Chapter 17: Challenge on the Track

With a spring in her step, Serra made her way outside between classes with her buddy Damian towing behind him as best he could.

Needing to take a break to catch his breath and sip some water, he gasped for air and remarked, "S-Slow down a bit, Serra…!"

A futile gesture, but one she turned and greeted with a peppy smile.

"C'mon Buddy, you can do it! Just one quarter of a mile to go!" She jumped and swung her fist in the air like a cheerleader would and seeing her body glistening with signs of hard work on this otherwise dismal cloudy day gave Damian that push he needed to keep going.

"Y-Yeah…you're right!" Between blushing and being tired, Damian's face was a funny shade of red but he pulled up the slacking backs of his shoes and pushed himself for one last sprint.

Serra turned around and clapped to cheer him on while maintaining a relatively brisk pace, and after a couple times around the track the two hadn't just met his quota but surpassed it a little bit.

After which Damian was likely having cloudy vision while he collapsed onto his back on the, fortunately, dry ground.

Serra then hung over him with her head turned and her smile as prominent as her cheerful giggling, sweat dripping off onto his face, making him freeze up slightly with a look of embarrassment.

"I-I think my legs are dead…" Damian remarked.

Serra then swung her hand down heartily and her expression became one of pure grit, "Then let me be them for you, Buddy!"

Damian took her hand and shivered as she lifted him up like he was a baby's doll. His legs struggled to stand, but she managed to walk him over to the bleachers so he could relax.

There were a few people doing idle chit-chat around them but Serra didn't register any of it, concentrating on giving her buddy his water, which he gulped right down like a whale.

"Ok!" She said the second the last drop dropped, "Let's pick up the pace for another mile!"

Damian nearly choked on his breaths as he looked at her and said awkwardly, "Iiiii'm good, you can keep going…"

Serra patted him on the back and almost pushed him over, "You'll get there eventually, Buddy! I'm glad you're committing though!"

Damian turned the other way with a big goofy smile on his face.

Serra then bounced off the bleachers into an overhead stretch, not a crack in her bones to be heard.

"Ok! Time to set a new lap run record!" She declared in carefree confidence.

Damian reached for his phone and remarked, "I-I'll set the timer once you hit the starting line."

She flashed a thumbs up behind her and then sprinted for the starting line, but along the way she hit the brakes when someone called for her, "E-Excuse me!"

It was a fellow female student with a tennis racket at her side. Serra lit up and remarked, "Hey! You're that girl with the great serve! What's up?"

The girl stopped and smiled, looking like she's built up quite the sweat herself, "I-I'm surprised you remembered me. Well, I've been working on my serve since you beat me, and I'd love to challenge you again…If you're up for it."

Before the girl could even entertain showing embarrassment, Serra thrust a thumbs up her way and smiled and winked, "Sure thing! How's tomorrow sound?"

The girl beamed with a wobbly smile and shouted, "Great! I'll see you then! Serra's your name, right?"

"You betcha!" Serra cried out.

And when that girl was off, Serra turned on the spot with a hearty grin, "Ya love to see it!"

But only one step towards her own goals, she was halted by her brother's voice, "I see you're up to your usual business."

Serra's expression remained unfaltering as she turned right back around and saw her brother approaching with a dark blue-haired girl she's never seen before at his side.

"Hey Leo! And…" She blinked a few times while pointing at the girl, laughing off her own obliviousness, "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

The girl smiled and extended her hand immediately, "I'm Lyra, you must be the sister who has been setting the school on fire."

"Awww nah, the school's still standing!" Serra remarked while shaking the girl's hand, not catching her throwing a strange glance at her brother.

"Name's Serra! Hey! Do you mind if I call you 'Lyly'?"

"Could I ask for a reroll on that?" Lyra asked politely.

Serra gave a blank stare and then looked off in the distance, still shaking Lyra's hand, "Ummmm…Oh! How about 'Curly'?"

Lyra shrugged, "I'll take it."

Serra finally let go and asked her brother, "Sooooo, when'd you meet her?"

"At the start of the school year. She was insisting on meeting you. I figured now wouldn't be a good time but…"

Lyra smiled, "I can be persuasive."

Leo rubbed the back of his head and seemed to blush.

"Heh heh heh! Well glad to meet ya, Curly! My bro's a pretty reliable guy, so treat him well! Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta run!"

This small string of little roadblocks seemed perfectly set up to force an encounter with a certain someone.

"Hey cuz! You ain't takin' a run by yourself, are you?" Serra's heart was lit with a competitive spark as she turned around and saw Erin and Alex walking out of the school building towards them.

Serra waved her hand up and shouted, "Pal-in! Heeeeey!"

Erin's cocky expression visibly winced and with a light groan she flicked her coat off for Alex to take and then crossed her arms under her chest, propping it up with a smile.

Serra matched her pose and then remarked, "Are you here to run some laps too?"

Erin lifted her fingers and stared at them with a fiddling gesture while smirking, "Sure, but not with you. Rather…AGAINST you."

She closed her hand and her smugness rose with her smile. There was palpable tension in the air as competitive sparks flew between the two's eyes, with Leo gently pulling Lyra out of the way near Alex.

Serra's eyes narrowed and she rubbed arms with her cousin, "You really ready to take me on in my element, Pal-in?"

Erin leaned into her show of grit and boasted then and there, "I'll run so many laps around you that you'll be seeing stars."

"Awww, I like stars!" Serra declared.

"You-!" Erin briefly broke character before gritting and rubbing her teeth and murmuring, "You're going to LOSE…is what I'm saying."

"I like your confidence, Pal-in! But I don't think you're ready yet."

Erin glared with a hint of ferocity, "And who made YOU the judge of that?"

Leo stepped in and gently put his hands up to try and part them, but against these unstoppable forces all he did was make Erin's face scrunch up with irritation.

"Lets not come to blows before you even get on the track."

Erin pulled away with a spat and then looked around, gesturing to Damian eyeballing them from the bleachers, "Hey! Serra's waterboy, get over here!"

"W-What?" Damian hesitantly walked over.

Erin leaned forward, putting her chest in full focus as she brashly patted him on the shoulder and said, "Do us all a favor and time this race."

"...E-Erin, do you not recognize me?" Damian said with a hint of nervousness.

"Should I?" She said sincerely.

"...Damian?" He replied.

"Pfft…! Seriously?" Erin looked him over, "Hmm, you filled out a bit. Still look unremarkable, face-wise."

She then patted him one more time in a rather condescending way and pulled away, "Whatever. Just do it."

Damian looked at Serra who told him, "Yeah, I want to see how well she performs!"

Damian looked at Leo before the two just shrugged in their own way and went along with this competition.

As it stood to reason, Erin and Serra competing meant a huge crowd was quickly drawn in to watch over things.

This brought the likes of Zelene and Bang to Leo's side, with Alex continuing to remain within earshot of him.

"They're at it again? Good grief…" Bang mumbled.

Lyra clutched her stick in both hands and told him, "Nobody said you had to watch."

Bang shivered at the sight of her stick and then crossed his arms and shrugged, "I-I've got nothing better to do…"

As Serra did her preparatory stretches, she saw him standing by and waved her hand, "HEEEY! I hope this'll be enough to get me on the team!"

Bang's face contorted as instinct drove him to shriek, "NOOOOOOO!"

But he bit his tongue halfway through and whittled down as he felt Leo looked at him with a slightly judgmental gaze.

Bang then controlled himself long enough to grin and bear it, giving a thumbs up in the process.

He then leaned in to Leo and whispered, "Why's she so persistent on football, bro?"

Leo then rubbed his chin and remarked, "I don't know, she's never even watched a game."

"WHAT?!" Bang hissed through his teeth.

Serra then concentrated on getting into position on the starting line. Legs locked into place, hands down. Erin was mirroring her move for move, but had a more forceful posture of confidence.

She asserted herself as the victor already, not unlike before.

But Serra simply looked at her and commented approvingly, "Nice job on your glutes, Pal-in!"

Erin nearly tumbled forward before slamming her hands down and saying, "...Thanks?"

Damian stood off to the side and prepared the timer on his phone, one gauge for each competitor.

"Alright…" He looked at Serra and whispered, "Take her down a peg, Serra."

Serra was able to give another thumbs up with ease and then hunched down as he started the countdown.

"3…2…1…GO!"

At the snap of his phone, the two sprinted off like a pair of horses out the gate.

Nobody questioned the speeds these two were traveling at, they simply gobbled up this entertainment for every ounce it was worth.

The two swapped who was edging out the first place spot by mere millimeters every few seconds, and it wasn't long before they finished the first lap.

It quickly became obvious to Damian, who joined his friends with the phone in hand, that a limit hadn't been set, "Sooooo, how long do you predict they'll go for?"

Leo threw his hand up in a lofty shrug, "That's anyone's guess."

Lyra then nudged his arm to ask, "So who is winning?"

Leo squinted and made his best assessment out of their equal duel, "I think my sister's got the upper hand."

"The other girl. Erin? She called her 'cuz', soooo…?"

"You pretty much know already." Leo said, accidentally coming across like he wanted to speed through the conversation.

"Oooh, I sense bad blood." Lyra commented.

"I wouldn't go that far." Leo said, though it was a rather non-committal answer.

Bang of course had to say his piece, "Whoa, big, black and busty is your cousin?"

He rubbed his chin in a contemplative manner and murmured, "I wonder if I have a shot…"

"Plllbbtt…" Spat Lyra, earning his immediate ire.

"I could!" He insisted.

"Ok sure." Lyra said sarcastically.

Alex then leaned in and said with a blunt, gravelly tone, "She's way out of your league, bulkhead."

Bang shivered, "Ok relax bro, didn't realize her boyfriend was close by."

Alex turned and raised his voice, "B-Boyfriend?! I'm her brother, you prude!"

Bang's pupils shrank as he threw his hands down in exasperation, "How was I supposed to know that?!"

Zelene pressed her hands between her legs and with a heavy sigh muttered under her breath, "Both of you just STOP…"

That settled the issue entirely and once they pulled out of that argument, Zelene tossed a glare away from the crowd and mumbled, "Idiots…"

Leo sighed and then looked back at the race. The two were still neck and neck and from what he had been sensing, they had already completed fifteen laps.

Erin was sweating up a storm but refused to back down, challenging her cousin with a gritted scowl, "T-That all you got, cuz?!"

Serra leaned in with her competitive stare and remarked, "Want to kick it up a notch?"

"I can beat anything you got!" Erin declared.

"Heh heh!" Serra then picked up the pace with excitement and Erin matched it beat for beat. The two were now kicking up debris from the ground.

Leo's gaze became more focused on the scene with slight concern. With the competition escalating again, he pulled out his phone and decided to text Alex with a question: "Has Erin started developing powers?"

Alex flinched and then pulled out his phone. After looking at his message, he looked at him and then typed up a simple answer: "Unsure."

Leo raised a brow but had little reason to doubt him, so he focused on his concerns, "She shouldn't be able to push Serra like this otherwise."

To which Alex replied: "I know, but I haven't noticed anything."

Leo then diverted slightly, "Do you have powers now?"

Alex simply looked his way and shook his head.

Leo then typed: "Whatever the case, she needs to be more responsible."

Alex replied: "We know."

Yet as far as Leo could see, that was not the case for Erin.

The two were in this competition until their last breath, and with their superhuman stamina…that was bound to draw suspicion eventually.

But soon Erin started to lag slightly behind, making her click her tongue and growl.

She suddenly broke off from the track and ran for the fence. Serra paused and looked at her funny.

Erin turned back and remarked, "I'm getting bored of this scenery! Catch me if you can, cuz!"

"Heh heh heh!" Serra arched her brows and then ran after her, causing the group to start a chain of confused murmurs.

"Where are they going?" They wondered.

"Ah crap…" Damian muttered as the two jumped the fence and prepared to take their competition out onto the streets.

As Leo rubbed the back of his head, Lyra asked, "Something happening?"

"Oh, those two have…likely taken this a little too far now."

It didn't take long for Serra to catch up to Erin, a fact which irritated her greatly, especially with that fierce, iridescent smile.

"Uuuuugh, give up already!" Erin said, panting to push herself to her limits.

"You first, Pal-in! I got fuel in the tank for days!" Serra said, covered in a ridiculous amount of sweat, and still not feeling up for a breath to slow down in the slightest.

With them running straight into town they had to compete with the hustle and bustle of the city crowds to keep their competition going.

But along the way, Serra started to get distracted by familiar sights and fluidly commented on, "Oh hey! Remember when our dads used to take us there for milkshakes?"

Erin turned her head sharply and shouted, "W-Why are you bringing…?! Focus on the damn race!"

Serra disarmed her animosity with a grin and said, "We should go there again sometime!"

"S-Shut up! No! I'm busy!" Erin insisted in three different ways.

As they hit a crosswalk, both of them saw a car stopped in front of them and performed a joint jump, sliding over the hood and dropping back into their sprint.

Erin lost a little distance on the landing and as she caught up, Serra looked off at the park to their right and pointed at it, "Awww, you used to sit under that tree and read books while the rest of us played!"

Serra turned to Erin and grinned, "I'm so glad you're more active these days, Pal-in!"

Erin widened her eyes with unrestrained disbelief, "Did you get bit by the stupid bug? We're in the middle of a RACE!"

With her jolly blank stare Serra then FINALLY realized, "Oh yeah, we should probably have a finish line!"

"S-Shit…! I didn't even think about that uhhh…" Erin fumbled with her lips for a bit before declaring, "Fuck! Fine! First back to the school yard wins!"

She then pressed herself to try and take the lead, only for Serra to keep after her at an even pace.

A finish line was finally established. The course…not so much.

So after running around town for a bit, with Serra continuing to bring up places they used to hang out together, they left for a nearby neighborhood.

"Oh hey! We used to run around here all the time!"

Erin rolled her eyes back and groaned extremely loud, "Oh my GOD stop trying to make me nostalgic, I just want to-"

Serra blinked a few times and then remarked, "Oh wait, this is where I live!"

"W-What?!" Erin said with a flustered look on her face.

Their travels had them sprinting right past the Whiter household, where Serra suddenly stopped and ran in place, finding that her dad was just coming out to get the mail with a glass of lemonade in his hand.

"Hey pop!" She waved, causing him to look up from his drink and wave back with a chuckle.

"Afternoon! I see you're getting your daily exercise in!"

"Actually I'm racing Pal-in!" She declared, the subject of her comment running back with an exasperated look on her exhausted face.

"W-What the HELL…!" She shouted, running in place herself, then upon turning to Mew she recoiled with a, "GAH!"

Mew smiled and waved calmly, "And how's my precious literary inclined niece doing?"

Erin hung her head a bit with a scowl and a blush, trying so hard to keep to her haughty demeanor, "H-Hey Uncle."

Mew gestured his drink at her as he remarked, "Doing good in school?"

Erin said proudly, "...Top of my class."

"Niiiiice. Joe would be proud."

Erin swung her head up and with a blunt "UUUUUGH!" she flipped around and muttered back to Serra, "I'm gonna get back to beating you, if you don't mind…"

She ran off, but Serra lagged behind and remarked, "Wanna join us, pop?"

"Aww man, that sounds fun, but I got lunch in the oven," Both of them could hear a ding coming through the open door, "You better hurry now! But don't go over the speed limit."

"Gotcha! I'll beat you next time, pop!" Serra ran off, and Mew stayed back and shook his head with a mellow sigh.

"Aaaah…they should really be back at school…"

Despite the lead, Erin's stamina was starting to take her pace down enough that Serra caught up to her in a matter of seconds.

"ShitshitSHIT!" Erin grit her teeth and pushed her body just that little bit further to avoid losing out. One last long sprint had them careening down the hill towards the high school.

With no lack of determination in her eyes, Serra licked her lips and then vaulted over the fence for an almost frame perfect finale.

But by the time both of them ran back onto the track, most of the crowd had dissipated around the field or back into the building itself.

Mostly their most loyal family and friends were there to watch them complete one final lap around the track and hit the finish line where, in a desperate attempt to win, Erin jumped and stretched her hand out, only to flop down onto her pillowy breasts just before the finish line.

She immediately punched the ground while Serra slowed down and threw her fists into the air, "Wahoo! Victory!"

She then ran over to Damian and hung over his phone with excitement, "How'd I do?!"

"Ummmm, you won by…one second." He whispered.

Serra turned around and gave Erin a thumbs up as she climbed back onto her feet and tried to hold her composure, "That was mighty close, Pal-in!"

Erin furrowed her brows and looked one inch away from squeezing her fists until Alex tossed her coat back and waddled up next to her whispering, "You'll get her next time."

The intensity remained in Erin's expression as she donned her coat back on, after which she started to wade through the other students, saying one last time to her cousin, "Keep your reflexes sharp, cuz. This ain't over."

As she made it out, someone mumbled "Bitch" and she turned around, unable to pick up the source of the sound.

"Ghhh…" She growled.

As she left, Zelene lowered her hand from her mouth and stopped throwing an ugly glare back at her cousin.

However, before there could be any cheering for Serra, the building doors swung open and Lunalei angrily stomped out into the yard.

Wielding her authority as a teacher like an iron hammer, she made SURE she was heard among the sounds of the crowd, "SERRA AND ERIN! PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE! NOW!"

Erin leaned a hand on her hip and spat out, "Oh great, now the shrimp's boiling."

Serra looked at her cousin with her usual blank stare and wondered, "Ehhhh? What'd I do?"

Nevertheless, both parties put aside their usual traits and decided to just go along and get this matter over with.

A few minutes later they were at the principal's office with Lunalei and the vice principal, a somewhat portly middle-aged man with distinguished features and a crew cut hairstyle, was also joining this meeting.

Erin stretched her legs out and crossed her arms, while Serra impatiently paddled her feet in the air.

Lunalei started the conversation off marching back and forth and raising her voice at them, "Exiting the school yard without signing a written form for permission! Tearing up the grass with your excessive running! And more importantly…!"

She turned to the vice principal, who clearly wasn't paying her any heed, "Huh?"

He looked down upon her, causing her to pinch her forehead with annoyance. He then waved her off and remarked, "Oh yes, both of you vaulted over the hood of my car as I was driving back home from lunch."

Serra continued to stare without a care while Erin wagged her hand out and remarked, "Oh well I never would've done that to such a nice, sleeeeek car if I knew you were behind the wheel."

The vice principal's cheeks turned rosy as he waved his hand out and said in a honeyed tone, "Oh well, all is forgiven."

"Ahem! No it is NOT." Lunalei chimed in.

"Oh good grief." The vice principal groaned.

Lunalei turned to the two and continued to make her point, "It's not just today. Damaged sports equipment. Traumatized players."

She glared at Erin in particular, "Disrespect towards authority."

Erin briefly flashed a smirk. Lunalei was unamused.

The principal folded his hands together and sighed, "This is a problem. As their teacher, what would you suggest should be done?"

Lunalei immediately had the answer, "Two days of detention together."

Erin threw herself upright, "What? Don't be ridiculous!"

The vice principal chimed in, "I agree. She said sorry."

Lunalei scoffed, "This will just happen again."

The vice principal remarked to his boss, "Look, Erin's at the top of our class. Surely someone of her…ahem…talents could get a break?"

Lunalei crossed her arms and asserted her smarts, "You must not have been a history buff, vice principal. Giving leniency to supposed privileged 'talents' is what nearly led to billionaires taking over the world."

"I'd watch who you're talking to, girl, I control your pay." The vice principal said with a deep voice.

The principal remarked, "Erin. Are you truly sorry for what you've done?"

Erin threw her hands up in a carefree shrug, "Look. All I was trying to do was control my cousin, but she just can't stop."

Serra giggled, "It's true! But I had a lotta fun with my best friend!"

She leaned in to hug Erin around the back but she shook her off with a freaked out expression.

The principal then determined, "This is a place of learning, not discipline. If our students take away a lesson from their mistakes, then I don't think punishing them will do any good."

Lunalei nudged her glasses up and muttered, "There should be SOME accountability for the property damages at the MINIMUM."

"That, I can agree with," The principal remarked, "Serra. For the rest of your day, you can help carry the trash out of the classrooms to the dumpster."

"Sounds good!" Serra said, snagging the chance to do some makeshift exercise.

"As for Erin-"

The vice principal coughed, "If I could offer an idea. Perhaps she could help organize the library? She is rather tall unlike…some others."

Lunalei glared at him outright.

The principal smiled it off, "Sure."

The vice principal then walked around the desk and put his hand on Erin's shoulder, whispering to her, "I hope you continue to excel at…"

His thumb subtly stroked up the side of her neck, "Anything you do."

Erin slowed down a little and glared at the man as he walked off. She then was forced to look at Lunalei, who told her, "For now, it's time you got to class."

Erin smirked and whispered, "Awww, are you mad you didn't get a mark on my record? How cute~"

Lunalei whispered bluntly, "You can punch below the belt all you want. I'm still your teacher. Don't forget it."

"I won't." Erin said coyly.

After which, Erin and Serra left while Lunalei had to stay back to hash a few things out.

"Later, Pal-in!" While Serra waved her off, Erin didn't even throw a glance back, instead walking off to class with Alex at her side, who had been standing outside the door the whole time.

Alex had a sour expression on his face as he murmured in a gravelly tone, "How could you let that scumbag do that?"

Erin was smiling and had a carefree air around her as she flicked her hand his way and remarked, "Who cares about some pig? I thought this whole day would end on a sour note, but look where I am now…"

Her grin continued to grow as she giggled like a little girl, "Heh heh heh, my reputation's already getting recognized. Soon the whole school will know how great I am!"

Alex laid back on his outrage to calmly point out, "The problem's Serra…"

Erin curled her hand into a fist immediately and grunted, "Yes. Her and our tiny, brown nosing cousin."

Alex sighed, "Lunalei may be obnoxious, but she's just doing her job. Lets not pick a fight with her."

Erin remarked, "She's asking for one. But that's fine. I'll just keep punching her where she thinks she's safest…"

"In the field of academics!"

Another round ends in victory for Serra, but it seems as though Erin has taken more out of this loss than anyone could have expected or dared to recognize at the time…

Next Time: Falling Behind