Cassie and Jamila strode through the school gates , the Titan path free of any human traffic on a  dewy morning. Cassie chewed on a piece of strawberry flavoured gum while Jamila had her iPod plugged into a piece of bubblegum pop music, humming along.

 “ Ja, you ever notice how strange Alvin has been acting?” Cassie asked Jamila but her voice failed to penetrate the barrier of pop music set up by her iPod.

 Cassie shook her head, rolling her eyes, this was nothing new from her friend who enjoyed turning up the volume until it was just her and the singer of the moment.

 Which was easy enough to get through, Cassie wrapping a portion of the wire around her finger before yanking it out, the in ear phones disconnecting from Jamila’s ear canal cleanly and drawing a yelp of protest from the ginger Titan.

 “What was that for?” Jamila rubbed her ear, a little tender from the yank.

 “I need your opinion,” Cassie said, pleased she got her friend’s attention while Jamila had a scowl put on. As quick as she was to anger with Cassie, that same emotion faded fast as she chuckled, this was nothing less than she expected from Cassie or Nadya when she was around.

 “On?” Jamila asked, Cassie was usually sure of herself. So if she opened her mouth to ask for another’s thoughts on a subject, then it was worth tuning in to.

“Alvin,” Cassie sighed as they came to a bench, the two Titans sitting opposite each other.

 “ He’s been acting strange,” Cassie grew more worried as she voiced her concerns, part of her believed she was imagining it but the other the part wondered if it was real and should that prove to be correct, what then?

  “ I don’t know how to put it but he just stares at me whenever I talk , like something out of this world happened and he’s seeing it for the first time,” Cassie not too sure if that even made sense.

  “Oooh...that thing,” Jamila giggled uncontrollably.

 “What thing?” Cassie was all at sea, confounded by Jamila’s response.

 “ Oh you don’t see it?” Jamila covered her mouth with her hand, laughing even more as she thought about the previous night.

 “  See what?” Cassie dragged her words out, wondering what Jamila was hinting at.

 “ Alvin’s a rare type of guy, he’s...a good listener.”

“Oh come on!” Cassie set her hand on Jamila’s shoulder, needing to know the answer.

“ Okay okay,” Jamila lightly patted Cassie’s hand, shooting the look you gave your friend when they couldn’t tell you were joking and took things a little more seriously than you thought.

 “ Alvin is a good listener but it seems you’ve caught another boy using your womanly charms.”

 “How? I wasn’t even trying,” Cassie shot back, aghast at Jamila’s allegations.

  Jamila was pretty sure this was the same Cassie she knew, the same Cassie who at the flutter of an eyelash or flash of flesh could hypnotise boys like sirens to a sailor; she just didn’t expect such a clueless response from her.

 “ You don’t need to try, just show up. Honestly I thought Alvin was gay for a moment. Maybe he’s just a little dense.”

 “He’s not gay! I’ve seen him turn his head whenever a pretty girl walks past,” Cassie scoffed at Jamila’s poor gaydar.

 Jamila waved her hands to assuade Cassie she’d got it wrong, “ My gaydar is fine but you’re right, he does that a lot. He also does it even more when you show up. Whenever we come in , he always looks straight at you. Not me, Nads or the other girls. Like an eagle zooming in on its prey. It’s like he only has eyes for you.”

Cassie seemed to go quiet, retreating a little as she looked away from Jamila and at her clear polished fingernails. Jamila knew the drill, Cassie was too stunned for words so she was processing everything , not checking for dirt or nicks.

 “ If he likes me though, should I go after him?”

 Jamila looked at her, as if the answer were right in front of Cassie.

“Only if you like him just as much,” She replied.

Cassie laughed nervously, “ Oh that is…”

Her mind flashed through the moments she had with him. They had the worst start she could imagine, that locker room meeting but it had gotten better since then, now the best of friends after she helped him with his personal problems. Plus they had plenty of common and he wasn’t like the rest. Oh god, she realised, eyes widening and a short gasp escaping from her lips.

 “ Alvin, he’s nothing like Josh who wanted to get inside my panties or Edward, you remember Edward right?”

Jamila nodded, chuckling with mirth, “ How could I forget? The social climber. That boy had an unhealthy obsession with Snapchat and Instagram, every date was like…”

She mimicked taking out a phone, smiling goofily  into it while taking a selfie and then uploading it to his page.

 Cassie laughed hard at this,her abdominals aching from it, “ Oh that’s spot on! Took me a while to figure out he was treating me like a trophy wife but too wimpy to even kiss me. Weird but it can’t beat Josh who tried to bang me on the first date.”

 “Well you’ve known Alvin for a month and he’s nothing like your legion of exes. Just be sure its not a charity case here,” Jamila’s face looking all solemn.

 “ What do you mean?” Cassie asked again, Jamila went from excited teenager to worried older sister, that was the expression she had on her face.

 “ You helped him because you felt guilty over the snafu in school so are you going to date him because you feel pity?”

 Cassie shook her head, “No that’s awful! I would never do that to anyone, especially a friend,” she pressed on the word friend, emphasising her point to Jamila.

 Jamila acknowledged it as her brain suddenly threw up an idea, completely spontaneous but she knew its brilliance from the moment the spotlight within shone on it.

“Ask him to go to the dance,” She said without hesitation, it could not go wrong.

 “ That’s genius!” Cassie ecstatically high fived Jamila for that, “ I’ll do it after the track meet tomorrow, he’ll be so pumped up after his win that he will accept!”

*******

 The Next Day….

*******

Wendy sat on Cassie’s shirt covered shoulder, her feet dangling just above her collarbone.

“ Are you always this nervous when you watch him run?” Cassie’s sucked in air forcefully, her chest expanding to accommodate the latest intake as she held it for seconds before releasing it, her chest deflating.

 “ Hey this is the first time I ever watched his games, we weren’t the most supportive brother and sister until literally yesterday,” Wendy shrugged.

“ Oh right.”

Cassie squinted from her seat at the top of the gallery, they would have gotten a place closer but Wendy had overslept. By the time she got here, most of the good seats were taken and they had to settle for something far from the crowd, Wendy apologising to Cassie repeatedly on the way up.

 Despite that, it wasn’t a total letdown as she managed to spot the team, the FDR team’s cobalt sleeveless tops and cream white shorts standing out from the tartan track, Alvin’s team using the scaled down track on the inside of the larger Titan track, the Titan track was aquamarine so as to prevent any mishaps. Close by was the rival team for the final, Bass High in their gold and green outfits. Completing the lineup was the Amazon umpire and her two male assistants.  

   “All the best Alvin!” Cassie shouted from the heavens above, a lone figure looking straight her  before offering his best smile and wave.

 It was a little confidence boost for him and he needed it, he had spent the last few tumultuous months training exclusively for the 100 metre dash, a one man performance. He had trained despite Wendy’s beatings along with the late nights cooking and cleaning for them. He subsisted on an average of four to five hours of sleep on most days and he was amazed by how his body hadn’t crashed on him yet.

  So when coach Reuss said Alvin had to shift from hundred metre dash to the four by four hundred relay, he sensed a disaster in the making. He had insisted he could but when James Erikson who was their star relay runner fractured his ankle with a day to go, Plan B was whatever Reuss could pull together from the rest of the team.

 “Hey buddy, no pressure. We got this far and that’s saying a lot for our school,” Kelvin sat next to him, kneading his palms together. Everyone was a bag of nerves, FDR’s track team usually finished either in the middle of the league or at the bottom; being in the top two on the final day was the equivalent of discovering a new continent.

 “Yeah, just win our school’s first ever track and field trophy. No pressure,” He chuckled to Kelvin.

 “None at all,” He stood up as Reuss called for the hundred metre dash runners to take their positions, Kelvin being Alvin’s replacement during the reshuffle.

  Alvin watched silently from the bench, fingers clasped together as they took their positions. He never prayed much but today he did, a perfect game. Bass High were a constant on the track scene, their second places finished owing to their deficiencies than the victor’s strengths.

  Thinking about how good they were was unsettling, their ability to churn out athletes year in year out to not only win the championship but actually get college scholarships gave the school an aura of invincibility.

  “I could do with that scholarship,” He whispered to himself. Big finals like these would draw talent scouts here like flies to honey.

Alvin’s  palms grew sweaty from dwelling on their strength, the pale centres glistening with sweat. He realised the consequences of this, dropping the baton would kill their hopes and pushed such demoralising thoughts away from him, better to focus on the positive.

 Positives like the roar of the home fans cheering him on, one fan in particular. Cassie calling out his name was the highlight of his morning so far , her perky attitude was the boost he needed.

That radiant smile, all for him too, even Scrooge’s icy heart would melt at the sight of those pearly whites.

 He already was melting in his thoughts, the mere mention or glimpse of Cassie enough to put a smile on his face, he could lose himself in those eyes of hers.

 The sudden blast from the Amazon umpire’s starting pistol shook Alvin out of his little daydream as he watched Kelvin burst down the line ahead of his counterpart, a well muscled but still lean blonde fellow.

“Go Kelvin!” He used all the power his vocal cords had to cheer his friend, adding to the din already created by the FDR supporters, beating the Bass contingent in both numbers and noise level; the latter were mewing kittens compared to the thundering lions of FDR.

  His opponent realised it, widening his strides, heart pumping furiously as the wind whipped past him.

 Kelvin continued his run , barely slowing down but trying his best to kick it up another gear as his foe gained on him.

 “Damn it, can’t lose the opening race,” he grunted as he pushed his legs harder, what was only seconds to the audience felt like hours to him as his lactic acid laden legs pushed themselves.

 The finishing line was in sight, the long paper line and camera set up for the finish as the Bassian  chased him like a cheetah at full speed.

 From his peripherals, Kelvin saw a blue blur racing alongside him as the paper tape broke. The audience fell silent as the umpire raced to her assistants, consulting both of them.

“What’s going on?” Wendy asked Cassie.

 “I think it's a close finish, no one can tell. Guess its down to the camera,” Cassie replied, heart in her mouth. She wanted Alvin to win, if he was happy then she would be too.

 Cassie was right as the umpire consulted the camera , bent over while analyzing the image for several seconds before she stood erect and went over to the two runners; both of them shaking hands and all smiles as they made small talk.

 Both peered up at the athletic brunette in her early thirties as she offered both a warm smile, both knowing the decision had been made.

 “ Congratulations FDR, you win the 100 metre dash,” she said to Kelvin who pumped his fist up in the air , jumping for joy as the announcer read the result, her assistant having relayed the verdict to him.

 “Wooo!!!” Cassie clapped for Kelvin, Wendy jumping on Cassie’s shoulder blade and hugging Cassie’s cheek.

“This will make Alvin’s job easier,” Wendy said in between jumps and cheers.

It wouldn’t be the only close call, FDR and Bass trading blows as Bass won the next event, only to have FDR do the same. It was a cycle that repeated itself until it came to the final event, the four by four hundred relay as the tie breaker, each school having taken five events.

   Alvin did not say a word as he waited on the sidelines with his fellow runners.

  All up to me now, he thought. History in the making , that was what he and the school were facing today. Win and he would be immortalised then everyone would know his name. Lose, a grim thought he realised but Alvin tended to account for all scenarios. Lose and they’d remember his name too but for all the wrong reasons.

  He wouldn’t let that happen, that much he knew as the first runners took their positions, a chromatic baton in each of their hands, FDR getting a bright metallic green while Bass opted for a blue version of it. FDR’s runner, a clean shaven lanky African American guy by the name of Jamal gripped his tightly, like a beggar clutching a fresh baguette.

  Both boys leaned forward, brows and shirt always moist with perspiration as the umpire readied the starting pistol , finger on the trigger.

 “3....2...1…” Her finger pressed down and off it went, the first runners off their marks. Alvin’s heart thumped loudly as he prayed for a long head start, the last thing he wanted was having to chase down his opposite number.

 Alvin didn’t mean to stare but that guy ran like Usain Bolt if he was a white American teenager, Alvin suspected mixed ancestry due to his tanned skin but Caucasian looking bone structure. Everyone had heard of his prowess, every track record at Bass broken by him; it was just  Alvin’s good fortune to be put up against him.

  Jamal ran like a gazelle, graceful as he rounded the corner, his Bass opponent trailing behind to the delight of the crowd who only encouraged Jamal’s performance. Jamal took it all in, adding fuel to the fire as he increased the gap for he know the speedster Alvin would be up against. Reuss had made it clear they needed a big gap if they were to win.

  Jamal turned the last corner and up stepped his replacement Timothy, the Bass crowd laughing at their next guy, even the Bass runners were surprised.

 “You get em Timothy!” Alvin cheered him on, Timothy turned to the crowd and patted his belly which drew peals of laughter from the crowd.

 “Hey fatty don’t forget the race you have to run!” Jamal barked from behind, Timothy turning back,  letting out a surprised gasp before getting into an early run just as Jamal eagerly pushed the baton into his hands.

   Watching Timothy run at full speed was less like a horse galloping but a hippo trotting. Hilarious until you learn that hippos can achieve a top speed of 30 miles an hour. Timothy couldn’t run at 30 miles an hour but he could move that bulk better than most guys his size could; and that was enough to carry him past the second leg, stomping down the track ahead of his counterpart who was still trying to make up the distance from Jamal’s stellar showing.

 When Timothy passed the baton to the next man in the chain, a pale skinny guy by the name of Clarence who at the very least maintained the gap Jamal made and Timothy sustained.

 Alvin’s thigh muscle tensed as he stepped on to the track, readying himself for the handover. His team mates had done their part and it was now up to him. He rubbed his palms as Clarence round the corner, Alvin jogging on the spot to build up momentum going.

 He switched from that stationary jog , moving slow but building up speed as he heard what he assumed was Clarence coming down, the FDR fans ecstatic as they smelt the win, their first in history.

 Alvin smelt it too as Clarence shouted his name, Alvin racing forward. He should have waited as Clarence’s proved too far for Alvin’s shorter arms and the baton slipped out of his hand and clanging on to the floor.

 The crowd fell silent, shocked by what had happened. Alvin too as he felt a thousand pair of eyes staring right at him, his mistake being replayed in each of their heads , his brain concluding he had cost them the game.

 He didn’t believe that.

 “Fuck,” He gasped as he reached out for the baton, aware of what was to come. Bass’ own runner was finishing his lap as he grappled for it, his own nerves betraying him at this point.

He could feel the race slipping from him as he stumbled around for it, people would crucify him for this, his butter fingers costing him the race. No, he thought. He’d finish it, FDR’s underdog story would have the happy ending it deserves.

 He grasped it hard and took off, glimpsing the white Bolt speeding towards him. Alvin pushed him into maximum gear, throwing out all plans of taking it steady and conserving his energy for the final stretch as panic set in; he would not be the fall guy, he did not need a new set of people to laugh at him for this, not after the last set switched to his side.

 His body worked hard while he sped down the length of track, legs pushed to the maximum as his strides lengthened, his opponent behind and gaining ground. Alvin expected that, that was the whole reason for this gap so he’d have room for that.

 Alvin loved a good underdog story and occasionally he would turn to movies for it and now was as good as a time as any to imagine he was in one of them. What better movie than Rocky IV? Yes, Alvin thought. He could definitely see himself as Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, the everyday man both of them were fighting against Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, that was what his opponent projected: machine-like efficiency, no room for human error.

 To complete the Rocky feel, he hummed Eye of the Tiger, both of his eyes focused on finishing the race.

“Risin up, back on the street,”  He sang out loud as he turned sharply, his own Drago close behind.

 He let out a chuckle, Drago tough? He faced down Wendy and her posse and lived to tell the tale, a teenage boy would be nothing as the rest of the song played in his head.

  “Hear that Drago? You’re nothing!” He shouted back to him, his opponent about thirty feet but gaining, puzzled by Alvin’s outburst.

 Alvin sped up as he expended the last of his reserves and it was no surprise he crossed the finishing line to the roaring approval of the crowd; he was the player who scored the winning touchdown, the winning goal with the last kick of the game.

 All of his team mates lost their shit as they swarmed Alvin, hosting their sweaty comrade high with the baton still in his hand while Coach Reuss clapped enthusiastically, the biggest compliment they had ever gotten from her.

Alvin, for all his efforts couldn’t believe it but he didn’t care, the dopamine flooding his brain and the fatigue from running were enough for him to run with it for now.

High up, Cassie stood up from her seat and made her way down. She had something important to ask and she wanted it as soon as she could.

 “ Maybe we should wait for them to be done?” Wendy said as Cassie bit her lip in anticipation of the question.

 “ I would love to but these boys can really celebrate…” She turned to Wendy who frowned at her, telling her to back off.

 “ I guess I can wait a few minutes,” Cassie whistled as she moved back to her seat.

******
 

“To Alvin, the boy who fucked up but fucked right!” Kelvin raised a plastic cup here in honour of their friend.

 “Alvin!” His name was chanted and grunted by the rest of the team, now showering after spraying each other with the team’s Gatorade after a very boisterous award ceremony where Timothy nearly dropped the twenty five pound trophy on the floor.

 Alvin, sat in a pool of his own sweat, smiling gently while  soaking up all the accolades. He had never heard this before but Wendy and more importantly, Cassie had eased him into this; to be praised and feel welcomed. Not since Daniel had he felt such a surge of bliss, he had a rapport with his track mates but affairs at home always dampened the benefits of it.

 “ Alvin, your sister is looking for you,” Timothy called out to Alvin , the former sticking his head into the changing having showered some time ago.

 “ Oh, what does she want?” Alvin asked rhetorically as he headed outside to find Wendy waiting for him.

 “I’d hug you bro but you look and smell like my sock after wrestling,” Wendy’s nose crinkled at the sight of him.

  “Sorry but victory smells like this,” Alvin spread his arms to give Wendy a good look at his drenched look.

 She chuckled but pressed her nostrils together with her fingers, “ Could you bathe quickly? Cassie wants to see you, it’s important.”

“Oh man , I better hurry!” Alvin scurried into the bathroom.

 “Yeah and you aren’t crushing on her,” Wendy shook her head , a big grin plastered on her face from his reaction.

 Minutes later, Alvin followed Wendy back to the stands where Cassie stood at the base of it, her Titan form casting a shadow which Alvin and Wendy occupied for the shade. She had her fingers crossed together as she waited anxiously for him to come, one question weighing on her all this while.

  “ Congratulations on the win Alvin, you made history,” Cassie beamed down at him.

  “Thanks, it was great seeing you there, cheering me on. It really helped,” Alvin laughed.

 Cassie blushed, “Just here to support you.”

 “Thanks for that, never had any of my friends or family watch me at track before,” Alvin replies. Cassie felt her heart grow several sizes, only now realising the magnitude of her decision.

“ Well I’ll be sure to watch you do other stuff too. Like maybe at the school dance?” Cassie bit her tongue, that came out wrong. She didn’t want to watch him dance!

 “I’d go but it's a silly school thing and really, no one has asked me yet,” Alvin said as Cassie lowered herself, her face hanging over the two, two tranquil amber pools staring down at him.

 “ Okay then. Alvin, would you go to the dance with me? I’d love it if you went,” Cassie let the words flow, she hoped he’d say yes. Never before had she ever felt so excited over asking someone out, none of those other boys could make her feel the same way.

 “ That’s one less reason to not go. Since I’m free that night, I can go. Sure, I’ll go,” He replied. Yeah, he thought; it felt right to be at the dance with her. No, it felt more than right , it would be a most excellent decision for him.