(Author's Note- I noticed most people want Chris to be nice to Tam. If I did that, there would be no plot. The way I see it (this was mentioned in chpt. 2) Tam is a painful memory of Kim. Chris thinks Tam caused her death. You'll see what's going to happen with Chris soon (I promise it's a good thing!), but if I suddenly made him compassionate, I'd have no plot left. My goal is to put this story at a new perspective.Thank you for the kind reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Here's a little insight into Tam's social life...)
Tam felt sweat drip down on his far head. His calf muscles were beginning to feel strain. He needed water badly. For what seemed like an hour, Tam had been running. He didn't know where he was running to. All Tam knew was that he had to run. That always seemed to relax Tam. While running, he had time to reflect and think.
He thought about many things. He wondered if he'd be able to finish his dinner when he got home. His stomach was beginning to growl. Tam wanted to know if he did well on his biology project. He figured he would pull off a C if he was lucky. Sciences were never a strong point. Tam also thought about his family. He wanted to know if his father loved him as much as the Hawaiian shirts he would wear. Tam wanted to know where his (real) father was now. Did he need his son to visit him and bring joy into life? Tam's thoughts were interrupted by another runner.
"I always thought you were perfect for the track team," a feminine voice said to Tam. He recognized the voice right away. It was the somewhat squeaky voice of Lily Banks. She had been running on the track team for a year or so and managed to win a few awards throughout the season. She wasn't the fastest and could only handle short distances due to a lack of endurance. Lily had been asked a number of times why she was so dedicated to track even though she wasn't a perfect runner. She simply responded by saying "This is what I love to do."
"I don't like competitive sports. I don't think track is really for me," Tam said trying to pick up speed. It's not that he didn't like Lily. He always considered her to be a nice girl, but he just couldn't stand her at times. Tam couldn't put up with her high pitched and highly annoying speaking voice. Most girls had gone through a small change that produced more maturity in their voices. This never happened to Lily.
"But it is! Come on Tammy, I know you'd do well. You could even become captain or something if you tried. Hey! Wait up for me! Why won't you slow down? Tammy, where are you going?" Lily yelled out, trying to catch up to Tam. He sped up the moment Lily called him Tammy. That nickname- which he received during sixth grade from a certain female admirer- always put Tam in a bad mood. He had to get away from Lily.
Lily stopped running. Tam had gotten away. She had no chance of catching up. The girl had lost her breath in the five short minutes she had been running. She didn't have to energy to catch up to Tam, who was already turning the street corner. Lily let out a painful sigh and turned back to go home. "Why won't you notice me Tam?" Lily whispered to no one in particular.