I flew forward, charging through the air, my heart was hammering inside my chest at at a rate of one hundred miles an hour. Right now, everything was perfect, the sky, the world, the track, me. But I wasn’t worried about any of that. Perfect wasn’t my focus right now. I had to beat my one mile time. 6:57 just wasn’t fast enough, there were still a few people faster than me. Lily and Sarrie were the top two girls in 6th grade. That meant that there was room for improvement, and as long as that was true, I would keep trying to do better.

I was halfway done. I looked at my watch, it read



03:04 (blink) 03:05 (blink) 03:06
Second after second. If I could keep up this pace, I would be able to beat my last time... by a lot.

I leaned my head down and stared at my racing feet, as I bolted ahead. A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek a landed on the corner of my mouth. I felt like I was flying.

Flying.

Flying.

Flying

My legs were my wings and the track was my sky. Left leg. Right leg. Left leg. Right leg. Again and again and again as my aching feet pulled me forward across the ground. The bead of sweat, unlodged by the wind I was creating, slipped down and off of my chin. I kept running, leaving the droplet of water behind me. It stayed there on the red clay, like a reminder that I was a runner, so fast, so agile, so determined, that I would beat my best score. My feet kept their alternating beat steady and fast, as I made the next heaving lap. One lap left, I could do this, I could feel it deep within me. I would do this, I had to.
I dug into the brisk thin summer afternoon air as the sun set behind me. More perfect, more that did not matter at this moment. I could not get distracted, my one and only focus was this last lap of the mile. I drove myself on. Turning the loop at the end of the track, I caught a glimpse of something, someone, slumped at the other end of the field. Her hands on her hips, she drew heavy tired breaths as she squinted directly at me. I could feel her eyes on me, they weren't accusing eyes like I might have thought, though, they were confused eyes, caring eyes, tired eyes, sad eyes, burning eyes. They were full of emotion. The look in those dark eyes spread across the pale face. Deep thoughts, I could tell, were filling this person’s head at that moment. What is troubling this person? I thought as I ran, what could have ever happened to someone, that would make them think and feel so deeply?
I knew who it must be. It would be Lily, figuring out my identity as I was figuring out hers. I then knew what thoughts were in her head, what events had put that troubled look on her desperate face. I could tell, she was crying inside, weeping, no word could describe the stress, the anger, the heartbreak, sorrow, tears, despair, longing, the sadness that swelled up inside her.
But the fire that ruined her life, almost ruined me as well. I could feel what others felt, Lily more than anyone else I knew. That is what made us such good friends, I understood every detail of her intricate life. I could tell before anyone else when she was happy or sad, when something had happened and if it would change her for better or for worse. I couldn’t stand to see her that way, to realize that she hadn’t smiled since the disaster. It killed me. Whenever she used to be around me, my cheerfulness became her cheerfulness. I’d always been an overly happy person, so I tried to give some of that happiness to others, whether they needed it or not. That’s what mattered to me. I hated it when people were sad. When others were sad, it made me sad. When I was sad, I was not happy-go-lucky Alysse, I was just Alysse. Most people would say that just Alysse is OK, I’d like to disagree, thank you very much.
I kept going, even more desperate for the finish line, I went impossibly faster. I needed to be with Lily, needed to make her happy, or maybe it was vice versa, maybe she needed to be with me, needed me to make her happy. It must have been both.
I could see every little detail of her emotionally stressed body. I knew right away that she had been running to escape the shelter she hated so much. She needed to make it disappear, at least for a while.
Closer and closer to the white line that marked my finish, Closer and closer to the friend that needed me.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.
5...4...3...2...1...0.

I finished my mile, jabbing the STOP button on my watch. I didn’t even care to look at my time. I could look at that later. I slowed to a jog, getting out a, “Hey! Jaguar,it’s me! ‘Sup, girlie?” between breaths, and did a little skip-hop landing in front of my desperate friend.Trying to keep my voice light and bright, I said, “So, Flash, what’ve you been up to? Certainly not running!” I forced out what seemed like a joyful laugh. It hurt me so much to see her like this, it made me want to cry also.

Lily sighed and started to jog a little, so I followed her, “Mmmmm...” Her voice disappeared gradually, like an airplane, It came and went, fading off into the distance. I could tell her mind had went straight to the shelter, the fire, everything that had gone wrong in the past week and a half. It really did break my heart. This time instead of trying to make everything happy and nice, i felt like I needed to show my best friend that I really did understand how she felt. needed to be there for her, not just stand there and try to make her smile and laugh. That was not what she needed right now, I could tell. I went straight forward this time, “I know. I’m really sorry, I wish there was something I could do to help you guys out, you know, while you’re staying there...” This time it was my voice that disappeared, in and out like a plane, as I took a sorrowful glance toward the shelter, all dirty and falling apart. i wasn’t used to talking from the heart, especially about sad things, I would never be great at that kind of talk, but I had to give it by very best try.

“You’re too nice. I really don’t deserve to have you as a best friend. You don’t need to do anything, we’re fine for now” Lily tried to reassure me, but it wasn’t true. She was not fine, she was nowhere close to fine. But she would just keep trying, “You know, I can run and run on and on forever, but I can’t outrun this, can I? I wish I could.”

I knew what she meant. She wished that she could just keep on running and be able to get away from all this. I needed to at least make an attempt at a joke. I wanted Lily to be happy. It was up to me to get her at least a little cheered up, “OK, Miss Swish,” she gave a little laugh, but no smile, at my nickname. she’d always loved it when I came up with a new one for her. This could work, I might be able to get a little grin out of her... maybe, “so now you’re telling me you want to have a race against some fire and a rundown building? Because last time I checked, buildings and fires can’t run. So I’m pretty sure you’ll win that one.”

“I wish” she shrugged as she told me those two sarcastic little words. “You know how to make me laugh more than anyone else. Even when I’m in a mood!”

Thank goodness! That was the Lily I knew. The one that always told me I was too good for her. Never! I thought. She deserved me so much more than she knew.

I didn’t respond, and so both of us were quiet. It was alright though. My joke did the trick. I could feel that she was actually happy now. I looked over at her and I couldn’t believe what I saw, a smile, not just a grin, but a full-blown smile. More than I’d ever have expected for her. She was really smiled.

Smiled.

Smiled.

Smiled.
I could tell that she felt a new hope that she hadn’t felt before, like everything might just work out alright.

Smiled.