Honestly, McVries didn't remember why he'd signed up for track. It had started out as his parents trying to push him into doing something extracurricular for "improving his social skills", and had turned into winning tournaments and flying effortlessly over hurdles, and man, he'd gotten good at this.

It wasn't really that he liked it that much. It was just running in short shorts and jumping over things. It was just better than stewing in his juices at home and accidentally making his sister cry and getting yelled at by his mother for things that he couldn't control.

"Pete, why the fuck did you send me a voicemail?"

The members of the track team weren't all that bad, either. "Hey, Olson. What's crackin', huh?"

"What's crackin' is that you fucking sent me a voicemail to try to tell me to vouch for you if you skipped class or whatever bullshit you were spouting there. The hell was that for, man?"

"Nothing. Just had a thought, but, as you so eloquently put it, it's bullshit now. C'mon, man, let's run a lap before the coach gets here."

Olson was a tall, stocky boy who thought he was a lot more intimidating than he really was. He had a mop of mousy brown hair and didn't seem to bathe very much. But he was alright, as people went. He was stupid, but not harmfully so, and he made for good company even though he and Pete yelled at each other a lot. And at least he wasn't as much of a ladies man as Parker or Abraham, and he was funny every once in awhile.

As he jogged next to Olson, Pete found himself scanning the group of boys for Ray. Ray ran a different event, so they had never interacted very much. He wondered where Stebbins was, and whether he knew about Ray being in track. That guy probably knew everything. Pete decided not to think about it. The very thought of Stebbins made him feel mildly like he was being watched.

"Hey, Hank, buddy, what event does Ray Garraty run?"

"The fuck do you want to know that for?"

"Just curious." So apparently Olson hadn't been at the dance. Either that or he'd forgotten. Honestly, Pete wouldn't put it past him.

"300-meter something. Dunno."

"That helps."

"Hey, I don't know the guy. His girlfriend's hot. She watches him run sometimes. Why don't you ask her sometime?"

"Yeah, no." McVries sped up his pace, hoping that Olson wouldn't start babbling about Ray's girl. After the events of the morning, she was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

Olson started panting visibly about a hundred yards in. Olson was a sprinter by nature, and despite the fact that he was a sweaty, panting, complaining mess in about five minutes, he just never seemed to give up. Pete swore that he could keep running if someone had stabbed him in the gut or something.

As they got about halfway around the track, Pete and Ray locked eyes. He had to admit that Ray looked adorable in his tiny shorts and his oversized t-shirt. The boy's large, curious brown eyes kind of reminded him of a fawn's.

"Hey, Pete, look out!"

Before McVries had a chance to react to Olson's warning, he collided with one of the other group's larger hurdles and found himself spilling onto the maroon paving of the track. Pain shot through his right knee, and a few boys crowded around him. Damn. That had been a shitty move on his part.

Pete laughed nervously, looking up to notice that Ray was one of the boys that had crowded around him and was the first to react. "He just skinned his knee, I think he's okay. You guys don't have to crowd around. You're probably freaking him out."

Concern painted itself across Ray's sweet, innocent face. Ray was worried about him. Pete found himself grinning, but then Olson pushed past Ray and stared down at him. "Man, that was dumb. Try not to ogle the bleachers next time, okay?" Olson laughed. "Do you need any help getting to the athletic trainer's?"

Pete pulled himself up, and then noticed that Ray was behind him and conveniently doubled over onto the other boy.

Ray sighed. "You don't need to worry. I'll get him to the athletic trainer's, seeing as he seems to be more keen on me taking him."

Olson raised his eyebrows. Pete decided that it had probably been a bad idea to ask what event Ray had been in, because Olson probably thought something was up and would most definitely go and ask Parker or Abraham or really anybody, who would definitely tell him what had happened at the dance. Knowing Olson, he'd probably think they were making it up, but it was still a possibility and Pete really, really didn't want word getting around.

Ray seemed to be trying to support Pete without actually touching him, which was both incredibly awkward and extremely ineffective. "I don't bite, Ray. Honest."

"That's not what it seemed like earlier."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm impulsive, okay? I go way too far too fast. It was a shitty thing to do. I just wanted to kiss you. Speaking of that, you've got nice legs." Ray raised his eyebrows. "I'm serious. Those shorts look great on you."

Ray looked kind of terrified but also kind of flattered, which Pete decided was better than just being terrified. And he'd seemingly gotten over his phobia of touching Pete, because he'd wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist and was sort of half-dragging him across the green faux grass of the field.

Things probably could have been worse between them.

i can't find word count on microsoft word so this chapter is kinda short because i thought it was longer than it really is and yeah sorry about that