Kevin groaned as the sunlight streamed through his curtains and onto his face, beckoning him out of his slumber. Kevin wasn't a morning person by any means, but this feeling of annoyance was much more intense than he normally felt when he woke up.

He glanced at the clock on his bedside and wasn't surprised to see that he had overslept. He usually didn't need an alarm clock because his body was trained to wake up at a certain time, but on bad days such as this one, his body refused to cooperate.

It had been two days since his talk with his mother and three days since he had last let loose and run against the wind. Coach had stressed how important it was for him to take it easy and recover, implementing some rest days where practice would be halted for a bit. 

Kevin had been tempted to at least go on a jog, but although he would never admit it, even to himself --he was wary of getting injured again. It was a constant thought at the back of his mind which had forced him to obediently rest though it was proving to not be exactly healthy for his mental state. 

It felt like a dark cloud was following Kevin around as he prepared a modest breakfast of waffles and coffee. His movements felt sluggish and uncertain and the house felt damn near unbearable. Usually, the feeling of loneliness in the empty house was bearable, he could easily distract himself by keeping up with social media and the like after all, but that just wasn't the case today. 

He failed to find any solace in the sports news he browsed through and scrolling through his Instagram feed didn't help much either. Instead, he found himself staring at the empty seats across from him as he shoveled tasteless waffles into his mouth.

The silence was deafening.

Kevin typically enjoyed the silence, usually considering it the substitute for pointless conversation when there was nothing that needed to be said, but in this instant, the silence had the same discomforting tone as the pointless conversations he hated.

His phone buzzed, breaking his slight trance.

'Hey, my mother dropped me down to school, where the hell are you?' Michael's message read.

The words snapped Kevin partly out of his stupor. He had felt guilty about being unable to say with certainty that his best friend understood him, almost like he had betrayed him in some way.

'I woke up late. I'll leave in a few and probably get there in around 10 minutes,' Kevin replied.

As soon as Kevin hit enter, the three dots signaling Michael's typing popped up.
'You better hurry it up, I'm waiting for you outside so we'll both be late if you don't!'

Kevin smiled despite his mood. Michael was like a breath of fresh air during his currently melancholic existence and perhaps that was enough to not make it matter whether he fully understood him or not. 

True to his word, Michael was waiting at the school entrance when Kevin pulled into the parking lot.

Kevin took a deep breath before stepping out of the car, making sure to set his face in a more approachable manner than the gloomy expression he knew he had been making. Usually, Kevin wouldn't bother since he tended to not care for outside opinions, but he didn't want to alert Michael that something was wrong.

'But, was something wrong?' Kevin wasn't stupid and so he was fully aware that these bad days he experienced was comparable to his father's. However, a part of him still hung on to the idea that he had avoided the mental defect roulette that came with his parent's genetics and it was just normal sad moments that normal people experienced.

Kevin set his sights on Michael, silently wishing that his mind would shut up for just a second.

He was chatting animatedly with a girl, whom Kevin assumed was his choice for girlfriend of the week. She left when Kevin walked up to the two, giving Kevin a slight wave and whispering something along the lines of good running.

To be honest, Kevin was getting tired of hearing those words.

"So...what do you think?" Michael asked as he watched the girl leave, his eyes especially latched on to her departing figure.

"About what?"

"Her, man." Michael replied, his eyes still glued to the girl in question.

Kevin shrugged. "I give her five days tops until you get bored of her. She seems too nice for you."

Michael turned his attention back to Kevin, placing his hand on his chest with an exaggerated expression like he had just been shot in the chest. "Too nice for me?"

"Yea, like good girls and you never work out." Kevin paused. "Well...never work out quicker than usual," he corrected himself with a faint smile.

Michael smirked. "Fair enough."

The two began the trek up the stairs.

As they reached the top, some students who were also on their way in greeted Kevin with a wave or a smile.

Kevin's newfound popularity from becoming known as the fastest sprinter in school still hadn't blown over. In fact, if Kevin started to embrace it he had a chance of truly joining the upper echelon. However, Kevin had no such ambitions.

And especially not today.

Not when even the steps toward the door felt like he was sinking in quicksand that sapped away any happy thoughts or emotions with every exert of effort.

Needless to say, enduring classes in which he didn't find the point failed to help to boost his mood.  

By the time lunch rolled around, he felt like a Hollywood actor putting on a performance, his face a mask to appear socially acceptable and not raise any questions. Usually, Kevin wouldn't need to go to such lengths but more eyes were on him than ever before and he was adamant on not being bothered.

Michael had a free period during Kevin's last class before lunch, so he decided to meet him outside. Michael eyed him unusually hard as he stepped out of the classroom.

Kevin could've sworn his eyes flashed with worry before he looked away. "Hey, Kev." He said softly. "I forgot to ask this morning but, how come you overslept? You haven't done that since we were kids."

Kevin shrugged, surprised by the question. "I guess in the absence of practice, my mind is the one racing and it made me more tired than usual." He answered truthfully. 

Michael nodded. "But are you ok?"

Kevin paused in front of the doorway that lead to the cafeteria, turning slightly to look his best friend in his eyes. "I don't know, what even is the definition of ok?"

Michael's brow creased as he considered the question. "I guess there's no real definition, y'know? Like, it varies from person to person since everyone has different hobbies and aspirations, so if someone says 'I don't know' they either know deep down or they're lying to themselves." He shrugged sheepishly. "I guess anyway."

That sure didn't sound like some measly guess, Kevin thought to himself.

"Well, maybe me being okay is linked to being active on the track. That's the most honest answer I can give you because I don't fully understand it myself."

Michael frowned. "That doesn't sound healthy. It sounds like you're describing a drug and not a sport." He said, any resemblance of his usual easy-going demeanor gone.

Sometimes he wished Michael wasn't as intelligent as he was. Having a smart best friend didn't only prevent Kevin from lying to him, it also prevented him from lying to himself.

Kevin sighed wearily. Suddenly, he felt like he had just run two 400 meters back to back.

"We better go in before our table gets taken," Kevin said.  The wave of exhaustion seemed to even diminish his ability to make a good excuse, considering it was pretty much impossible for their table to be taken since they were the only ones who sat at it.

Nonetheless, Michael accepted it in stride, leading the way into the cafeteria without another word.

It was one of the many traits he liked about Michael. He knew when to pull back and not press the issue. Kevin suspected it was because he wanted to avoid arguments and the awkward situation that would follow.

As they walked toward their table in the far corner, they didn't receive the indifferent reception they had grown accustomed to. Or rather, Kevin didn't. 

Chatter rose from the tables they passed en route and quite a few people greeted Kevin as if he knew them. Frankly, the walk to their table had become even more exhausting than a race in his opinion.

The last table they passed had Braylon and his posse at it. The posse which was made up of the popular people and some semi-popular ones who were leeching off of the others, sneered as the two passed which Braylon returned defiantly. Kevin and Braylon locked eyes for a brief second before Braylon looked away.

'No snappy remark this time, huh?' Kevin wondered to himself.

It seemed even Braylon was a prisoner to the rules of the hierarchy, and currently, he had been overthrown and ruled a loser.

On the track, the system was no different than that of the wild. 

Kill or be killed. 

Michael talked as normally as ever as they ate, which meant he jumped from topic to topic like an F1 car doing laps around a track, but Kevin was finding it hard to focus and be present in the conversation. It wasn't just because of the non-stop rambling either, his own thoughts were just so loud that the simple task of conversation was near impossible.

"All right, that's it," Michael said after Kevin's 42nd huh after a question, "we're going to find Coach Ryan and convince him that you're fine to practice this evening."

"I...don't think that's a good idea. He probably knows best." Kevin replied timidly.

"He does when it comes to what happens on the track. Right now you look like Juliet when she realized that Romeo killed himself-"

"That doesn't even-"

"Which is why I need to remind this Juliet that Romeo is still alive."

"Why am I Juliet and that analogy doesn't even begin to fit." Kevin pointed out with a small chuckle.

"Look at you, a mention of running and you're all focused again and already busting my balls on my great analogies. That settles it, we're going to see him after lunch whether I have to drag you there or not."

Kevin grumbled but made no attempt to protest it further. It was futile, Michael had officially made up his mind.

After lunch, the two marched to the office which the two track coaches shared. There they found a surprised Coach Ryan just starting to eat his lunch.

"What's up?" He asked when they entered.

Michael folded his arms. "Kevin is ready to get back out there, Coach. Lord knows he's gonna self-destruct if he doesn't soon." 

Coach Ryan sighed, putting down his burger. "Michael, Kevin is still recovering from reaggravating his knee. It's important to manage the strain he places on it and that's why I've organized this rest period for him."

"Yea, and he's been resting. Isn't it also important he stays in form with the season starting in just two days?"

"True, but the priority is his health. This rest will be minimal compared to what he'll miss if he gets himself hurt again. It's a dumb risk."

"Life is full of risks!" Michael said, unrelenting in his approach. "You can't say with certainty that he'll reaggravate his injury or whatever, but I can say with certainty that with how unfocused and riled up he is right now, he won't perform his best at the Friday meet with just one day of training. This is Eastwood's trip to track history right here in the flesh, you know it and I know it, so let's not go messing that up."

Coach Ryan sighed again, looking down at his burger like he would much rather be eating it right now than be the recipient of a Michael Thorne logic onslaught. Kevin suspected that if it were anyone else Coach would jump at the eagerness to get back on the track, but the two were emotionally attached now and he clearly cared about his well-being more than the average coach would.

Finally, after a hushed silence, Coach Ryan looked back up again, locking eyes with Kevin. "What do you think, Kevin? I've only heard from Michael but do you think you're in shape to train today?"

Kevin thought about it. 

On one hand, just the thought of getting back on the track and the silencing of his rampaging thoughts that would ensue urged him to say yes but, there was a little black cloud poking through his brain's horizon, carrying with it the fear that came from having experienced a serious injury. 

He had been able to ignore the cloud for quite a while thanks to throwing himself back into track full-time --but now with his forced break, it had grown in size slowly but surely.

Really, his brain just felt like a cluster of doubt and fear currently, with no light to navigate it.

Kevin glanced at Michael who nodded encouragingly.

Kevin steeled himself and met his Coach's eyes again.

"I'm ready."

Six hours later, Kevin experienced silence again. 

Running at training, he was once again one with the wind and present in the moment, his nagging thoughts moved to the background.

"How's the knee?" Coach asked after they had finished the light practice.

Kevin nodded, painting on a smile. "Great!"

Coach frowned. "Don't lie to me, Kevin. This won't work otherwise."

Kevin exhaled. "It feels a little sore." He admitted, both to himself and Coach. "But it's nothing I can't handle and it clearly isn't holding me back." He added quickly.

"Not currently it isn't but it needs to be monitored," Coach Ryan replied, worry lines creasing his forehead. "For now, make sure to ice it when you get home."

"I will."

"And Kevin?"

"Yea?"

"The moment you feel significant pain you tell me, no exceptions. None."

Kevin nodded. "I will."

"Promise me," Coach Ryan said, holding out his hand. Kevin had learned over time that when Coach was really serious about something and wanted full honesty, he sealed it with a handshake.

At first, Kevin had thought of it as stupid and futile as a lying preventive, but now he felt like it bound him to full honesty. Maybe it was the respect he now had for Coach Ryan or perhaps he was just some kind of wizard, but it really did feel like some sort of ritual now.

Kevin grabbed the man's hand firmly. "I promise."

"Well, go home and ice up, we got a big day tomorrow since it's the day before the first meet." Coach Ryan said, his face softening. "The first step to regionals."

Kevin nodded, a smirk playing across his face. 

He'd never felt more ready.