this, you're so determined," he sounded confused.

I was confused. Why had I done this? Why had I attempted suicide to catch up to Victor when it was clear I was in far worse physical condition than he was? I was panting like a dying zebra, my breath coming out with a whistle and my foot screaming in pain.

I made it to the finish line when I spotted Victor, he was staring at me in utter confusion. That's when my ankle gave up and I almost slid from Jackson's arm. I dimly remember Victor running to me before I was picked up and carried to a patch of grass to die. I laid there, staring at the morning sky when I felt someone lift my head to pour water down my throat. I coughed and half of it ended up down my neck.

"You're ridiculous." Yes, that was Victor. He sounded quite angry.

I couldn't speak, I had lost all ability to speak, I was concentrating on breathing plus the pain in my foot was shooting up my leg in sharp pins. I felt someone remove my trainer and I cursed myself for not painting my toenails. They were still a chipped purple color; Crystal would have manicured feet. My foot was rolled carefully and I sat up, screaming in pain. I tried to pull my foot back and Victor had it tight in his hands, he was looking at me with a glare. He was sweaty but not at the edge of death like I was.

"You've sprained your ankle," he said.

"It hurts!"

"Because you've sprained it and you had a cramp." He slid his hand up my calf, shaking his head as he did. "Why did you run? You never made it past a mile with me."

I took a sharp breath when he turned my foot, I was going to kick him in his face. When I got better. If they didn't have to amputate it.

"Will I walk again?" I asked.

A slow smile formed in his face as he looked at me. "Maybe."

I let out a groan.

"How's she doing?" Jackson walked to me but stared at my foot, he had a banana in his hand.

"Sprain," Victor replied. "You shouldn't have let her keep going."

I stared at Victor.

"Man, she was determined," Jackson kneeled by my head, handing me the banana.

"Thanks, but I want to vomit," I admitted.

Jackson smiled; his hair was sweaty but he still looked beautiful. "It's not a workout until you're vomiting."

"That sounds awful," I said and I felt Victor stand up, rubbing his palms on his shorts.

"Let me get ice." He stalked off and I watched him retreat. When I turned back to Jackson he was looking at me with a raised brow.

"He's an interesting character," he said.

"He's my best friend."

Impulse. Pure impulse.

Jackson nodded, looking me over. "Ok."

I had messed something up, hadn't I? Perhaps it was because I looked like a drowned rat or perhaps it was because I had inexplicably killed myself trying to catch up to Victor. Either way, I felt Jackson pulled back when Victor came with some ice wrapped in a towel. He knelt once more by my feet and pressed the towel against my ankle. I hissed a sigh of relief at the coolness.

"I'm leaving you in capable hands, I've got to help with the tally," Jackson touched my shoulder and walked away.

I watched him and then turned to Victor who was still staring at me quite annoyed.

"You're pissed," I said.

He sighed, shook his head, and looked back at my ankle. "You're going to be hobbling for a week, at least."

"It might not be sprained, it might just be protesting from use," I said.

"It's sprained."

I laid back down on the grass, exhausted. "Will they have to amputate it?"

"Yes, there's no hope."

Recommended 90s Playlist (will grow with each chapter)

1. Gettin' Jiggy With It - Will Smith

2. Kiss The Rain - Billie Myers

3. Come Baby Come - K7

4. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

5. Bitch - Meredith Brooks

6. Something to Talk About - Bonnie Raitt

7. WannaBe - Spice Girls

8. Miami - Will Smith

9. Ghetto Supastar - Pras

10. All Cried Out - Allure

11. The Way - Fastball

12. Walkin' on the Sun - Smash Mouth

13. Can't Get Enough of You Baby - Smash Mouth

14. Stay (I missed you) - Lisa Loeb

15. Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) - The Offspring

16. Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground

17. Lullaby - Shawn Mullins

18. Inside Out - Eve 6

19. My Way - Usher

20. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam

21. She's So High - Tal Bachman

22. Slide - The Goo Goo Dolls

23. Y Hubo Alguien - Marc Anthony

24. Here's to the Night - Eve 6