The Race

               Don’t fall asleep. Don’t fall asleep. Don’t fall asleep! I repeat to myself over and over as the late afternoon light beams in through our class window. Why does this always happen? I don't even like naps. I dig my nails into the side of my leg, reminding myself that if I fall asleep I will regret it for the rest of the school year and probably my life. Distracted by the self-inflicting pain, I jump when the bell shrills our escape from this nap inducing prison.

I wait to get up. Everyone is scurrying about, trying to jam out of the room at the same time. I’m no different. I feel anxious to leave but a tight feeling in my stomach reminds me it’s his day for pick up.

I take my time. Gather my belongings, adjust my backpack- I walk out of the room at a such a slow pace that by the time I make it to the front of school, most kids have already been whisked away by their parents... who arrived 20 min early.. while drinking something probably pumpkin flavored. .

He's always late. Even when I take my extra time, with my extra steps, he's always late. I loop my thumbs through the straps of my pack and scan the street looking for our midnight blue SUV. The wind picks up swirling icy air around my bare legs. I shiver and pull my modest cardigan tighter around my chest. Tomorrow is a pants day for sure, I think while noticing the trees in the courtyard have dropped so many more leaves since yesterday. I sit down on the front steps and contemplate if I should start my homework.

"Hi Maggie", a small voice calls from behind me. I turn to see Thomas Baylor, a boy from my class walking towards me. His hair, once perfectly mom gelled this morning, has surrendered to the circumstances of second grade shenanigans. He sits down next to me on the front steps and wipes the sticky hair away from his face. "Hi Thomas", I return friendly. We don't talk to each other much during school, but today is not the first that I have seen him here waiting like me. "Is your mom late too?" I ask him while looking down at my scuffed shoes. "Yeah she says she’s trying to be better but..." He trails off distracted by a kid hoping the curb on his scooter.

"Who’s coming for you?" He asks still staring at the scooter.

"My dad", I reply with a frustrated sigh. "My mom usually does but she has been going to the doctors a lot lately."

Thomas turns towards me, looking quite alarmed.

"Is she sick?" He asks with partial concern in his voice.

"Oh no...she’s not sick... she's pregnant. I'm going to have a little sister soon."

I don't sound as excited as I should be. I’ve always wanted a sibling; there is just something that makes me feel sick about it. The tight feeling comes back in my stomach, I wince and tuck my chin down so Thomas can’t see.

"Oh....is she fat?" He asks with sincerity.

"No!" I quickly correct him. “Her belly has been getting bigger but it's just the baby growing." I tell him with confidence - though I actually have a lot of questions about the whole process myself.

We sit in silence together for a moment. The traffic persists yet there is no sign of either of our cars. I think about starting my homework again when Thomas blurts out "Wanna race?"

"Race?" I repeat confused.

"Yeah ya know race? Common I know you are the fastest in our grade I've seen you at recess."

I am the fastest, I gloat in silence. I never see Thomas at recess.

"I just didn't think you did that."

"What run? Oh I can run Maggie, and I'm about to leave you in my dust.” He exclaims strutting past me towards the open field next to our school. I take one last look towards the street, grab my pack and trail after Thomas. We drop our stuff in the grass and walk towards the widest oak tree in the opening.

"You’re not going to cry are you?" I ask him smirking while taking off my shoes.

"You wish!" He shoots back.

The grass feels cool and damp against my bare feet. Mom will kill me if I come home with another grass stain but I’m sure she’ll understand.

We step up to an imaginary starting line. My heart thuds against my chest so hard I can feel it in my throat.

"Around the last tree at the end and back, Ok?"

"Yep." I reply short, licking my lips and taking one last deep breathe.

"On your mark...get set....GO!!!"

We lunge forward, taking off so quick we almost knock each other out.

Right away it’s clear that we are running in the wrong direction as the wind forces us to dig against it. I peer out of the corner of my eye to see that Thomas is still right by my side and isn’t slowing down soon. Damit. We approach the last tree in the field which is also super wide with thick branches drooping around it. Making the round is tricky-Thomas on the outside, cuts in close to me as we turn trying to avoid the wooded obstacles. This distracts me for a moment, and I trip on a large root roping around the giant.

"Thomas!" I scream after him, pushing myself up against the dirt.

"Didn't touch you!" He calls back without slowing.

"Uhhh!" I groan while pushing as hard as I can to catch up. Half way back and I can feel my eyes starting to water realizing I’m about to lose. I swallow hard to suck it up when suddenly Thomas slows down far before our finish line.

"You're cheating!" I say catching up to him.

"Yeah, I didn't want to make you cry." He jokes, hiding a smile behind his mockery.

This pisses me off and I sprint past him towards the oak where we started. My face is hot and sweaty, I turn back towards Thomas.

"I...wouldn't... have... cried", I declare gasping for breath. He approaches ignoring me, "Are you okay?" He kneels down and pokes my knee that has started to bleed.

"Ouch! Don't! I'm fine!" I yell, feeling like my eyes are going to water again.

"I swear I didn't push you!"

"I know I just tripped".

I swallow again. . He stands up next to me. "That was fun!"

I look down to see my uniform covered in dirt and a small cut on my knee that has left a line of blood trickling down to my ankle.

"Yeah- I want a do-over though Ok?"

"Alright, maybe when you’re not all gushing blood though". He teases.

We sit down to put on our socks and shoes when we both seem to realize that we haven’t been looking out for our parents.

“We’d better head back, do you have a phone?” I ask him deciding enough is enough.

“No I’m not aloud.” He whines, clearly having protested the subject before.

We get up to head back when I see at tall figure standing in the distance waving at us.

“Is that your dad?” Thomas asks?

“That’s him.”I reply keeping my eyes fixed on the grass.

We meet him at the entrance to the field.

“Hi sweetheart!” He shouts while picking me up for a giant bear hug.

He’s still in his work clothes.

Then I smell it. The smell that sends my stomach in knots, the one that makes me feel anxious and confused.

He lowers me back down.

“Sorry I’m late Mags, another meeting at work that ran a little too late.”

He finally notices I’m a mess.

“Honey what happened?”

“Nothing Dad, we were just racing. This is Thomas.”

“You weren’t beating up my little girl were you Thomas?”

“No sir. She kicked my butt."

“That’s my girl! Let’s get you home I bet mom is getting worried.

“Thomas I think I saw your mom waiting out front here.”

How would he know what his mom looks like?

We arrive back at the front and sure enough parked right behind my dad is Thomas’s mom. She gets out and starts walking towards us.

“Thomas! I’m so sorry I’m late baby!”

She leans down to squeeze him but then stops when her eyes meet mine. I’ve never seen her up close before. Her hair is shorter than my moms and her face has so much color on it I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to look.

“You must be Maggie!” She dotes, while smiling at my father.

I must be Maggie?

She looks down at me and in an instant I feel my throat starting to close.

The smell. The one that makes me anxious, the one that makes my insides tight.

I can’t move, I can’t breathe, I just stare at her.

Her eyebrows furrow and she quickly stands up away from me.

“Maggie.” My father warns with a stern hand placed on my shoulder.

I’m paralyzed.

Fingers clench around my hand, and out of the corner of my eye I can see that Thomas is still by my side.