So I'm guessing these themes are open for interpretation. The next theme is running. When I read it, I had several ideas run through my mind, and several plot lines. So here is the one I picked!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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"Troy, I don't know," Gabi said to me. I will not beg. I will not beg. I will not beg. "I mean, it's just not my thing." I will not beg. I will not beg. I will not—aw, screw it, I'm gonna beg.

"Come on Gabi, please?" I asked, giving her my best puppy dog look. She can't resist the puppy dog look. I know she can't.

"Troy, don't give me that look."

I just stared at her, trying to make my eyes as big as possible.

She sighed really hard. "I will think about it."

I grinned. I knew that meant she'd probably join.

See, on the off season for basketball, I'm on the track team. Keeps me in shape. But I know that if I do track, I'll have zero time to spend with Gabriella. So I tried to convince her to join.

"Come on, please?" I continued with the puppy dog look.

She sighed again. "I will ask my mom, okay? That's all I can promise."

I grinned. "That's good enough for me." I leaned over and kissed her.

Later that Night

"Hello?" I said into my cell phone. It was Gabriella.

"Hey," She said.

"Well…?" I asked, knowing the reason she called.

"Well…" She said slowly.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Well…"

"Yeah?" I asked, getting slightly anxious.

"Well…"

"Gabriella!"

"Okay, fine, sorry," She said laughing.

"Well?"

"Well, my mom said…"

"Gabriella…" I warned jokingly.

"Well, she said if it was something I wanted to do, that I could."

"That's great!"

"But…"

"But?"

"I… I don't know if I really want to do it…"

"Gabriella, please?"

"…Okay."

I grinned.

"You won't regret it, I promise."

"Well, I gotta go."

"Okay, see you tomorrow,"

"Bye."

At the First Meet of the Year

"You nervous?" I asked, looking at her being all jittery.

"Well, yeah, I've never, ever raced or anything."

I kissed the top of her head. "You'll do great. You are one of the fastest girls during practices."

She shrugged and I gave her a hug.

I heard the intercom call for my event to begin to make our way to the track, so I gave her a final kiss, and took off.

After The Race

"It's okay Troy," Gabriella said to me. "You win some, you lose some."

"But I came in fifth!" I said, mostly angry at myself then at anyone else in particular.

"I know, but you put too much pressure on yourself. Sometimes its okay to not place first."

I shrugged and then muttered something about needed to walk it off. I knew I was being kind of a jerk, but I knew if I hung around there for now, I'd take my frustration out on her.

I heard them call for her race, and she began to make her way to the track.

After Gabriella's Race

"Congrats," I said to her begrudgingly.

"Don't sound so excited," She said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, you didn't even really want to do track in the first place, and you take first…"

"Come on Troy, you still have another event today. You can still place well."

I shrugged and noticed one of my basketball friends waving behind Gabriella and just took off in his direction.

I knew I was being a jerk, but I couldn't help it. I don't understand why I was upset. I usually didn't get like this over losses. I should be happy. My girlfriend, who, even though I had yet to tell her, I loved very much, had just placed first at her first meet ever. She did wonderfully. And yet I was sulking over my near last place finish.

I looked around, and found a tree to sit under and think, while I waited for them to call my race.

After the Meet

I found her later, laughing with Taylor. But I noticed something about her eyes, as she chuckled. Her eyes weren't sparkling. Something was bothering her. And I had a feeling I knew what it was.

I walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What do you want?" She asked icily.

"Uh, can I talk to you for a second…?" I asked unsurely.

She sighed, and then nodded. I walked over to the tree I had been sitting under earlier, and slid to the ground. With a pleading look on my face, I patted the spot in the grass next to me, hoping she'd sit. Reluctantly she did.

"Well?" She asked.

"I just wanted to apologize. I acted like a jerk earlier."

She mumbled something that sounded distinctly like 'That's the understatement of the year.'

I winced, and continued. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you."

"I take it you finished first in your race then?" She asked in the same icy manner she had been speaking since I found her.

Ouch. She thought I was apologizing because I placed well.

"Actually, no," I said.

She raised her eyebrow. "Really? Then how'd you place?"

"Last."

"Oh, Troy, I'm sorry!" She said. And she actually sounded genuinely sorry. It just made me feel worse.

I shrugged and continued. "You know why I did? Because I didn't focus. I was worried about having taking my frustration out on you."

She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No," I said firmly. "Don't be sorry. It was my fault."

She smiled lightly, and hugged me, putting her face in the crook of my neck.

"You'll do better next time. You were just stressed." She mumbled into my neck.

I half smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess."

"Besides," she whispered. "Who ever said you had to be the track guy?"

And to that, I grinned.

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Okay, so… Hmm. Something about this. I don't know. I don't know how much I liked it. I wanted to do something realistic, that I could see honestly happening to real people. I don't know how well I accomplished it. Hopefully y'all like it at least…. And I am really hoping the next one will be better. I haven't gotten off to the best foot with the first two…

Oh, and if all goes well, I WILL have my new HP oneshot up today. Wish me luck!

Love,
Monica