Chapter Text
The stadium thrummed with energy. Parents stood and cheered as their kids stepped onto the field, horns blared, and the announcer was barely audible over ruckas. Jon only had to close his eyes and he felt like he was surrounded by a cacophony of sound.
The only problem? It wasn’t for him. Opening his eyes, Jon stared grumpily at the eight teenagers taking their positions on the track field. One of those lanes would have been his. Should have been his. If only he hadn’t tripped during the semi-finals. Jon glared at his foot before slumping lower in his seat.
“This sucks,” he grumbled, crossing his arms.
“It does,” Iris West, his teammate agreed. Her long red hair was still tied up in a bun to keep it out of her way when she ran, despite the fact that she’d lost the quarterfinals. Glancing at him, she pouted. “Just once, I want to be out there.”
“You’re improving.” That was the understatement of the century. She’d joined the track team after him, and within months she’d gone from average to one of the fastest in their school. Some called her gifted, but he’d seen how hard she’d worked. It was only a matter of time before she was the top in their district. Pulling up his jersey, he dabbed the sweat from his forehead. “You’ll probably place next time.”
She punched his shoulder, grinning. “Well, you’re definitely placing next meet. Just make sure to tie your shoes this time.”
“I did!” Jon frowned, gesturing at his shoes. “I just tripped.”
“Over what, a pebble?” Iris snorted. “Please. If you need help tying your shoes, Jai can show you how. It took him years to figure it out.”
Jon laughed. “Your brother’s going to kill you.”
A horn blared, interrupting their conversation, and Jon reluctantly turned his attention back to the track. Luckily for them, all the losers got to sit in the center of the field, right up close to the action.
He didn’t feel lucky at all. Sighing, he leaned forward and watched as the eight runners crouched, their bodies tense as they waited for the second horn. His own muscles were on edge, as though they too had expected him to run again today.
The horn sounded. The runners took off. At 5k, it was more of an endurance game. Jon never considered himself a patient guy. His mom wasn’t all that patient either, so he blamed her entirely for that. It didn’t surprise anyone that he ran the 100m and 200m races at all; he’d always been good at short bursts.
For reasons he couldn’t even explain to himself, he really liked the 5k.Probably not enough to ever get first, but more than enough to place decently. His dad said he took after him there, so maybe it was just the Kent in him.
The runners turned the curve. It’d take 11 more laps before they finished. The group was a fairly uniform one, everyone running together, though the one at the front was a really short guy.
“Oof, poor guy.” Iris shook her head sadly. “He should have held back more.”
Jon almost agreed. Only, as they turned the corner, as he saw the forerunner jog closer and closer, he couldn’t mistake his expression for anything but determination. Sweat dripped down his short black hair, hitting his light brown skin. His strong jaw gritted as he forced himself to run further and further. Everything about the guy screamed I’ll win, and there was a fire in his eyes that Jon couldn’t look away from. It was only when he turned the corner again and only the Wayne on his jersey was visible that Jon even thought to blink.
As the race continued, as the laps and competitors decreased, Wayne stubbornly kept a hold of the lead. It was probably the stupidest maneuver in a long-distance run. Somehow, the guy made it work for him. Whenever someone tried to pass him, he picked up speed, increasing the pace of the pack.
Whoever he was, he had stamina.
A bell rang. The final lap. Wayne sprinted now. His legs pumped and Jon almost stood up, energized.
Everyone else ate his dust as he raced down the final meters of the track. One more step and he was through the finish line. The audience stood up and cheered. Jon leaped to his feet and roared.
Damn, he really wished he could have run the race now.