First place

"I can't believe you did that!" Nora let out a loud laugh.

"Me?" Sarah asked, astonished. "What about him? He wouldn't even kiss me!"

"Serves you right." Nora turned from her workstation to see Sarah pouting at her. "You teased him, Sarah. Did you really expect him not to tease you back?"

"Well...I mean.." Sarah trailed off as she looked back down at the workstation they were currently sharing. They were supposed to be working on their biology project but Sarah couldn't keep the 'almost kiss' from Nora.

"I'm just glad you finally admitted that you like him," Nora smirked as she leaned back down, studying the slide she had just slid under the microscope. "So what's your next move?" She asked distractedly as she scribbled notes on her paper.

Sarah wasn't sure what her next move should be. She was really enjoying this little cat and mouse game but Alex seemed to be over it. He really had refused to kiss Sarah in the locker rooms even though she knew the star athlete wanted to.

Sarah wanted him to.

Maybe that was the problem? Sarah had finally let her feelings show and Alex had done a complete 180 on her. Like he had gotten Sarah exactly where he wanted her, just to leave her high and dry. Sarah didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Well, he invited me to some track thing this weekend." Sarah wasn't sure what it was exactly but it seemed like a big deal.

"Mmhmm" Nora replied, still focused on the slide.

"Maybe if he like wins or something, I'll tell him my name." Sarah shrugged, thinking it over.

"Yeah."

"You're not even listening anymore. Give me the notebook, your handwriting sucks." Sarah huffed as she held her hands out.

"Hey, sweetheart." Alex smiled as Shower Girl approached the chain-link fence around the track. It had been two days since the 'almost kiss' and Alex had been dying to see the redhead. He really should have just kissed her for fuck's sake.

He was supposed to be warming up but the chance to talk to his shower girl would be worth any scolding he got from his coach.

"So, about this track meeting this weekend," She said, resting her arms over the top bar of the fence.

"Track Meet," Alex corrected. "and it's regional qualifiers."

"Right so, is it like a big deal or something?"

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, it's kind of a big deal."

"Are you going to win?"

"I'd like to place in the top five, that'd be a win for me." Alex reached his hand out and ran it across Shower Girl's forehead, pushing the hair back that had blown into her face.

"Not first?" She blushed, looking down at her feet. That was some sweet, romantic movie type shit and it made her heartbeat pick up.

Alex didn't want to pull his hand back but knew it'd be weird if he didn't. He just wanted to keep touching the soft skin. "Well yeah, first would be amazing but I'm fine with top five."

"I think you should get first place." She looked back up, meeting Alex's eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Alex smirked. "And why's that?" He placed his hands on either side of Shower Girl's arms as leaned against the fence right in front of her.

"Because," Shower Girl licked her lips nervously. "I only reward winners."

Alex watched as Shower Girl sucked her bottom lip between her teeth playfully. Fuck. He should have just kissed her when he had the chance.

"THACKER!"

His coach called him but he ignored it as he watched the lip pop back out, a little pinker and wetter than before. This was torture and he did not like it. Not one bit.

He leaned forward, invading the her space. "What kind of reward?"

Shower Girl leaned forward as well, her mouth coming to Alex's ear. He felt goosebumps break out across his arms as the girl whispered.

"Guess you'll have to win to find out."

He then felt a sharp bite on his earlobe before Shower Girl was leaning back. She winked before turning and walking back over towards Nora who sat at their regular table.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath. He could get first place right?

"Oh my god, I didn't know so many students came to these kinds of things!" Nora shouted over the crowd as they found seats on the bleachers lining the track.

"Well there's more than just our school here," Sarah said as she glanced around at the other students "but yeah, there are a lot of people here."

"Those students even have signs, maybe we should have made a sign for your boyfriend." Nora teased.

"He's not my boyfriend," Sarah said as she turned to glare at her.

Nora just laughed a bit as Sarah scanned the different groups of athletes on the field. She hadn't spotted Alex yet, but there were a lot of athletes. She may have been asking for too much when she asked Alex to win first place. That thought made her nervous and she stood up suddenly.

"I'm going to head to the restroom," she said quickly before leaving the bleachers and heading towards the outside of the field where the concessions and restrooms were.

What if Alex really didn't win first place? Sarah didn't really care if he won and Alex had seemed to be fine with placing in the top five. Sarah hadn't meant to put pressure on him. She really just wanted to tease the athlete, to make their game last a little longer.

She was having fun with Alex, but she had also warmed up to him quite a bit. Nora had talked to Isaac for her and she had learned that Alex wasn't into the party scene. Apparently, he was more of a homebody and he had a lot of hobbies, a few of which, Sarah knew about.

She had been surprised to learn that Alex was into music as well as art and photography. According to Isaac, he also worked out a lot, but Sarah was sure she could have figured that out on her own. The guy was built like a Greek God, all taut muscle and tan skin. Sarah was picturing Alex without a shirt on when she turned a corner and realized she had gotten a bit lost.

She was in an empty hallway with nothing but unmarked doors so she immediately turned around to go back the way she came.

Alex loved the adrenaline pumping through his body. Race Day had always been his favorite, it's when all his hard work paid off. He was a little nervous today though as he was dead set on placing first for his Shower Girl. He wanted to impress her but he also wanted whatever reward the girl would give him.

He finished changing into the school's racing uniform and leaving his gym bag in the locker room, he headed out to the field.

As soon as he came out into the hallway, someone ran into him. He reflexively reached out to stop them from falling backward. That's when he caught sight of the red head of hair.

Shower Girl.

Sarah stumbled back after running into a wall, a wall of human muscle. She squeaked as she looked up and saw it was none other than the guy from her thoughts, as if thinking about him had caused him to manifest right here in this empty hallway.

"h-hey," she stuttered.  Alex still holding onto her waist was making her even more nervous.

Alex just smiled down at her, it was obvious how happy the athlete was to see Sarah, even before he said. "You came!"

"Of course I did," Sarah feigned nonchalance. "I'm here to make sure you follow through with your end of the deal."

Alex's smile turned into a smirk as his gaze traveled down to Sarah's lips. "And what happens if I don't get first place?"

Sarah knew Alex was just teasing her but it brought back her worries in full force. "I really didn't mean to pressure you. It's okay if you don't win first place. Top five is okay too." She stumbled over the words, trying to explain in a hurry.

"Huh?" Alex looked confused.

"It's just that," Sarah continued to rush, "I saw all the athletes out there and there's so many and they all look so fast and you said you were okay with top five and I don't want to add any stress or anything. It's okay if you don't place first. I won't be upset or disappointed or anything and i-" Her rant was effectively cut off as Alex placed his index finger over her lips.

"Shh, it's okay, Shower Girl. I'm fully capable of winning first place and I've got to say I'm a little hurt that you don't have faith in me." The smirk was back as Sarah's cheeks turned pink.

Sarah decided she wasn't going to be out teased so she slipped her arms up around Alex's shoulders as she leaned in to nip at his chin. "Well, that's good to hear because I cant wait to give you your reward."

Alex's grip on her waist tightened at the words. "What is my reward?"

"Guess you'll have to win to find out." Sarah chuckled.

"You keep saying that." Alex groaned. He let his hands fall to his sides as Sarah stepped out of his hold.

"I'm nothing if not consistent." Sarah winked as she walked around Alex, heading out of the hallway.

She was no longer nervous and had absolute faith that Alex would win first place.

Sarah hadn't realized there'd be so many individual races and she regretted not asking what race Alex would be participating in. Groups of ten were running at one time, their lap times going up onto a makeshift scoreboard set up in the middle of the field. They were running 200 meters in two sets of five, each set on either side of the track. There had been a 100-meter race going on before this one.

There was so much commotion, between all the men on the field and the students on the bleachers cheering for their school. All of the noise faded as soon as she caught sight of Alex jogging onto the field from the sidelines. He looked just as gorgeous from this distance as he did up close. His hair was blowing in the wind and Sarah could have sworn time slowed down as he made his entrance.

She was pulled from her thoughts by thundering cheers from the students around them. Cheers from a group of girls in front of them seemed overly zealous to her ears and she could feel her smile fading. She had forgotten how popular Alex Thacker was.

"Stop scowling," Nora joked as she nudged Sarah with her elbow. "It looks like your boyfriend is gonna race soon."

"He's not my boyfriend," Sarah pouted.

Sarah watched, pout still on her lips as Alex approached the bench that held some of his teammates. He greeted them before slipping out of his hoodie, he had a school jersey on with a number pinned to the front. It was a tank-top and Sarah loved the look of the athlete's arms on full display. The girls in front of them seemed to like it too and she heard a few of them yelling out Alex's jersey number. She rolled her eyes as she watched Alex stretching on the sidelines.

The announcer's voice came over the speaker and Sarah was able to make out that another set of races was about to start. The 400 meter. It looked like this would be Alex's race as Sarah watched him move over towards the crowd huddled around the starting line. This time there were only five men running at a time, filling up all the track lanes. Sarah assumed this meant they'd be running all the way around the track.

A hush fell over the crowd as the first group lined up at the startling line and Sarah wasn't sure if she was anxious or excited that Alex wasn't running in the first group. The cheers started as soon as the shot from the starting pistol exploded through the speakers. The sound was deafening compared to the silence just a moment ago.

Sarah felt the adrenaline rushing through her body as the racers took off. She knew Alex would have to beat the best racer's time from each set. The race was over in the blink of an eye and Sarah was blown away by how fast the runners were. She watched the times flick up on the board, the fastest time being 47.03 seconds.

"Is that good?" She whispered shouted to Nora.

"I think so, yeah." Nora pointed towards the runner with that time, who was being congratulated by his teammates.

They watched as the next set of runners got ready, and Alex wasn't in this group either. Another gunshot, loud cheers, and another set of times going onto the board. The runner who had gotten 47 seconds was pushed down on the scoreboard as a runner came in with a time of 46.58. The cheers were coming from the group next to Sarah and it was a bit overwhelming for her. She was more nervous now than ever.

Before she knew it, the next set of racers was going up and the crowd huddled near the starting line was thinning. She could make Alex out now and her stomach did a little flip as she watched the athlete talk with another teammate. Alex ran his hand through his hair as he talked and Sarah couldn't take her eyes off him. She wasn't even aware that the race had finished until the teammate Alex had been talking to stepped up to the line.

Sarah kept her eyes on Alex as the gunshot rang through the air and the runners took off. There were only five boys left so Sarah knew Alex would be running in the last group. That meant as soon as his time went up, they'd know. They'd both know if he had gotten first place or not.

Sarah's legs shook as she waited for Alex to step up to the starting line. She spared a glance at the scoreboard and saw that the current fastest time was 46.32 seconds. It made her nervous that she didn't know what Alex's usual time was.

She glanced back towards Alex only to catch him staring up at her. Sarah's cheeks turned bright pink as Alex winked at her.

"Did you see that? Alex Thacker just winked at me!" said one of the girls in the group in front of her. She couldn't help but roll her eyes again.

The sound of the gunshot rang through her ears, stifling out all other thoughts. She watched in awe as Alex sprinted off the start line. Fuck. He looked beautiful. His hair bounced as he ran and Sarah was enamored with how graceful he looked. Alex was born to run apparently and was a few paces ahead of the other runners. Would it be enough though? Would he be able to finish with the best time? Sarah was on her feet as Alex rounded the curve in the track.

Alex crossed the finish line just before the next runner. Sarah was still standing up, cheers erupted around her as the race finished. Her own eyes were glued to the scoreboard waiting for number 21 to show up.

"Please please please," she chanted out loud, her hands clasped together under her chin. Fuck what was taking so long? Her breath was pulled from her lungs as the scoreboard updated.

There it was, number 21, with a time of 45.87 seconds, in first place.

"Holy Cow!" Nora shouted next to her. Sarah barely heard it, though. She barely heard the thundering applause around her as her eyes locked with Alex.

The athlete smirked at her as he turned away from the scoreboard. Sarah watched in shocked silence as he ran over to the barricade separating the track and field from the bleachers. He bounded over it and jogged up the bleachers, taking two steps at a time.

The group of girls in front of them stood up as well, shouting out to Alex as he came up the rows. Sarah squealed and she charged towards the aisle, meeting Alex at the end of the row.

As soon as she was close she jumped into the athlete's waiting arms. Strong arms immediately wrapped around her waist, holding them together.

"I can't believe you did that!" She screamed out, Alex chuckling in response.

"I thought you had faith in me?" He used his hand to brush Sarah's hair out of her face. "Now what's my reward?"

Sarah's cheeks turned bright red at the reminder. "Oh umm, I was going to give you a kiss." Her voice was low, an obvious sign of her nervousness.

Alex smirked at her as he glanced down at Shower Girl's lips. They were both oblivious to the crowds around them.

Sarah leaned in until their lips were almost touching. She darted her tongue out and swiped it across Alex's bottom lip, the arms around her waist tightening reflexively.

"But since you don't kiss strangers," Sarah whispered as she leaned her head away. "It's Sarah, Sarah Giles."

Sarah almost laughed out loud at the comical look of shock on Alex's face. She didn't though because a look of lust replaced it too soon and Alex was leaning in to capture her lips before Sarah could blink.

"Alright you two lovebirds, break it up," Nora's voice cut through all the noise.

Sarah reluctantly pulled away from Alex's soft lips and looked around to see a few people staring at them. She had forgotten where they were. She wiggled her feet which were dangling in the air as Alex had lifted her from the ground.

"Put me down, Alex," she demanded.

The athlete just laughed as he leaned back, lifting Sarah's feet higher into the air. "But I don't want to, Sarah."

The way he said her name had Sarah's cheeks red again. Alex just smirked at her and Sarah knew the athlete had guessed why she blushed.

"You like that? Sarah?" Alex leaned forward, placing Sarah back on the ground.

"You're not going to stop saying my name now, are you?" Sarah teased.

"I don't know Sarah, I might. Only if I can call you girlfriend instead."

Sarah chuckled as she slid out of Alex's arms and slipped her hand in the much larger one.

"Shower Girl to girlfriend sounds like the perfect upgrade to me."

T h e    E n d

© 2021, Samantha_Duncan21. All rights reserved