Haha sorry for not updating for so long. Life has been so hectic as I'm sure it has been for everyone in these crazy times. I still want to reconstruct the earlier parts of this story because they're so terribly written but I had this idea and so I have to write it down before I forget and never update this again (which will probably happen at some point not gonna lie).

Also, I had this idea of just starting an entirely new "story" in the sense that I just transfer everything from here to there...if that makes any sense...so let me know what you think or if you have any ideas to solve my little issue.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!

P.S. Writing this chapter is making me so oddly nostalgic that I'm starting to tear up so please ignore any spelling errors. It's because I can't really see the screen.

Naia's POV

The fact that everyone from the firehouse was here and watching me probably should have motivated me to run my best, that their support somehow transfers into energy to help me run the fastest.

But it didn't.

If anything, it only made me nervous and feel like I was going to puke. I was so nervous that I could barely stand up on my feet which only added fuel to the fire. If I could barely stand, how was I going to run?

"Nervous?"

I turned around from my pacing to see Matt and I let out a raspy chuckle before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"A little bit," I admitted and sat down on one of the bleachers, "There's just a lot of people watching and I guess I don't do well with so many eyes on me."

"Fair enough," Matt nodded and took a seat next to me, "But you know we're just here to cheer you on right? You shouldn't feel like you have to win just because we're watching."

I shrugged, "It's not exactly that..."

"Then what is it?"

I took a deep breath, "I just...I get really nervous when I know that people are watching. I mean, I think it stems from living with the Samuals. We were always scared whenever they were watching."

It felt strange to mention the Samuals. The people who caused so much terror and pain in my life but still died in the end.

Talk about trauma.

"Whatever it is that you're feeling, it's okay," Matt patted me on the back, "You're going to do amazing, whether you come first or last."

I smirked, "Well, I'm pretty fast so don't expect me to come last."

"Don't worry, I'm not," Matt reassured me and then stood up, "I think Shay wanted to talk to you so I would get that over with before she hunts you down."

"Sounds good," I laughed and got up as well.

I was still jittery and my stomach was still twisting itself but Matt's words did still have a calming effect on me. My legs felt stronger as I searched for Shay and I didn't feel like I was going to throw up at any moment.

"There you are!" Shay waved me over from her spot in the bleachers.

I carefully climbed my way up to her before squeezing in between her and Gabby who tossed an arm around my shoulders.

"Now, this is a very important question so listen very carefully," Shay told me, her voice dead serious, and I nodded to show that I was listening, "Which colour confetti popper do you want us to use when you win?"

I laughed and shook my head, "You don't know for sure that I'm going to win."

"Yes we do," Shay brushed over my statement, "So which colour."

I giggled, "I don't want any confetti."

Gabby feigned a gasp, "You don't want any confetti?"

I sighed and scratched my head, "It's just...too over the top you know?"

Shay gave me a look, "No, I really don't."

"A nice congratulations hug is enough if I win," I told them, "Confetti is for bigger celebrations. Like birthdays...or whatever."

"We'll go with the purple and blue confetti then," Shay smile and tucked the other confetti popper back into the bag.

Understanding that this was a battle I wasn't going to win, I didn't protest it and decided to just deal with the issue when it comes.

"I'm going to see if I can find Nate," I announced and got off the wooden plank, "I'll probably see you after the race...and finish line then I suppose."

Gabby smiled and pulled me into a hug, "Good luck."

Shay let out a pfft, "She doesn't need it."

"Doesn't matter," I shook my head, "I'll still take it."

"Then, in that case, good luck," Shay pointed a finger at me, "And I hope you like purple and blue confetti."

Laughing, I gave Gabby one last hug before swinging my legs over the bleachers and hopping down, scanning all the other bleachers for the one Nate's family was sitting at.

When I spotted him, I broke into a light jog, not wanting to exert myself before the race even began.

"Naia!" Sophie exclaimed when she saw me and I stepped onto the row they sat on so that I could hug the little girl, "Are you running too?"

"You bet," I said and sat down, "Are you going to watch me?"

I chuckled when Sophie nodded vigorously in return.

"What?" Nate furrowed his eyebrows, "You only told me that you might watch me run!"

Sophie shrugged, "I like Naia better."

I cracked up at Sophie's words, "You heard her Nate, she likes me better."

Before Nate could retort though, I heard the announcer declare the next category of racers which just so happened to be my category.

"Well, looks like don't have to wait long to watch me," I told Sophie and looked at Nate who gave me a fistbump before helping me jump off from the bleacher.

"You got this," Nate told me and grinned, "You're going to completely destroy the competition."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, no pressure or anything."

Nate only shrugged in response, "You know it's true."

"I'm just going to run," I said and nervously wiped my hands together, "I'm going to run because I like running, and then whatever else happens is just collateral damage."

"Well, that's certainly one way of putting it," Nate laughed lightly, "Good luck."

I thanked him and turned away, making my way down to the track.

I got this.

If I could handle everything else I've gone through, I could surely handle a simple race. One that I didn't even need to win. I could come last and nothing would happen. There weren't any consequences for coming last. There weren't any lives at stake.

This was a piece of cake.