Hey everyone, this is a back-up account/story to the ones on my Quotev you can find other stories like this there.
I fall heavily onto the mat but stay upright. My pole begins to fall to the ground, I reach to grab it but it slips from my hands and clatters to the ground. I get off the mat and an arm picks it up. My eyes follow that arm until they reach the human connected to it. He himself also has a pole which he's holding rather awkwardly. A jolt of recognition hits me. What's Keith doing here?
"Thank you." I tell him as he gives it to me. He's about to speak but Coach Hernandez-or as most call him: Coach H- interrupts.
"That was a good jump, Lizzy. Keep on working on running faster." Coach H pats Keith's shoulder. "This is Keith."
"I know, he's in my AP Psych class." I cringe. I'm talking like Keith isn't even here. I rush to fix it and look at him and smile. "Hi."
"Ah, good. You know each other. He says that he would like to join the track team and do pole-vault." Coach lifts his eyebrows as if he can't believe it. The season started a month ago; he has never really cared for latecomers. "Isn't that right, Keith."
"Yes, Coach H. It is."
"Alright." Coach shrugs. "Here's the deal. If I see that you've gotten over the six-foot bar by tomorrow, then you will begin training in the team. If not, then I don't have time to waste on people who are not serious. Lizzy, teach him the basics."
I nod and keep a composed look but inside I panic. Talking and explaining things to people is not my forte. Usually, when explaining chemistry and math problems to people, I go too fast to make any sense and leave my poor "students" more confused than they were before. And I can't help but be a little nervous about teaching Keith. He's known for his outbursts of anger and his moody disposition.
Coach walks off towards another pole-vaulter's direction. For a few seconds Keith and I stand awkwardly unsure of what to say.
"Um. Okay, follow me." I take my own pole with me as we walk towards the middle of the flied. Around us, the sprinters are running circles and we can hear the voice of the coaches urging them on. As we walk I try to make small talk-something I have never been good at.
"So, what made you decide to try pole-vault?" I ask him.
"It seemed like something I might like." He says shrugging.
"Yeah, I thought so too when I first tried out. Okay, so before we start, you need to have the right pole. May I see it? Also, how much do you weigh."
He give me an odd look but give me the pole anyway. "I think around 150. How is this relevant?"
"Well, your pole has to match your weight. If not, then you won't be able to vault properly." I squinted to discern the almost faded writing in the bottom of the pole. With a satisfied nod, I hand it back to him.
"That makes sense. I didn't know you pole-vaulted." Keith says. I look up and find his eyes on me. They're so dark that in this light, they almost seem purple.
"I started my sophomore year; and feel in love with it. Two years later, and here I am." I gesture at the entire field. "I think you're going to like it. But you're not going to do it if your don't learn how to hold the pole correctly."
He thinks for a moment and then holds the pole almost correctly. "Like this?"
I'm impressed. He must've seen how we were holding it when he watched me jump. But his hands are too high. Any higher and he will fall on his rear- something I have done various times when I first started out. I adjust his hands and point out his stance.
"That's good. Okay so what you are going to do is run for a few meters until you feel comfortable enough to jump. Then, you plant the end of the pole in the ground and kick off." I think for a second on what I'm missing. "Oh. And don't try to put your feet over your head like you saw us doing. That's only if you have a mat under you, not on flat ground."
I swallow a groan as I realize I'm going to have to do a demonstration. Unlike Lance, I always did hate being the center of attention.
"Here," I tell him as I get into position. "I'll show you."
I shift my hands and start running. Once I'm ready, I plant the pole and jump. Those few seconds in the air feels amazing and I'm reminded of just how awesome it feels to go on flat ground.
"You see how I did it?" I call out and he nods.
"Yeah. Can I go now?"
I've forgotten just how impatient he is. In class, he's always rushing to finish any assignment; and now I see that on the field, he's the same.
"Yeah. Go."
He puts his body in the position and narrows his eyes in concentration. Keith moves his hands a little down and starts running; and executes everything almost perfectly. I beam at him. That was...unexpected. He looks back at me satisfied. I clap and laugh a little.
"Dude! That was great! I can already see that you're going to be a natural." I walk up to him and see that his eyes are wide with excitement.
"That felt pretty good." He says.
"'Pretty good'?" I smile. "You have to do better than that, Keith. Did you just like it or love it?"
He is smiling. Well, a corner of his lip is turned upwards but I'll take that as a smile.
"It was okay." He says. There's something about the way he said it.
Did Keith Kogane just say a joke?
Whoa.
I try to shake the shock out of my system.
Away from the classroom, he seems more at ease and with a start, I realize that so am I. This teaching thing isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I've had to teach a couple more people before him and they always took days perfecting vaulting on flat ground. Keith was a natural at this.
"Well, if you want to show Coach H just how okay this is-" He smiles. And actual smile. "Um. Y-yeah, if you want to show him, then I want you to do it again. Run and jump down the field."
The smile is gone and replaced by determination. But in my mind's eye, I keep seeing his eyes crinkle and his mouth curve upwards.
As he progressively gets better throughout the day, I find myself hoping that he'll be able to clear the six-foot mark. Not for me, of course. After all, the team does need more pole-vaulters. And if one of them just happens to be Keith Kogane, then that's just a bonus.
Author's Note:
This is a work of fiction using characters from the Voltron Legendary Defenders world, which is trademark by Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery. I do not claim ownership over any of their characters nor profit from them.