OhPossum's such a great editor.
Here's the next chapter, for those who are looking for it. Much the same as last time, I'm quite sorry I've taken so long, as I do understand how having to wait for story chapters can get very frustrating.
As always, voting/feedback welcome.
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The first few months of college were such a rush! The dorms that Pete and I had been placed in were apartment style rooms. Each suite had a tiny bedroom, equally tiny bathroom and one main room that had a small kitchen and living area. We couldn't afford to get a bigger place off campus, but that was fine, since this was suitable for our needs. Pete had the foresight to buy some gags when he bought his toys, so we could even play without terrifying the neighbours.
Every morning when I woke up, I went out for a run, as I always have. It was the only way I could face the day of studies before me; get up early and run until I couldn't run any more. Admittedly, I did make a point to avoid the football stadium, as I had a healthy fear of the place after my springtime encounter with that brute. Generally by the time I got back to the apartment, Pete was awake enough to shower with me, and we would grab something to take with us for breakfast as we went to our various classes.
This routine was what got me accepted to the Track and Field team, actually. Running was something that I did for me, not for anybody else. As such, despite Pete's constant encouragement, I had not joined the team at my high school. To put it simply, I did not want to 'cater to the man', which I felt would ruin the fun involved for me. But one of the star runners was also the sort who ran early in the day, and when he saw me out running every morning without fail, he took notice and alerted the coach.
Imagine my surprise when the coach approached me one morning as I was getting back from my run and demanded that I be at the track that afternoon following classes. For all that I had never wanted to run for sport, he made it so obviously an order that I didn't think to question him. After I agreed, he smiled and told me that the team needed a decent female for distance, and he looked forward to putting me through my paces.
When I got back to our dorm. Pete was already up and waiting for me. "You were gone longer than usual today." Then he noticed the incredulous look on my face. "What's up, Dasi?"
As we showered, I told him all about it, how the coach had stopped me out of the blue and just told me in no uncertain terms that I was to be at the track that evening after my final class. Given that he had caught me off guard, I had agreed and it looked like I had just joined the track and field team without even trying out.
"I told you so, Dasi. I've been telling you so for years." Pete was over the moon about the matter, much more pleased than I myself was. For whatever reason, he thought I should get acknowledged for what I was good at, while I didn't care if anybody noticed or not. "I'll come around after my classes get out too and watch if you want me too."
It didn't really matter to me, but I could tell that it was really important to him, so I nodded. "Sure." After all, what girl doesn't like it when their guy wants to watch them? At least I'd be sure there was a friendly face there, since the track was nerve wrackingly close to the football field that I had not been within 500 feet of yet.
That afternoon at the track, the coach introduced me to my new teammates, and then made me show them why he had recruited me. While I would have much preferred to run away from all those eyes staring at me, I obeyed when he told me to take a lap, that he would be timing me. Being that I love running with quite a passion, I gave that lap my all. Once I was finished, I was enjoying myself so much that I took another lap just for the sheer joy of moving so fast, completely oblivious to the whistles and giggles that this prompted from the other members of the team. I was in my zone; nothing gets through to me when I'm running.
When I finally came to a stop again, the rest of the team was instantly all over me. The attention flustered me, and I pretended to be more out of breath than I really was to try to distract them. But they simply wouldn't be put off. The time it had taken me to run the one lap of the track was a full 5 seconds less than the defending male champion. Everybody was very excited, as they all figured that our college had the season in the bag this year. Given that Football gets much more attention than Track does, we hadn't won for several years.
After everything settled down, the coach welcomed me to the team, telling me to come to his office in the football stadium after practice was over. Every last bit of colour drained from my face at his statement, and I automatically glanced into the stands to see if Pete was there. Strangely, he wasn't. Being that he had been so excited at the idea of watching me practice, I wondered why not. Especially since I had to go into the football stadium after practice. I didn't want to go into that stadium at all, let alone by myself!
But when practice was over, everybody headed for the changing rooms, not noticing my growing uneasiness. What if I ran into that thing again? What if he was nursing a grudge and wanted revenge? Pete wouldn't be around to save me this time. I sat in the changing rooms much longer than necessary, trying to work up the nerve to go to the Coach's office. Everybody else was long gone by the time I finally left the rooms in search of the Coach.
With my arms wrapped around myself, I hummed a song that sounded brave and went to the Coach's office, trying to pretend that I was not frightened. When I found the room without trouble, and he was actually inside, I was relieved almost to the point of tears. But he was still on a high from discovering the fastest student he had ever taught, and thankfully didn't notice anything amiss. Handing me a schedule for the season, he gushed for a good 15 minutes before dismissing me.
Leaving the stadium, I was considerably calmer. There had been nobody around when I came in, so I wasn't nearly as nervous. However, my nerves soon caught up with me when I heard noises coming from a room ahead. Picking up my speed to a brisk walk, I wanted to get out of the building before whomever it was came out of that room and found me, alone in the football stadium, well after most everybody else was gone.
Maybe if I'd run I would have been fast enough. As it was, I was just reaching the changing room door as what looked like the entire football team trooped out, the first guy almost knocking me down.
"Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there, sweetness." Looking up with wary eyes, I found his face and was relieved to see that it was some random guy that I didn't know. This didn't ease my fear completely, but the fact that it wasn't the guy from the past spring was enough to calm me a little.
"That's alright, I was just leaving anyway." Ducking around him, I scanned the group of football players. Shit! The bloody bastard from the spring was standing not even three feet from me, and staring at me with a look of shock on his face. The shock was quickly replaced with undisguised hunger, a look that I recognized from my encounters with Pete. Ducking around the guy who had almost run into me, I continued for the exit, trying to speed walk as if I wasn't scared senseless as I left.
The majority of the football players headed back in the direction I had come from, but demon football player told them that he'd catch up. "Hey, wait for me, my plump little vixen! We have some business we never finished attending to." Hearing these words come from his mouth made me whimper, and I started to run. In my panic I didn't notice where I was going, and as he lumbered after me, I made first one wrong turn, and then another. Why hadn't I made Pete take me to a different college!?
After a few moments I discovered that I was lost. This stadium was bigger than I had realized, and I had no idea where the exits were. Then I heard him coming closer. Ducking into the only door in that hallway, I looked frantically for somewhere to hide. There was a nice cupboard in the corner, though it had a bunch of equipment in it. Squeezing myself inside, I pulled the door tight just as I heard the hated voice, "Come here, little vixen. You might be a good runner, but you can't hide forever. If you don't fight me, you might even enjoy it."
I remained silent, hoping that he would just go away. There was no chance of anybody hearing me even if I did scream for help. We were at the wrong end of the stadium for his teammates to find us, and did I really want a hoard of his big sweaty friends coming along anyway?
"She must have gone a different way." I heard his voice from right outside my cupboard, sounding frustrated. Apparently he thought it was filled with supplies, because he didn't check inside. "Oh well, I will find her. Stupid little girl, she can't hide from me forever." The sound of footsteps left the room and proceeded down the hallway until they faded from hearing. After a few minutes I worked up the nerve to leave my cupboard and slipped from the room, peering cautiously around the corner before proceeding to try to find my way from the building.
But I have absolutely no sense of direction, and I was hopelessly lost. After a good 15 minutes of searching fruitlessly for the exit, I sat down against a wall, wishing that I'd brought my cell phone with me. Pete was going to be frantic when I didn't come back to the dorm! And when I finally did get back, he was going to be absolutely furious, not only with me for losing my head, but also with that foot ball player from hell for causing me to lose my head.