euphoria | cazzie

The Day I Fell in Love with You

Casey's POV
      

     The first time I met her was during a track meet.

That day was kind of a blur honestly. But let me try to recollect the bits and pieces. I remember the sun being particularly blaring that day and the crowds of students and parents gathered at the bleachers. Usually, I dread getting out of bed in the morning only to get involved in the same boring routine. Brush my teeth, eat breakfast, go to school, get through History with Zahid, absolutely destroy Evan during PE, stay back in school to study with Sharice and then return home to a large spread of food Elsa took the effort to cook, despite knowing that every single night Dad would not come home for family dinner. I absolutely hate Elsa for what she did but seeing her in that state really does feel like a knife to the heart. In one day, my family was absolutely destroyed. I appreciate Elsa's efforts in trying to change but if my dad doesn't want to forgive her, all I can do is watch my family fall to the ground.

I got out of bed and immediately checked my phone to see messages from my track mates. Everyone was excited about today's track meet and I was no different.

Track is my life. Sounds stupid but it really is. I trained every single day and every single day I was not good enough. Well good enough to my track team and coach but not to me. My Newton track team isn't the best compared to some other schools, but we're alright. People respect us. And I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the attention I got from our school mates, being the captain of the team.

I put on my track jersey and looked in the mirror one last time. I looked good. I always looked good in track attire. I looked at the bold words "NEWTON" written on it and could not help but beam with pride.

"Casey honey! Breakfast is ready!"

I grabbed my duffel bag and my phone and ran down to see an amazing spread of breakfast on the table. Elsa was flipping more pancakes and Sam was biting on his toast while watching another Antarctica documentary. "Hey Sam" I greeted, sitting down. "Not now. I'm watching this documentary about penguins. Did you know that penguins are-"

I cut him off immediately. "Yes Sam whatever you're gonna say, I probably know." I said and popped a grape into my mouth. Without any reaction, he returned to his phone.

"There's my superstar!" Elsa beamed, entering the dining room. "Where's dad?" I asked immediately and then silently cursed myself because I realised how that sounded. It's not that I loved my dad anymore than my mum but I really missed him. He's always been my biggest supporter, especially when it came to track, and it seriously hurt that he wasn't here right now. "Doug stayed at his mum's last night but he should be coming to watch you run," Elsa said, avoiding eye contact with me. He's not coming. Right now, I didn't have an appetite but my mum took all the effort to cook so the least I could do was to try a bit of everything.

Breakfast was awkward. Small conversation here and there. The track meet was on my mind. Suddenly, I got a text from Sharice.

Sharice: Clayton Prep is gonna be at the track meet

My eyes widened in shock. Clayton Prep was the best track team in the state. We have never competed with them because they usually participate in bigger and more well-unowned competitions. I quickly replied with a "No way!" and a crying face emoji. But in reality, I was not scared even the slightest. Clayton Prep has nothing on me.

"Mum, I'm gonna go to the place to train first. I'll see you guys later," I said, getting my bag.

Zahid had offered to drive me and Sharice to the track. It was in the middle of nowhere and looked pretty run down. "How do you guys like my new shirt? I got it online during last night's sale. I am literally everything a woman wants," He said, running his hands down his leopard-print shirt. I looked at Sharice who was sitting in the back and rolled my eyes in unison with her. "Why not you guys find your own way back," He said and Sharice and I immediately started to sarcastically compliment his outfit.

By the time we got there, there were many people from other schools already practising. It was a nostalgic feeling being back here. I live on the tracks. It's home to me.

"Casey! Sharice!" We heard a familiar voice from the bleachers and we were delighted to see Evan. He had in his hands a hot dog and a drink. "Good luck out there!" He said, and we gave him a thumbs up.

"You know... we should really go check out the Clayton team..." Sharice sheepishly said, nudging me by the side. "Wouldn't watching them train just make us lose focus?" I asked, getting down on the ground to stretch. "Come on Case! I wanna see if they're really as good as everyone says," Sharice whined, dragging me up from the floor. I groaned in annoyance but agreed to follow her and take a peek at Clayton's training.

They all wore jackets and nicer-looking jerseys but that was not surprising to me at all. Clayton Prep was rich. And I mean really rich. All the rich kids went there. The ones who live in mansions and have parties every night. Basically a whole other breed. It's no wonder they have an amazing record when it comes to track. Their coach, Coach Crowley, is the best of the best.

"Woah..." Sharice said, her mouth agape, admiring just how smart the Clayton track team looked.

But she caught my eye. I don't really remember my first impression of Izzie Stewart, but all I know is that she caught my eye. Her hair in a high ponytail and she was stretching alone away from her group of trackers. The next thing I remember is her smile. One of her friends came to her and whispered something in her ear, causing her to erupt into giggles. Oh wow, I really do remember the way my heart melted. Another thing I remember is the way her nose scrunches when she focuses. She was looking over at the track, thinking about her strategy or tactic of some sort and she had her nose scrunched up. Adorable. I realised I had been admiring for quite a while so I replied to Sharice.

"Yeah... woah..."

A/N first chapter!! will hopefully be updating daily:)