Laughter Lines

3.7 | i'll time you

i'll time you

as told by everest

• 

The next day, I found you waiting for me at the track. It was huge; four hundred meters around, made of black tar marked with numbers for runners to start their races. The football field was enclosed by it, like a landlocked country. It kind of seemed like it if you considered two different sports like different countries, which the sport jocks did, for a matter of fact. They got so competitive that even mentioning a sport they didn't like would set them off. 

I mean, I didn't like football, but I didn't want to punch someone in the face if the group of kids next to me started talking about it. It was ridiculous. The large majority of the students at my school disgusted me, if you couldn't tell already. 

As I made my way to the track, I saw you sitting against the nearest goal post, your head ducked over a book and your hair hanging in your eyes. You were so mesmerized by the words that were printed on paper, and it was a beautiful thing to witness. Your love for reading was so beautiful. 

"Charlotte Marie!" I exclaimed, and as you looked up, I waved to you.

A smile spread across your lips and even from the distance I could see your cute little laughter lines engraved in your cheeks. My heart fluttered. "Hello, Everest Logan!" you cried back.

I then began jogging toward you, watching you place a bookmark in the story so that you didn't lose your place. You shoved the book into your backpack and stood up, holding your arms out so that I could wrap mine around your thin frame. And, I did so with such compassion that I could feel your spine beneath my forearms as I lifted you and spun you in the air. You laughed, so lightly and adorably that I felt myself starting to chuckle as well. Oh, Charlotte Marie, I was so in love with you.

I set you down, your feet planting softly in the lawn. You looked up at me and smiled that beautiful smile of yours, fumbling with our fingers until they were interlocked between each other. "Okay," you said. "Why are we here, exactly?"

I was kind of nervous to tell you, to be honest. I hadn't ever taken place in a sport, and I wasn't sure if I'd be any good at cross country. Yes, I had long legs, but that didn't mean I would be a fast runner compared to kids at other schools. I was scared, but running seemed right to me in some way.

"I want to do cross country. I was wondering if you could, you know, time me? Do you have your cell phone?" 

I half expected you to either look at me like, "What the hell?" or to start laughing, but you didn't. You smiled at me and said, "Everest! That's great, of course I'll time you."

I felt like I was floating. You supported me in this crazy thing that I'd never, ever done before and would probably fail at. "Thank you, Charlotte Marie." 

Then, you took out your cell phone and opened a stopwatch, and I took my position at one of those nifty starting lines, and you screamed "Go!" as loud as you could and I ran as fast and as hard as I could.

All I was thinking the entire way was "Thank you, Charlotte Marie."  even though it was kind of obvious that she would help me out. I didn't know why I was so happy about this. I didn't know why I was so, so happy. I suppose that moment was one of those where I was at the top of the mountain and on top of the world, even though I was only running around a tar track. 

I felt crazy. I felt good. I felt unstoppable.