"And James Rowan..."

"Here!" A voice shouted.

"That's everyone accounted for then," Coach Maynard said, taking his seat right next to the bus driver.

It was Friday evening, which meant it was time for the team's first track meet of the season. As such, the team bus was bustling with excitement and anticipation not only from the many athletes that filled it but also from the coaches.

Even Coach Maynard who usually tried to keep a stoic demeanor could be seen smiling as the bus kicked into gear. Outside, the Eastwood High student body waved on their departing athletes with smiles on their faces. Had it not been lunchtime with a full evening of classes ahead they would've likely been begging to board with them and go show their support.

"Really puts the pressure on," Mathew, a loud mouth distance runner commented from the back of the bus.

"You shouldn't be too worried about such a small meet, Matthew. I heard you ran under 50 in the last 400 meters, you have nothing to worry about dude." A voice Kevin didn't recognize answered from the same direction.

"Didn't your superstar mother tell you to not doubt your opponents, Cody?" Another voice called from the back.

As Kevin tuned out the conversation and prepared to put on his headphones a shadow appeared over him.

"Mind if I sit here?" Darius asked. 

"Sure, go ahead," Kevin replied. Michael hadn't been picked to do shotput for this track meet so he hadn't been able to board the bus due to them leaving at lunch, which left Kevin relatively alone since Scarlett was up at the front with her friends.

Not that he particularly minded.

Kevin wondered if the boy would attempt to strike up conversation but Darius pulled out his own headphones and busied himself getting comfortable and immersed in his music.

Kevin mentally sighed in relief. Forced conversation was the last thing he needed right now. Coach Ryan had stressed how important the bus ride before track events was repeatedly. The extroverted tended to talk with their friends which helped to loosen them up and ease their nerves while the more introverted turned to things like music and self-reflection techniques, but all of this was just as important as warming up.

According to Coach, it was a mental warmup, preparing the mind to be ready for maximum effort.

Usually, Kevin's own mental warmup consisted of either watching track videos --which usually happened to be of Usain Bolt, or listening to some hype playlist he had thrown together in the morning.

This was definitely a hype playlist type of ride.

Approximately an hour and thirty minutes later, the bus reached its destination just as Lose Yourself by Eminem was nearing its end.

His father's favorite song.

Kevin pushed away the memories and instead focused on the sign that lay next to the entrance which read: Woodlane High. From what Kevin had heard from both Coach Ryan and Michael, it was a small school and the meet it currently hosted would be attended by no other big schools, due to the general insignificance of the school's athletic history and expectations. 

It wasn't particularly surprising that Coach Ryan and Maynard elected to have them attend this track meet despite the risk of injury. One thing Kevin quickly learned was that the coaches shared the trait of thinking outside the box. Even when an analytical person would point out there was more risk than reward outside of that box.

"Ok everyone," Coach Maynard said from the front of the bus. "Form an orderly line and I will tell you the events you're competing in this evening as you step out."

As Kevin followed Darius out into the aisle, he felt the stiffness that accompanied sitting down for a long period of time but his mind was rampant with visions of victory and glamor. He felt like he could accomplish anything in the damn world right now.

An hour plus of motivational music will do that to a person.

When it was Darius' turn to get appointed at the door Coach Ryan gave him a nod and assigned him to the 100 and 200 meters.

Braylon had decided not to bother coming to such an unimportant track meet as he had been known to do. As the fastest guy at the school for well over a year, he was given such privileges to sit out meets he didn't want to attend. Now, even with his crown taken, Coach Maynard still allowed him to do this, not bothering to hide his favoritism for the arrogant boy.

Coach Ryan smiled as Kevin stepped through the door. "Hey, champ. You're going to be doing the 100 and 200 meters as well."

Kevin nodded in response, glad that participating in the 400 meters was now out of the picture.

"And Kevin?" Coach Ryan stopped him. "Try not to wait too long to warm up, please."

Kevin sighed. "Sure."

It wasn't that Kevin didn't understand the importance of warming up, it was just so boring doing it long before the race would start like everyone usually did.

Despite Woodlane High being such a small school its track stadium was pretty grand in nature. Though not as large as the one Eastwood used, it wasn't that far off.

Kevin found himself wishing that Michael was here as he followed the throng of athletes through the stadium entrance. Scarlett caught his eye a little further up with her crew and gave him a small wave which he returned. 

Now came another important part of Kevin's pre-race antics. Finding a quiet spot away from the noisy athletes to relax until it was almost time for his race and he had to warm up. Considering they had made it an hour before the designated start time, that would be a while.

 Kevin looked around the stadium, noting the stands being semi-filled with what he guessed were mostly Woodlane students. 

But then, he saw it.

On the far end of the stands, a section was sealed off with caution tape due to the bottom rows being demolished and no one was on that side. Where most people saw danger from that yellow tape, Kevin saw a place void of humans and their annoying stares and conversation.

He gingerly made his way up the stands and stepped over the tape, the idea briefly coming to him that it would be pretty crappy if his season ended prematurely again because of injury, this time because he willingly ventured into an area he wasn't supposed to.

He could already imagine Michael saying; 'I left you alone for one evening!'

Nonetheless, his will to avoid any unneeded interactions won out and he sat down slowly in the stands. 

Without the usual presence of Michael's constant chatter, the silence was almost too loud and Kevin found himself getting more than a bit bored.

It didn't last for long.

"You! What are you doing here?" A voice called from above him after about a good twenty minutes of staring off into space.

Kevin looked up, spotting a girl just two rows above him. She had golden red curly hair which rested elegantly on her shoulders and complemented her light brown sunken eyes. What immediately jumped out to him, however, was her build. Skinny was an understatement. So skinny was she that Kevin idly wondered if she might blow away from up there if a gust of wind caught her.

The girl frowned, bringing the fact that he had been staring without saying anything to Kevin's attention.

"Uh....erm, what are you doing up there?" Kevin smoothly replied.

He internally face palmed at his choice of words.

The girl's frown deepened. "I go to school here. In case you're partially blind or something, that caution tape is intended to keep people out, not invite them in. It's dangerous up here."

"And people that go to school here are immune to such dangers?" Kevin replied.

"Yeah, because we know which parts of these stands are weaker than the rest. Like how I can tell you that row that you're sitting in probably can't hold your weight for much longer and will probably end up with you falling twenty feet to your doom."

Kevin immediately stood up and hopped up to the row above. Falling to his doom certainly wasn't a good idea before his first track meet.

The jump left him almost face to face with the girl.

"Quite impressive," she said dryly, "you should consider joining the track team instead of hurdling chairs as a career."

Kevin smiled. "Now where's the fun in that?" He straightened up and took her in from up close. "Uh, my name's Kevin." He said, extending his hand.

She hesitantly returned the gesture, shaking his hand. "I'm Willow."

"You came out here to watch the meet?" Kevin asked.

Internally Kevin was kicking himself. He of all people was attempting small talk, something he hated and often made fun of people for doing. He couldn't put his finger on it but this girl wasn't as repulsive as others tended to be. Perhaps it was the way she didn't sugarcoat her words or the way she currently looked at him. Right in the eye, as if she had nothing to hide, or rather didn't care enough to.

"Nuh-uh. I'm participating."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "As in...running?"

"Correct."

Kevin once again took in her build.

How could someone so fragile looking be a runner?

Kevin imagined if Michael was here he would point out the irony in that.

Willow stared back at him evenly as he studied her. The look in her eyes was all too familiar. It was the same look of silent confidence that he himself had given those who had underestimated him based on his small stature.

"Shouldn't you be warming up then?" Kevin pointed out.

Willow sighed. "I should, but it feels so pointless warming up so long before the meet even starts. Not to mention, I needed some space to build my tolerance up to deal with those idiots." She said, jerking her head in the direction of the athletes gathered on the field.

The more she talked the more her words started to sound like harmonic music to Kevin's ears.

"You don't like your track team?"

She snorted. "What's there to like? Every athlete I've met just ended up being either an egotistical asshole or a wimpy kid who's aiming to become popular."

Kevin smiled without even registering it. "And which category do you fall under?"

Willow hesitated as if taking a second to think about it.

"Probably the outsider who judges from their spot in the background as if she's better than them. I'd say a more advanced egotistical asshole."

Kevin laughed, an action that had been foreign these last few days. Willow joined in and soon the unlikely pair turned into giggling hyenas.

Kevin managed to compose himself. "Actually I'm also an-"

"Oh shoot!" Willow exclaimed as her phone rang. "I gotta get down to the field before my coach sends out a manhunt for me and discovers I'm up on this death trap. She'll probably have my head on a skillet before the day's out."

She rushed to the caution tape at the side which separated us from the world of safety and paused before turning around. "Well, I came up here for some peace and quiet away from the lowly humans but thanks for ruining that." A smile tugged at her lips. "Seriously, nice meeting you. And it really is in your best interest to go over to the safe side of the stands if you're going to watch."

Kevin smiled, maybe it was better for her not to know he was an athlete yet. "Yeah, I'm glad I could intrude too."

"See ya later, hurdler." 

Hurdler?

Kevin hated obnoxious nicknames but for some reason, this one had a particular ring to it.

He keenly watched her departure. She looked borderline malnutritioned with her insanely lithe build but there was a certain strength and confidence in her small gait.

Kevin idly wondered if her build perhaps made her faster due to her low weight but it didn't exactly sound like science. Regardless, he had something else to look forward to now besides his own race.

He didn't expect a win from her if he was being honest but she had caught his eye like no other girl had before. He just wondered if her hate for athletes would extend to him when she realized that he was in fact one.