CHAPTER FIVE
Wood and Amelia are fighting again when I get back – the kind of low angry whispering back and forth that couples do when they're around people they think don't know they're fighting. They both say hi to me in completely normal voices, but once I get in my room, I can tell it starts again.
I sigh and shut my door. Tanya gives me a look, annoyed at being left home all day. I rub her head half-heartedly. "Okay, okay, we'll go out."
I don't really want to go past Wood and Amelia again, so we take the fire escape, just like we used to when I first got her. It's still too hot to do any real running, so I take her over to the park, where I sit under a tree and watch her try to drink from a little lake – she leans over so she can reach the water with her mouth but it's not touching any other part of her. It's pretty funny, but it wears off after a while.
There's a rumble of thunder in the distance and almost immediately after it stops, it starts to rain. Tanya yelps as the first few drops hit her and steam on her fur. I take off my shirt and drape it over her back…it'll be some protection anyway. "Come on, let's go."
She tears out of there at high speed and it's all I can do to keep up with her. When we get to our building, it's already coming down buckets and my shirt is soaked on Tanya's back. I tell her to shake herself off in the lobby rather than upstairs and give her my shirt to carry. Now that it's cooled off, I think I'll go for a run. Or maybe I still don't want to hang around Wood and Amelia. I don't know.
It's actually really nice running in the rain. I can barely see anything in front of me and my shorts are clinging to my legs, but at least it keeps me cool. And it slows me down a little. I have a tendency to run too fast too soon, but I have to keep a pretty steady pace now if I don't want to slip. If I don't get struck by lightning, this could be my best workout ever.
"Oof!"
Spoke too soon.
I collide with someone running the opposite direction. My elbow goes into his stomach and his knees knock against mine. I wipe some rainwater from my eyes and reach down to help him up. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you – "
"You're on the wrong side of the road, you moron!"
Oh my god, no, that voice.
He bats my hand away and stands up, pushing his hair out of his face. It's wet and not as spiky as it usually is, but that voice and that charm around his neck…
"Hi, Jared."
He gives me a weird look, then smirks. "Hey, Daniel."
I wonder why this guy makes me freak out so much. He's not really mean, just annoying and he's never really done anything to me to make me actually hate him. But I have to actually hold my fist down so I don't punch his stupid, whiny face. "I- sorry I bumped into you." The rain's so loud, I can barely hear myself.
He just smirks more. I'm suddenly aware of my shirtlessness and feel simultaneously embarrassed and self-satisfied.
"Are you going to run in the marathon?" There, I said it.
He nods and wrings out one of the legs of his shorts, saying scornfully "Why? Are you?"
My heart sinks. "Yeah."
We size each other up for a minute. He didn't bulk up as much as I did, but he still looks pretty muscular in a lean way. I wonder when he got out of juvie - hell, I wonder what he was in there for in the first place - but this is awkward enough and I won't ask.
"How about a race?" He folds his arms, still smirking. "You know, for old time's sake."
What an ass.
I shouldn't race. I know I'll slip or he'll push me or something and if there's one thing I don't need, it's an injury two and half weeks out from the marathon. Besides, I can barely see anything in this downpour. But at the same time, I can feel my competitive side telling every rational thought I have to shut up. "Sure."
He points out a finish line at the end of the street and we both crouch. I try to get my heartbeat back to normal tempo. It's okay, Dash, it's just like another training run. Keep it steady until you've got a good footing and then you can speed it up.
Lightning flashes a little overdramatically. Jared pushes his hair out of his face again and turns to me. "When it thunders, then we go, all right?"
I nod. That was actually a pretty smart idea instead of one of us counting off and potentially cheating. This guy's not as stupid as his voice.
It takes a few seconds, but as soon as the thunder rumbles, we take off. It's one of those long, drawn out rolls and it keeps booming long after we've started. I barely notice, though. I'm trying as hard as I can to run without slipping as I try to catch up with Jared, who's just a blurry shape in the rain ahead of me. He's being careful too, but he's still a lot faster than me. My stomach twists and I speed up. I am not going to lose. I splash through a puddle in my haste, making my already wet shoes soaking and heavy. I curse under my breath and keep running, pumping my arms in rhythm to my feet.
He still wins.
He reaches the finish line a few seconds before I do and smirks again between breaths. "Not quite...up to it yet….huh?"
I glare at him, trying not to gasp too loudly. "The marathon's...a long sprint, Jerry."
His face darkens, but he's too out of breath to do anything.
Something embedded within me from years of track makes me stick out my hand. "Nice job. See you in a few weeks, I guess."
He shakes my hand smugly. "Smell you later." Then he turns around and disappears into the rain.
I sit down and take off my shoes and socks - walking barefoot is better than getting blisters - and start for home. After a few minutes, the rain all but stops completely in that weird way that thunderstorms usually do. The sun even comes out and my shorts are just beginning to dry when I reach my building.
Tanya's waiting outside for me, wagging her tails and holding a towel in her mouth. I smile, wondering if Amelia or Wood gave it to her or if she was smart enough to get it herself. I scratch her ears and take it, rubbing my head dry. "Thanks."
She blinks warmly.
I jerk a thumb up towards the apartment. "They still fighting?"
She shakes her head.
"Well, that's good." I drape the towel around my neck. Guess it's safe to go up and change into dry clothes, then.
The apartment is a lot less...quiet than it has been. Usually, when they fight, there's no sound except their angry whispering and suppressed shouts. Now, though, there's the sizzle of a frying pan and music on in the background and they're both yelling over the noise to each other. It's pretty cozy and I cheer up a little.
"Hey!" Wood waves a spatula. "You didn't get struck by lightning!"
"You wish!" I throw the towel at him and duck into my room.
I change into dry shorts and pull on a sweatshirt (I'm getting a little cold after being so wet) before grabbing a book and heading back into the living room, where I curl up and read until dinner's ready.
They're much more upbeat than they have been and they seem to have worked out some of the details they were arguing about. They fill me in on the details like the date (August twentieth) and the place (some chapel, I don't remember) and who will be the best man (it is me) and whether or not I can take Tanya (I can). I tell them about Jared, but only that I saw him, not that we raced. I'll keep my shame to myself.
Afterward, I help with the dishes and retreat to my room. They're a lot happier, but they're also mostly focused on each other. Even when they were telling me about the wedding, they were looking at each other. It's pretty sweet but also kind of nauseating. And...well, it still feels weird to me. It's been great since Amelia's been living here and stuff, it's just a little alien to me to have more than one guardian, especially since Wood and I have become so set in our ways.
I wonder if they're going to go on a honeymoon. Having the house to myself would be nice.
Even though it's early and the sun hasn't even set yet, I get into bed. Sleeping is sort of essential for me to have enough energy to run as much as I do. But with the music still blaring in the other room and the dying light of the sunset shining through the crack in my curtains, I'm still lying awake hours later - around eleven thirty, according to my alarm clock.
I lay with my eyes squeezed shut, trying to breathe deeply when I hear a low, moaning sound. I smile and turn over.
A pair of huge yellow eyes and a sinister smile float inside a purple ball of vapor next to my bed. I sit up a little. "I haven't seen you in a while."
It makes its noise again and glances to its left. I follow its gaze and through the wall floats another...ghost? Nonextant? Fog? I'm really not sure what these things are.
This one's more gray, with pink-tipped tendrils that look almost like hair and red orbs around its...neck that look almost like a necklace. There's a feminine look about it and the other purple gas ball gives it a fond look.
"Oh, been busy, huh?" I wink at it. Him. I think. Then I turn to the other one, the girl. "Hi, nice to meet you."
It - she - smiles, blinks and lets out a short, but still ear-splitting, shriek.
"Ah!" I clap my hands over my ears. "What was that for? It's the middle of the night, people are trying to sleep!"
The gray ghost grins and the purple one vibrates with silent laughter.
"Yeah, hilarious," I roll back over and pull the covers up. "Your girlfriend's a scream," A pause. "Yeah, I know what I said."