Me and Kayleigh sit side by side, wrapped up in the blankets that actually feel good. The sweat on our skin is turning cold and the muscles in our whole bodies ache like hell, so it’s lucky that we don’t need to move.
Other people fly over the finish line, some of them puking, some of them fainting, all of them with that same look of pride that I have. We’re unified in a weird way, all together in our achievements, it’s nice.
“We’re going to have to move in a moment,” Kayleigh warns me.
“Why? I don’t ever want to move again.
“I know, but we need to collect our completion medals. I have a funny feeling that this will feel like a dream in a few days so we need something to remind us of it.”
I do want that, a reminder of the first day of the rest of my life, but my body doesn’t want to move yet.
“Just a little while longer,” I whine while leaning in to my friend. “Then we’ll get up.”
“Hey, do you even know what our time was?”
“About four and a half hours,” I offer. “I don’t know. Quicker than I thought it would be.”
“We’re pretty bad ass, aren’t we? Me and you?”
“We sure are.” I smile and let that soak in. “We really are.”
“It was me and you against the world then and we won.”
“I have a feeling that we will always keep on winning too.”
17
Noah
I’m sick of hearing about the marathon, it’s absolutely ridiculous. Because it’s a gym and everyone is into fitness, it’s all everyone can talk about, but I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to discuss anything that reminds me of Mia. I haven’t got a clue if she’s in or not and I don’t want to know. I just want to get on with it.
I know that I’m walking around with a face like a slapped ass, I can feel everyone looking at me like I have a big cloud hanging over my head, but I can’t shake this bad mood. Not at all.
“You headed out tonight?” Josh asks me. “It’s usually quite a good one after an event like this.”
I consider the possibility of accidently on purpose bumping into Mia out on the town, the first time it really was an accident and it ended really well. Maybe that will happen again. Maybe face to face she will be more willing to listen to me. There’s always a chance, isn’t there?
But there’s also a chance that she will scream at me, that she will shut me down and close all hope forever. I’m supposed to be past this now anyway. I’m over her, done. There’s no point in seeing her face again and dragging it all back up for both of us. Just like Ally, she doesn’t accept my son. This much is obvious.
“I don’t know, maybe…”
“Oh, you should. It will be on fire. There will be chicks everywhere.”
He makes a humping gesture that sickens me. I know a lot of my staff love having fun and sowing their wild oats, but do they have to act this way? It’s sickening.
I roll my eyes and snort. “You know there’s more to going out than just pulling, you do realize that?”
“Is there?” He screws up his face. “I don’t know, that’s the main point, isn’t it?”
“What about having a drink and a dance? Hanging out with friends? Having a good time.”
“I
don’t know…”
But I know that it’s pointless, he isn’t going to listen to me, so I step away. I get it because when I was in my early twenties I was the same, but I’m a father who turned thirty last year now, that isn’t me anymore. As it turns out, I can’t really tolerate listening to it either. I guess I’m growing up.
“Anyway, if you decide to come out, hit me up. It could be fun. We’re all going.”