Lane Assignments

Prologue

Is it just mutual respect... or is it a crush?

Runners, stay in your lanes until the end of the first turn. Any departure from your assigned lane will result in disqualification from the race.

Runners ready?

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Prologue/ Teaser - Bellevue High School - May 2017

CPOV

I take a swig of thick, foul-tasting coffee and grimace. Why am I drinking this sludge? I sigh and lean back on the ratty office chair in the stifling press box. This press box, and the expansive aluminum bleachers below it, were clearly designed for football season.

Now, in the stifling temperatures of early May, it's hot and depressing. Only small clumps of people dot the bleachers. It's the last track meet of the regular season - our Bellevue Lady Wolverines versus the Lakeside High School Lions - before the larger, postseason competitions begin.

I see a small figure make her way in from the parking lot and up into the stands. Now she is a sight for sore eyes. The way her toned body moves - with her chestnut ponytail is swinging over her lovely ass - I can tell she's a runner.

I pull my eyes away from her and watch as our first-year coach, Ty Bennett, tries to run the meet. Nothing is set up correctly and no one is where they need to be. The athletes are supposed to be lining up for the first event, the 4x800 relay, but he is directing people to set up the 100 meter hurdles. You can't run the relay with hurdles in the home stretch, you useless prick. Thank goodness he's taken another job for the Fall, coaching his true love - football - at a high school in Olympia. But, it leaves us with holes to fill - again - in girls' track and in the English department.

I never would have let this happen while I was coaching girls' track at Montesano. I took pride in running efficient practices and smooth meets. This is my first year as the Athletics and Activities Director at Bellevue High School and, professionally, it's a huge step up from coaching and teaching. But, some days, I miss the direct contact with the student athletes and the control that I had over situations like this.

This fool is making a joke of our team and I swear -

"Just hold on... she's here." Cal grabs my arm to keep me from storming out of this press-box and down to the track. "I'll sort Ty out and you can go say hello to her."

"Who?" I snarl.

"Our savior," he says proudly, pointing toward the small brunette. She now leaning forward, elbows on her knees, intently watching the activity on the track. "My gift to you."

I'm not sure why, but my senses are overloaded... on high alert. Why? I manage to pull my eyes away from her and look at him. I ask, in a slightly nicer tone, "Who is she?"

He smirks at me. "THAT is our new recruit. She's my top pick for the coaching job and she's got her teaching certification with an emphasis in English lit. She has a stellar running career and -"

I cut him off. "You interviewed her without informing me? I should have been -"

Now he's the one to interrupt. "You'll see. Go on... I don't think she'll bite."

I shake my head and head out of the press-box, carefully making my way down and across the bleachers to her, with my bum knee popping and complaining the whole way.

When I'm within several feet of her, I call out, "Hello there! I'm Christian Grey, the athletic director, but everyone calls me 'Coa-'"

The last word gets stuck in my throat as she turns, removing her sunglasses. I'm met with sky blue eyes and a wide smile, a lovely face that I'd given up hope of ever seeing again.

Ana.

"Coach!" she squeals, and then she's up and in my arms. My girl.

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A/N: Welcome to my all-new story! I was going to wait 'til the new year, but I'm no good at being patient. It's still very much a work in progress, but I am sharing this prologue/ teaser in celebration of completing the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge of writing 50,0000 words! About 45,000 of those words are for this story, and I can't wait to share it with all of you. Hoping to have the first full-length chapter up next week!

I will be posting photos and teasers on FaceBook. So... make sure to friend me if you want the goodies! www.facebook.katy.jane.758737 (Remove the spaces to get the link!)

Photo credit: I'm crushing on the teaser collage by Jeanette at Net, Hook, & Line Designs.