Chapter 28 Sloane
Sloane
My heart is pumping hard as I make my way towards the front of the leading group. Bryce is by my side, panting very much like the dog he is dressed as. The only people ahead are members of the track team, which figures. I’m not expecting to win, but I gotta admit it is a lot of fun competing.
We start to climb up a moderately graded road.
We kept the route as close to Holcroft as possible so we didn’t annoy the local residents by shutting down their streets—plus the paperwork for permits is a bitch.
Anyway, this is on a road we did get permission to shut for a few hours, and it seems like the locals are really into it.
There are people cheering us on with high-fives and homemade signs.
There must only be a kilometer left when there is a ripple of unease. Runners are whispering and looking worried. Turning to the closest person, I ask what’s going on, and then I almost stumble. Eden is hurt.
Spinning on my front foot, I hightail it as fast as I can in the opposite direction. Everyone must know where I’m going because they part straight down the middle, allowing me through. The only person who doesn’t move is Kiera. In fact, she doesn’t even look at me as I sail past.
Whatever.
Panic reaches my chest as I run. I’ve no idea what’s happened. She could be badly hurt and on her way to the emergency room. God, why did I leave her?
Spotting Becca and Bella, I head in their direction. “Have you seen Eden?”
Becca nods. “She’s hurt her ankle. We tried to stay with her, Sloane, but she really didn’t want us to.”
“We’ll try to find Pia and Todd,” Bella calls, already jogging away with Becca trailing behind. Pumping my legs hard, I take off again. She can’t be that far behind us.
I round a corner and see her in the distance, bent over with her arms resting on her thighs. No one is approaching her, and I’m guessing that’s because she’s told whoever is chaperoning to leave her alone. She flexes her ankle a few times and hobbles forward.
God, my heart is breaking for her. I can already see the pain etched across her face and the tears running down her cheeks.
“Eden!”
She looks up at me with wide eyes as I almost slam into her. “Sloane, what are you doing?”
Ignoring the question, I run my hands over her body, checking for blood or bone. “You’re hurt. What happened? Can you walk?”
Clenching her jaw, she hobbles forward again. “Fuck! It’s my ankle, I think it’s sprained.”
“Did you trip?”
“Something like that,” she growls.
Bending down, I survey her legs. “You’ve got a bloody knee.”
“It’s just a scrape. God, I can’t believe it,” she sniffs.
Standing back up, I take her head in my hands. “Hey. It’s okay.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t run the 5k, babe.”
Nibbling my lip, I weigh up our options.
Obviously, the simple solution would be to end the day here and get her some medical attention.
However, she’s worked so hard to get here, and I know it means so much to her, I can’t in good conscience suggest it.
So, I take a step back and link the fingers of one hand with hers.
Eden looks at me and wipes her face free of tears.
Wiggling our joined hand, I smile at her. “Walk with me.”
She furrows her eyebrows. “Sloane—”
“Eden, just walk with me. Like we did on our first day as gym buddies. Let’s finish this together.”
Another sniff and a quick scratch of her neck is all she needs before I get a lopsided grin and a small nod. Her first few steps are tentative, but after ten meters or so she’s able to put her full weight down on her foot.
It doesn’t matter how fast we go. Eden doing the 5k was never about breaking records.
I know she would like to finish this by jogging across the line, but as far as I can see she’s more than lived up to her end of the bargain.
Everyone, including Mr. Porter, is already blown away with the effort and commitment she’s shown these past few months.
They will still feel that way even if she walks across the finish line.
We remain silent for the first five minutes. I’m just happy to be here, holding her hand. In fact, while no one is around, we might as well take advantage of it.
“Eden?”
Looking my way, she smiles. “You okay, babe?”
I shrug. “Do you maybe wanna…I don’t know, make out a little bit?”
She pulls me to a stop. The only people close by are a couple of spectators and even they are walking away, more than likely wanting to see what’s happening at the finish line.
“Sloane.”
“Eden.”
She snorts a laugh and pulls me into a fierce kiss. We hold each other as the kiss goes on. I’m not ashamed to say I get my tongue involved, and would quite happily abandon the 5k in favor of finding a bush or something to get naughty in.
When we’re totally breathless, she pulls back. “Thank you.”
“For kissing you?”
“No, you numpty. For coming back, and walking with me.”
I snake my hands down her back and cup her butt. “I like walking with you. It’s our thing.”
A whistle rips through the air. “Hey, stop smooching and get walking!” Pia yells at the top of her lungs. Todd, Bella, Becca, and Bryce are standing with her.
Chuckling, we break apart and start the slow journey towards them. Eden is limping hard, but her face is pure determination.
Pia closes the gap and throws her arms around Eden. “You alright?”
“I’m good. Just a little banged up.”
Taking a step back, Pia plants her feet and turns my way with a…scowl? What the hell?
“This was your buddy Kiera! Did you know that?” she barks at me.
“Pia, chill out,” Eden says, but it’s no use. Her best friend is pissed.
“I will not chill out. She could’ve mangled your leg.”
Ignoring Pia, I bring my hand to Eden’s chin and turn her head gently towards me. “Kiera did this?”
She sighs. “I don’t know for sure.”
“I do,” Pia interjects. “There are like twenty people who saw her.”
Fuck. This is my fault.
“No,” Eden says, grabbing my waist. “Don’t put this on yourself. Kiera’s a piece of work.”
“I didn’t know she’d do something like this, babe. Jesus, I’m sorry.”
“So you should be,” Pia huffs.
“P, that’s enough. Seriously. Kiera’s had it out for me since way before I got with Sloane.
She’s just been looking for an excuse, and Sloane being with me is it.
She’s self-entitled and nasty. She also manipulated Sloane into thinking they were friends.
Hell, she did it to you guys too. So enough of the shit throwing, yeah? ”
They glare at each other for a second before Pia sighs. “Sorry, S. That was uncalled for. I was just pissed off.”
“It’s okay. I’m pissed off too, and I promise to sort this out once and for all.”
“Can we just get to the end of the race?” Eden asks. “That’s all I want to do. Oh, and maybe eat like a massive veggie burger after, with a milkshake.”
I give her a smile, but my insides are boiling.
I knew Kiera liked me, but I never, ever thought she’d stoop so low as to hurt someone.
What the hell did it even achieve apart from pissing a lot of people off?
Kiera might have influence in the school, but she’s majorly underestimating the support Eden has gathered over the course of this semester.
Her underdog-style story has won the heart of everyone at Holcroft.
Ha! I say it like she was some poor girl who had a tough upbringing and has fought her way to the top.
Instead, Eden just hated sports and rebelled.
Whatever her story, the students at Holcroft have gotten behind her and want to see her succeed.
I can’t see it going over very well that Kiera did something so shitty to sabotage her.
I’m pulled out of my head by Eden, tugging me along. Her limp is still pronounced, but she’s distracted enough by our friends chatting away that it doesn’t cause her enough pain to stop walking.
“So what’re ya gonna do with your newfound freedom, next semester, Eden?” Bryce asks. He’s taken the top half of his costume off. His shirt is soaked through with sweat.
“Believe it or not, I’m going to carry on with gym,” she says, laughing at everyone’s reaction.
“Jesus, who are you, and what have you done with my sloth-like friend?” Pia says, putting her hands all over Eden as if to check it’s really her. I laugh as Eden bats her away, which starts an all-out hand slapping war.
“Alright, knock it off,” I say, stepping between them. “We’ve only got half a kilometer to go, and you need to keep walking so your ankle doesn’t seize up.”
Pia sticks her tongue out at Eden, who returns the gesture. I roll my eyes and everyone else titters, but we finally get moving again.
As we get closer to Holcroft and therefore completing the loop, more people appear. Many of them have food in their hands and are wearing the commemorative pin we had made for those who completed the race. A girl I recognize from algebra spots us and claps. It’s a weird thing to do, but okay.
Eden looks at her and then at me. I shrug. As the girl continues to clap, she catches the attention of other students who smile and join in. It’s then I realize what’s happening. They’re cheering Eden on. They want to see her cross the finish line.
Squeezing her hand, I laugh at her confusion. “Babe, this is for you.”
More and more people are wandering over, clapping their hands. I see mine and Eden’s parents pushing through. They must have heard what happened. Eden is going red and looks like she’s seconds away from hiding behind me.
Bryce, being the goof he is, starts waving and thanking everyone for their support. He even bows a couple of times, making the growing group of spectators laugh.
We are just a few meters away from the finish. Maybe fifty if I had to guess, when I see two students unfurl the already used finish line ribbon. They pull it taut across the end zone and smile at us.
Oh my goodness, my heart is so full right now.
Becca, Bella, Pia, and Todd are all smiling and laughing as they high-five anyone close by.
Eden is the only one not enjoying herself.
I get it. She really doesn’t like the attention, but I hope she realizes this is such a lovely thing to be happening.
She’s made a lasting mark on this school, even if it’s down to being a stubborn sloth.
“Oh my god,” she mutters quietly.
Laughing, I pull us to a stop and bring my hand up to stroke her face. “Be proud, babe. You’re about to do what ninety percent of the school thought was impossible—for you—to do.”
She huffs and scowls, but I know it’s all for fun. “I wasn’t that bad.”
Raising my eyebrow, I wait her out until she cracks a grin.
“Okay, I was that bad. I think I strained my back once from trying to open a bag of crisps.”
“You’re a dork. But it doesn’t matter now. You can open as many bags of food as you want without injury. That’s huge, babe.”
“I feel ridiculous,” she says into my mouth as I pull her in for a kiss.
“Let them celebrate with you.”
Puffing out a breath of air, she nods and steps back. With a smile that isn’t quite her usual relaxed one, she gives a small wave at people. Stepping back, I motion for our friends to do the same.
“This is all you, Eden. Cross the line.”
“Jesus bloody Christ, you’d think I’d just crossed the desert or something,” she grumbles as she hobbles towards the finish.
The rest of us follow a few meters behind. This way she won’t be dead last. It’s not important, but a part of me wants to take that bit of pleasure away from Kiera, who would no doubt smile at Eden being the last student to finish.
Although she’s embarrassed and muttering, I notice the uptick in her step and the straightening of her posture as the crowd cheers her on.
Lucy, from the school paper, takes several photographs which I’m sure will make it onto the front page for the Monday edition.
We have one full week of class left before Spring Break.
Three meters away, and Eden looks over her shoulder at me.
I send a wink and a kiss. Two meters, and her hands go to her hips.
I can’t see her face, but the way she’s shaking her head from side to side, I know she’s laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
She’s right. Everyone is acting like she’s run a full marathon instead of a 5k.
One meter and she’s lifting her hands to wave at everyone.
I think she’s finally allowing herself to enjoy it.
Her foot crosses the line and her hands rise to the air in celebration. Eden Sawyer, Holcroft’s very own hater of all things aerobic, has just completed a 5k jog/walk.
Spinning carefully on her good ankle, she looks at me with tears in her eyes and a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon. This meant a lot to her. More than she probably realized herself.
Watching as friends and family rush over to hug and kiss her, I know I will do anything for her.
I’ll do everything in my power to make our relationship work.
College is scary, and the distance is daunting, but it’s temporary.
Eden is not. I might be young still, a few days away from turning eighteen, but I know what I feel for her is more than a high school crush.
Two percent is a shitty statistic. Does that mean we will automatically be in the ninety-eight percent of couples who won’t make it past ten years? No, it doesn’t. That’ll only happen if I let my fear of change and my anxieties get the better of me.
I want a future full of art, movie nights, and, of course, our walks. I want to stroll down the street with Eden, hand in hand, for as long as she’ll have me.