her to it. "Hey Blaize, can we talk for a minute?" He stood as he spoke and nodded to the hallway.
Blaize looked ready to say something belligerent but Jaide nudged him and nodded toward the hallway, too.
"Yeah, sure." They left the cafeteria to speak out in the hallway but they could still be seen near the doorway.
"You gonna eat, Jaide?"
She shook her head and drank from her water bottle. "Not yet. I'm about to go out and run. Anyone care to join?"
Bhrade looked at her like she was crazy. "Run this early in the morning? Yeah, right."
"It's nine."
"Yeah, but it’s Sunday. No running on God's day," he said, dramatically glancing upward toward the heavens.
Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. You’re atheist, you idiot."
Bhrade mumbled, "Doesn't mean I can't have respect for other people's religion."
"I'll go with you," Chance said.
Jaide smiled up at him. "You're awesome."
"No problem. I don't really want you running by yourself anyways."
"Right. Cause I'd get lonely, huh?"
He smiled. "Yeah, that's it."
"What does Leith want to talk to Blaize about exactly?"
"He's gonna apologize, in a manly way of course."
"Oh? And how do you apologize in a manly way?"
Bhrade adopted a guttural caveman voice. "Me sorry look at your woman, you forgive?"
Then Matt added with the same voice, "No, no forgive, must fight for woman!"
The table laughed at the scene. Jaide glanced out to the hallway. She saw they had just done the handshake and pound the chest thing, so it seemed that everything was cool. The two came back to the table. Blaize sat back down with a nod to Jaide, but Leith remained standing.
"Jaide, can we talk for a second?"
Someone at the end of the table grumbled in a high-pitched voice. “This is your Sunday Talk-a-Thon, sponsored by Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.”
Jaide stood. "Of course." She followed Leith to where he and Blaize had just been talking. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to apologize for looking at you the wrong way.”
"It's alright, no big deal,” she said with a wink. “You can't help it, I'm sure."
He smiled back. "Well yeah, that's true but not just for that. I'm sorry for what I may have said and stuff, too. I was just trying to get under Blaize's skin. I'm not sure why."
"It's alright. No harm done, right? You guys are cool now?"
"Yeah, he said as long as you accept my apology."
"Well, I accept. No more talk of fighting, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said.
She smiled and hugged him before they returned to the table. Blaize looked at her expectantly. She smiled and nodded, confirming that everything was ok.
"You ready, Chance?"
"Yep."
"You wanna run with us, Blaize?"
"Nah, I got some errands to run. I'm gonna stop by the store, too. I'd like to stock up the fridge that your brother brought if that's alright. Do you want anything specific?"
"Yeah, can you get some of those little baby Gatorades? Those are the shit."
"Sure thing."
Outside, the day was crisp and clear, perfect for running, especially if you were a soccer player who thought you were in good physical shape. But by lap 14, or was it 13, the temperature had risen sharply, a trademark of the Exeter Creek School in Yakima, and she wasn’t sure about the laps. Her lungs burned and her legs were numb. She stole a quick glance to her side and saw that Chance seemed to be in the same condition. She really was out of shape. When she used to run with her brother, they would do four miles easy.
The thought that she was out of shape didn't settle well and she picked up the pace. Only two more laps, maybe three. Chance would tell her when they hit four miles.
Sure enough, two laps later Chance informed her they had hit four and she slowed to a walk with hands on her hips. They kept moving at a slow walk around the track.
"Damn Jaide, do you always run like you're running a race?"
"I'm out of shape. I used to do four miles in no time flat."
"Well, maybe you were going too fast."
"I couldn't find a pace. I'm used to running with
Blaize looked ready to say something belligerent but Jaide nudged him and nodded toward the hallway, too.
"Yeah, sure." They left the cafeteria to speak out in the hallway but they could still be seen near the doorway.
"You gonna eat, Jaide?"
She shook her head and drank from her water bottle. "Not yet. I'm about to go out and run. Anyone care to join?"
Bhrade looked at her like she was crazy. "Run this early in the morning? Yeah, right."
"It's nine."
"Yeah, but it’s Sunday. No running on God's day," he said, dramatically glancing upward toward the heavens.
Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. You’re atheist, you idiot."
Bhrade mumbled, "Doesn't mean I can't have respect for other people's religion."
"I'll go with you," Chance said.
Jaide smiled up at him. "You're awesome."
"No problem. I don't really want you running by yourself anyways."
"Right. Cause I'd get lonely, huh?"
He smiled. "Yeah, that's it."
"What does Leith want to talk to Blaize about exactly?"
"He's gonna apologize, in a manly way of course."
"Oh? And how do you apologize in a manly way?"
Bhrade adopted a guttural caveman voice. "Me sorry look at your woman, you forgive?"
Then Matt added with the same voice, "No, no forgive, must fight for woman!"
The table laughed at the scene. Jaide glanced out to the hallway. She saw they had just done the handshake and pound the chest thing, so it seemed that everything was cool. The two came back to the table. Blaize sat back down with a nod to Jaide, but Leith remained standing.
"Jaide, can we talk for a second?"
Someone at the end of the table grumbled in a high-pitched voice. “This is your Sunday Talk-a-Thon, sponsored by Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.”
Jaide stood. "Of course." She followed Leith to where he and Blaize had just been talking. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to apologize for looking at you the wrong way.”
"It's alright, no big deal,” she said with a wink. “You can't help it, I'm sure."
He smiled back. "Well yeah, that's true but not just for that. I'm sorry for what I may have said and stuff, too. I was just trying to get under Blaize's skin. I'm not sure why."
"It's alright. No harm done, right? You guys are cool now?"
"Yeah, he said as long as you accept my apology."
"Well, I accept. No more talk of fighting, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said.
She smiled and hugged him before they returned to the table. Blaize looked at her expectantly. She smiled and nodded, confirming that everything was ok.
"You ready, Chance?"
"Yep."
"You wanna run with us, Blaize?"
"Nah, I got some errands to run. I'm gonna stop by the store, too. I'd like to stock up the fridge that your brother brought if that's alright. Do you want anything specific?"
"Yeah, can you get some of those little baby Gatorades? Those are the shit."
"Sure thing."
Outside, the day was crisp and clear, perfect for running, especially if you were a soccer player who thought you were in good physical shape. But by lap 14, or was it 13, the temperature had risen sharply, a trademark of the Exeter Creek School in Yakima, and she wasn’t sure about the laps. Her lungs burned and her legs were numb. She stole a quick glance to her side and saw that Chance seemed to be in the same condition. She really was out of shape. When she used to run with her brother, they would do four miles easy.
The thought that she was out of shape didn't settle well and she picked up the pace. Only two more laps, maybe three. Chance would tell her when they hit four miles.
Sure enough, two laps later Chance informed her they had hit four and she slowed to a walk with hands on her hips. They kept moving at a slow walk around the track.
"Damn Jaide, do you always run like you're running a race?"
"I'm out of shape. I used to do four miles in no time flat."
"Well, maybe you were going too fast."
"I couldn't find a pace. I'm used to running with
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