Fallen Crest High(89)

When I didn't start right away, he tapped my shoulder. "Go. It's fine."

Then I started. I walked to the back of the garage. When Becky called out and asked where I was going, Logan said something to her. I knew I was covered and as soon as I was hidden from view, I took off.

The path was covered in woodchips and it went uphill.

I pumped my knees and arms high, and even more the higher I went. When the trail veered to the right, my body leaned with it. I wasn't running. I was sprinting. I knew I should slow down. I didn't want to burn out too soon, but I couldn't. Something in me was making me go faster and faster. Sweat was soon dripping off me, but I didn't care. I barely felt it.

The mountain morning air felt cool and it fueled me for more.

The path flattened out after a steep incline. There were a few dips, all of them welcomed, but I loved the climb. My heart beat faster and it wasn't from the exertion.

It might've been an hour, I wasn't sure, but the forest opened around me and I was given a breathtaking view of a lake below. It was in a valley between two mountains. Waves rippled over it. I couldn't see through it, not from how high I was, but the water seemed to give me another burst of adrenalin.

I kicked off at a higher speed and soared past it.

The trees were a blur as I raced past them and I kept going. When my chest felt like it couldn't expand anymore and my arms had started to feel like cement, I slowed my pace. I lifted my head and breathed in the air.

I could feel the elevation in my lungs, but it only made me slow a bit more.

After what seemed like another hour, I turned and started back. When I returned to the lake, I stopped and bent over. I caught my breath, but I couldn't stop looking at the lake. Something calmed and excited me at the same time. I wanted to be a part of it and I felt crazy admitting that to myself, but I did.

And then, as I turned and headed to the mansion, I realized I wasn't scared.

Maybe I ran it out of me; maybe I ran away from it enough. I wasn't sure, but a contented feeling settled over me. And then I slowed to a walk the closer I got to the mansion. I could hear bass music blaring through the woods. It might've been a mile away when I started to hear laughter.

There was a slight clearing from the hill where I was and I stopped. My feet were rooted in place.

I could see a large pool behind the mansion. It was filled with people with others streaming around it. There looked to be a hot tub and sauna as well. A few tables were kept separate behind a barrier of plants with a steel grill beside a large bar structure. I heard laughter as a few guys shoved some girls into the pool. They squealed as they were soaked.

A breeze swept around me and goose bumps covered me. I was completely drenched in sweat, but I didn't care. That had been the best run of my life. I was already anticipating my next one.

When I got back to the house and walked through the garage, there were people everywhere. I walked through, drenched in sweat, and a few girls gave me the snub. They looked me over, their lips curled up, and they turned away.

I couldn't hold back a grin as this happened. I might not have wanted to buy into being protected by Mason or Logan, but I knew these girls didn't know who I was. And I sighed as I realized that. These girls were being real. They weren't being fake towards me. They weren't kissing my ass because who might've been my new stepbrothers.

More than a few guys didn't look away. My shirt and pants stuck to me like a second skin. It wasn't until I ducked into the kitchen and heard Nate's laugh when he saw me that I realized how foolish I might've looked. He saw me, his mouth opened, and he bent over in laughter.