Runner Girl

Chapter Twenty

I blast out of school like a bat out of hell, headed for the park. I have no doubt that Kary will be there waiting for me, but she's not going to be happy to see me. Halfway to the river, though, my feet slow to a walk before coming to a stop altogether, and I struggle to think straight.

She's a goddess; it's not like I can do anything about my anger without getting in serious trouble. But she's also my friend; maybe she doesn't realize how badly she screwed everything up. If I can reason with her, maybe she'll fix everyone's memories so I don't lose the friendships I've built here...or whatever it was that was starting to grow between me and Rakesh.

Slowly, I nod. It'll be better if I try to talk to her, rather than yelling at her and pitching a fit like I really want to. Besides, a shiver of fear runs down my back, who knows what she'd do to me if I piss her off?

Even though I'm gritting my teeth, I'm outwardly composed by the time I spot Kary leaning against the low wall on the corner of the park where we usually start our runs. She's got her earbuds in and she's rocking out, looking for all the world like a normal teenager, but I know better. The funky blue shimmer I saw for the first time yesterday is still hovering around her, and if I squint into the sun, I can almost make out the quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

She looks up as I approach and takes her ear buds out. Her eyes sweep over me, taking in my sweaty face and the fact that I'm still in jeans, not running clothes, and her lips press into a thin line.

"I thought we were running," she says, her voice tight.

I force a smile. "I need to talk to you first."

"We can talk and run, you know, Lana."

I nod, trying not to clench my fists. "I know. But we can talk first, too, right?"

She studies me for a moment, but finally she gives me a curt nod. "What's on your mind?"

I know she's a goddess, not a girl my own age, but she sounds so ridiculously old fashioned when she says it that I have to fight back the urge to roll my eyes. "What you did—" I clear my throat, trying to get a grip on my anger. Finally, I start again. "Thank you for fixing my foot," I say, hoping she doesn't hear the edge to my voice.

She nods, but she still doesn't smile. "I said I would. I'm not one to break a promise."

A chill sweeps over me, and I wonder if she's implying that I've somehow broken a promise I made to her, but I push that thought aside. "I was thinking," I say, choosing my words with care, "that maybe you didn't have to change everything else, too."

She cocks her head to one side and blinks her eyes innocently. "What do you mean?"

My fingers flex, and it's everything I can do to keep from grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "The cheer team," I say tightly, "and Rakesh. Did they all have to forget the last month?"

She shrugs nonchalantly. "You broke your foot at cheer tryouts. It made the most sense to fix it by changing things so that never happened, don't you agree?" Her tone is light, but her eyes hold a challenge, and I remind myself again that I'm not dealing with my best friend anymore; I'm dealing with a goddess.

"I didn't know I'd lose all my friends," I say, and I regret the words as soon as their out. "I mean, everybody but you."

Her face is dark. "Wasn't I good enough for you this summer? Or were you just using me until you found people you'd rather hang out with?"

I hold up my hands quickly. "No! I loved running with you." I pause, swallowing. "I'm lucky I met you when I did; I was pretty miserable when my dad brought me here."