Running for Love

It was a snowy day at the college. Winter had set in, bringing Christmas holidays with it. Students, as well as teachers, were leaving to be with family. Dorms were empty and classrooms were abandoned in favor of warm fireplaces and family gatherings. However, not all students left for home. In fact, quite a few stayed behind for one reason or another. Either their home was too far away to make the trip, or they rather stay at the campus; they all had a reason.

 

Amy was one of these students. She had never much liked her home, and now that she was away from it she wasn’t going back. Not even for Christmas holidays. She stepped out onto the college lawn and smiled. The sun was shining and the sky was a clear, crisp blue. Students were everywhere, throwing snowballs and saying goodbyes. She spotted two of her friends, Kayla and Abby, and waved them over.

 

“So, neither of you are going home?” she asked.

 

“Nope, we rather stay here where our friends are.”

 

“I don’t blame you,” she muttered.

 

A few of their friends that were leaving, though, ran up and threw their arms around them, promising to return with gifts for them all. With smiles and laughs, they waved them off. A cold winter wind blew and Amy shivered.

 

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

 

Amy was leading the way up the steps when a snowball flew out of the air and hit her shoulder. She scowled and looked around for the culprit. She wasn’t surprised to see Daniel waving his apologies, laughing as he did.

 

Daniel was one of her classmates, and he was always getting on her nerves. He was arrogant, stuck up, and annoying. Even if she was in the best of moods, he could bring her down. She liked to say she didn’t hate anyone, but she thought he was an exception to the rule. After all, who couldn’t hate him? Sure, he was toned from playing tennis and running track. And, sure, he had messy chocolate brown hair that brought out his emerald green eyes. But that wasn’t enough to sway her into thinking him a friend. In fact, it made her hate him more.

 

“Look, Daniel’s trying to get your attention,” Abby said with a giggle.

 

Amy rolled her eyes and marched up the steps.

 

Once inside, the trio sat down in front of the fireplace. Amy brushed the snow off her shoulder and shivered.

 

“He makes me sick.”

 

“Why?” Kayla and Abby gasped, their eyes wide with shock.

 

“Because he’s a pain. He’s arrogant and full of himself. Not my type at all.”

 

Abby and Kayla looked at each other, then shrugged. Sometimes they never understood their friend, but they loved her anyway.

 

“So, what’s the plan for the holidays?” Amy asked.

 

“Well, we were thinking ice skating on the pond one day. Maybe a bonfire one night. And lots of hot chocolate.”

 

“So, basically, no plan except to have fun?”

 

“Yep!” they both chimed.

 

Amy laughed and shook her head. She knew this holiday week would be a time to remember.

 

 

 

 

On the first day of holidays, they and a group of friends met up at the nearby pond to ice skate.

 

“You guys know I can’t skate!”

 

Kayla and Abby rolled their eyes and grinned.

 

“No, we know you’re the best skater out of all of us and we know that you will go skating. Period.”

 

“And if I don’t?” Amy sat down on the snow bank, her arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

 

“Then, we’ll make you,” they laughed.

 

Daniel walked up behind them, threw an arm around their shoulders, and joined in the laughter.

 

“Yeah, we’ll make you,” he chuckled.

 

Amy scowled and pulled her skates on. She had hoped Kayla and Abby had forgotten to invite Daniel, but obviously they hadn’t. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion that they had made sure to invite him, but she didn’t know why unless they were looking for trouble. After making sure her skates were tied well, she got on to the ice.

 

Automatically, people made way for her, but not because she was a terrible skater. She was actually one of the best skaters at the college, and had even competed in a national competition. She had brought home the silver medal. She glided across the ice, grace seeming to exude from her. She made a couple lazy figure eights, then stopped and stared at the rest of her friends.

 

“Well, are you going to skate or not?”

 

They grinned and rushed onto the ice to join her. What ensued could only be described as chaos. People were skating everywhere, bumping into each other and falling down with peals of laughter. Couples linked arms and skated around the outer rim of the group. Kayla and Abby were chasing each other. Daniel was playing a game of hockey with some friends. Soon, the hockey game took over the entire pond, forcing everyone else to retire to the snow banks. Amy sat down with relief. She didn’t like skating in front of people, especially if her hair wasn’t pulled back. Kayla and Abby sat down beside her, their faces flushed from the cold. They began rooting for their favorite team. They tried to convince Amy to join in, but she politely declined.

 

“In fact, I’m going back to the dorm to get the hot chocolate ready.”

 

They nodded, and then continued rooting for their team, whooping and hollering when they scored a goal. Amy rolled her eyes, laughed, and set off for the dorm.

 

Amy reached the dorm ten minutes later and began heating water in two kettles on the stove. She added wood to the fireplace, and then laid down on her bed. She thought about the rest of her holidays, and laid out plans for them, making a note to pass them by Kayla and Abby. She couldn’t have another day like today. Sure, she loved to skate and loved to be with her friends, but she was tired of them always inviting Daniel. Even if plans only include Amy and them, they would find some way to bring Daniel. And that made her hate him even more. He took their personal girl-to-girl time, robbed them of it. He didn’t always have to accept their invitations. She was sure he could hang out with his other friends whenever he wanted, so why bother them?

 

The kettles whistled, and she poured out mugs for everyone. After a bit of rummaging, she found the hot chocolate packets, and laid one out beside every mug. She put a spoon in each mug, and then waited for her friends.

 

She didn’t have to wait long. Moments later, they poured in through the double doors, laughing and hollering as they did. She laughed and handed each of the flushed faces a mug with its own packet. When Kayla and Abby joined her, they commenced in giving her a full rundown of what had happened.

 

“Daniel’s team won the game!” they shouted.

 

Daniel happened to come up behind them at that moment and grinned.

 

“Yeah, we won. You should have been there Amy. It was a blowout. The other team didn’t even stand a chance.”

 

“Good for you,” she replied before going to sit with the others in front of the fire.

 

The gang exchanged stories through the entire night. Some of these stories resulted in peals of roaring laughter, and others ended with somber faces. All in all, everyone enjoyed themselves, and no one was left out. By the time midnight rolled around, the fire had become mere embers, and people were starting to head back to their rooms.

 

“Well, I’m going to turn in too,” Amy told them. The gang waved their goodnights, then turned back to hear the story being told. Of course, Daniel was the one telling it. He had told most of the stories that night, all of them being about him. She hated how conceited he was, but had been civil enough to keep her mouth shut and laugh at the right places. After placing her mug in the sink, she made her way to her room.

 

She shared her room with Kayla, but didn’t expect her to be back anytime soon. So, she took advantage of the quiet to get a head start on sleeping. She changed into sweatpants and an old shirt, and then dove under her covers, welcoming their warmth. The full moon shone its light into her room, bathing her in a milky white light. Faintly, she heard another peal of laughter echo down the hallways. She fell asleep listening to them.

 

She woke up what felt like moments later to a ray of light hitting her face. She squinted and groaned.

 

“Shh, don’t wake Amy,” Kayla whispered.

 

Abby covered her mouth and giggled, throwing her sleeping bag out on the floor. Amy didn’t feel like dealing with the two, so she closed her eyes and turned her back to them.

 

“I can’t believe Amy would just leave the group like that.” Abby whispered after lying out on her sleeping bag.

 

Kayla sat up in her bed and sighed. “Yeah, me either, but we both know why she left.”

 

Silence hung in the air and Amy knew they were looking at her, making sure she was asleep. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, hoping it looked like she really was sleeping. Another minute passed before Kayla spoke.

 

“She needs to get over this weird hatred for him.”

 

“We both know that’s not going to happen.”

 

“Why does she even hate him? I mean, he’s a nice guy. As far as I know, she’s the only person who doesn’t like him.”

 

Amy almost laughed, but choked it back just in time. Daniel was far from a nice guy. Nice guys weren’t arrogant, stuck up jerks who only thought of themselves.

 

“Well, maybe she just doesn’t like the attention.”

 

“Please. We both know she’s perfectly fine with attention. After all, she was the lead role in the past play. And she went to nationals for skating and performed in front of thousands, and that’s not counting the people watching it on their television.”

 

“But maybe she doesn’t like this kind of attention. The oh-I-love-you kind.”

 

Amy’s eyes widened. So that’s why they were always making him hang out with them! They were trying to make them like each other. This time, she snorted out laughter, not bothering to try to hide it, and sat up.

 

“You two are trying to be little matchmakers, aren’t you?” she asked.

 

They stared at her for a moment, then shook their heads.

 

“No, of course not. We’re not going to force something to happen,” Abby said.

 

“Then stop inviting him to hang out with us every single time we do something. It’s aggravating.”

 

“But we don’t�",”

 

Amy interrupted Kayla. “Don’t tell me you don’t invite him because I know you do. Otherwise he wouldn’t be with us twenty-four seven. Heck, if I had my way, he wouldn’t be with us at all. I know you invite him. So, stop it.” With that, she rolled over and closed her eyes. Neither Kayla nor Abby said anything else the rest of the night.

 

 

 

 

The next night the group spent huddled around a bonfire in a field beside the college campus. The farmer had given them permission since it was winter, and they had built a fire that would last the entire night.

 

“Who wants s’mores?” Abby chirruped while holding up bags of chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. She was soon pummeled by hungry college students. Once everyone had their ingredients, they calmly took their seats and began the age old tradition of roasting marshmallows.

 

Once everyone was happily munching on their treats, a couple of the guys stood and began telling what was supposed to be a scary story, though it generated more laughs than screams. Daniel wasn’t part of this, though. No, he had chosen to sit beside Amy, much to her dislike.

 

She tried her best to ignore him, and did a pretty good job of it too. She kept her eyes on the roaring fire and her marshmallow, which was toasting over it. She cursed under her breath when it fell into the fire.

 

“Want me to do that for you? I happen to be a pro s’more maker.” Daniel offered, a grin spread across his face.

 

She rolled her eyes and ignored him, nabbing another marshmallow from the bag and trying again. She saw a frown flicker across his face and smirked. Obviously, he wasn’t used to being ignored. Then again, a self-centered guy like him was probably used to the world bowing down to him, which she refused to do.

 

As the night wore on, the fire continued to burn. Snow began to float down from the heavens, and many of her friends ran around with their tongues out, trying to catch a new snowflake. She laughed when a couple of them accidentally ran into each other. Eager to start a little bit of mischief (since their “scary” tale had failed horribly), the guys gathered up snowballs and began pelting everyone with them. Amy stayed by the fire and out of their range, watching as the victims to this surprise attack retaliated. Luckily for her, Daniel had decided to join in on this little game. However, he didn’t stray far from where she was. When a stray snowball flew past him and hit her, he ran over.

 

“Here, take my jacket. That flimsy thing you have can’t be doing much good.”

 

She scowled and pulled hers tighter around herself. “My jacket is perfectly fine, thank you. And I was just heading back to the dorms, anyway.”

 

“Well, at least let me walk you back. After all, we’re not supposed to go off by ourselves.”

 

He was persistent; she had to give him that. She wondered if he was ignoring her annoyance, or was simply immune to it. She guessed it was a little bit of both.

 

“Fine, whatever.”

 

He grinned and yelled to the rest of the group where they were going. They got a few whistles, but she ignored them and started for the dorms. Daniel was by her side. They didn’t speak during the fifteen minute walk, but she knew he kept sneaking glances at her. She rolled her eyes and stared off in the opposite direction.

 

Once at the dorms, she grudgingly thanked him for walking her back and opened the door. But he pushed the door shut and looked at her. She frowned.

 

“What do you want?”

 

He sighed. “Look, just tell me why you hate me.”

 

“You’re arrogant and stuck up and full of yourself. That good enough for you?”

 

“But I’ve only been kind to you.”

 

“Whatever, just go back to the bonfire and leave me alone.”

 

When he went to grab her arm, she pushed him away and glared at him.

 

“Look, I’m not going to follow you around like everyone else. I’m not going to bow down at your feet each time you walk by. And I’m not going to start liking you now. I hate you, so accept it and get over it.”

 

She pulled free of him and went in the dorm, slamming the door behind her.

 

 

 

 

When she got to her room, she went and stood by the window. He was walking back down the path, his hands in his pockets and his head lowered. She smirked. Obviously he wasn’t used to being defied. But she had put him in his place and that’s all that mattered.

 

Once he had disappeared into the snow, she curled up under her covers and waited for Abby and Kayla to return. The clock read midnight, but she knew it would be long before they even considered returning. She closed her eyes and dozed, falling asleep moments later.

 

Giggling awoke her. She groaned and looked at the clock; it read one in the morning. She frowned and sat up.

 

“Why are you two back so early? It’s only been an hour since I left.”

 

The stopped giggling and looked at her. “It’s been way more than an hour.”

 

“No, I left at midnight and now it’s one and both of you are back. You’ve been gone an hour.”

 

“You must have read the clock wrong,” they concluded.

 

Amy frowned and shrugged. For all she knew, she had. After all, she had been tired and it had been late. Not a good combination when it comes to remembering things. They whispered for a few more minutes, and then fell asleep. Amy soon joined them in dreamland.

 

 

The rest of the holidays went by quickly. They skied and skated and drank hot chocolate till they couldn’t handle it anymore, and then started all over again. By the end of the holidays, they were fully refreshed and ready for a new semester.

 

On the last day, the group sat gathered around the fire place, each holding a present. A few days before, they had drawn names out of a hat. Whoever’s name they got, they had to buy them a present. Nothing too expensive, of course, but something that showed that they cared. Amy had gotten Abby’s name, which meant an easy present to buy. She held her present and smiled as everyone else gave theirs away. When it came to her turn, she gave Abby her gift. Abby tore the wrapping off, opened the box, and squealed.

 

“Oh, thank you, Amy! I’ve wanted this purse for ages!”

 

She smiled and laughed as Abby transferred everything from her old purse to the new one. Only a few more were left to give their gifts, and she waited for her name to be called.

 

“Here, Amy.” she heard a familiar voice say.

 

She looked up from watching Abby and scowled. Daniel, of all people, had gotten her name. What were the odds of that? She knew he must have switched names with someone. She kept her thoughts to herself and took the box.

 

“Thanks,” she muttered as she tore the wrapping off. She lifted the top of the box off and found a jacket buried amongst the tissue paper. It wasn’t a cheap jacket, either. It was more like a coat, and looked pricey.

 

“The jacket you have seemed like it’s on its last leg, so I saved you the trouble and got you a new one. I hope you like it.”

 

Amy pulled it out of the box and looked it over, trying to find a fault. There was none. The jacket was wonderful and that’s all there was to it. She smiled and thanked him again. He seemed pleased with her reaction, so he left her alone. When he wasn’t looking, she slipped out of her old jacket and into the new one. The new one was warm and soft and delightful. She saw him sneak a glance at her and chuckle. She looked away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of having made her smile.

 

By the time everyone had given their gifts, the fire was dying down. A couple of the guys had gotten some wine and were pouring everyone a glass. Once all the glasses were poured, Greg, one of Daniel’s close friends, stood up.

 

“I propose a toast to Daniel. Once school gets back in, he will be transferring to a different college. He’s been debating on staying here, but has decided that this is for the best. He will be missed. But may fortune smile on him.”

 

Everyone raised their glasses and drank to his good luck. Amy grinned at the idea of him leaving and drank deeply, relishing each drop that sealed his fate. He would finally be out of her hair, on to another college to bother another girl. She pitied whoever the girl would be.

 

Daniel emptied his glass and looked around the room, meeting each person’s gaze. His eyes lingered on hers the longest, so she looked away. Something felt odd, but she didn’t know what it was. She felt an emptiness deep inside, hidden in a place in her heart she had never explored. She chalked it up to being homesick and joined in the laughter that had just ensued. Laughing made her feel better, made her forget that worrisome feeling.

 

The rest of the night passed in bouts of merry laughter and toasts. Speech became slurred and actions became unpredictable, but that was only from the least smart of the group. The boys, to put it bluntly. They drank and laughed and drank some more till all the wine was gone. When the flow of wine ended, everyone left for their rooms. They all hugged Daniel before leaving.

 

“Coming, Amy?” Abby and Kayla asked when the got up to leave.

 

She shook her head. “No, but I’ll be there just as soon as I finish this glass.”

 

They nodded and bade her goodnight then left. Once they were gone, it was only her and Daniel sitting around the fireplace. She forced a smile when he looked her way, then turned to stare at the dying embers.

 

“Thank you for accepting my gift,” he murmured.

 

She nodded and silence fell again. That odd emotion reared its ugly head and she squirmed. It made her feel funny, made her feel bad for being so harsh with him. But she couldn’t let herself feel bad this late in the game. After all, she was positive this remorse was brought on because he was leaving.

 

“Well, I guess I’ll just leave you to your thoughts. Thank you for putting up with me. You won’t see me tomorrow, so, goodbye.”

 

She didn’t look up as he left. When the door closed, the resounding echo seemed to seal his fate.

 

She stared at the fire, her heart racing. This feeling was becoming sickening; she couldn’t stand it. She felt as if all in the world that was important was slipping through her fingers. She scowled and stood, beginning to pace. The wine sloshed up the sides of the glass, but didn’t spill. Her pacing became more frantic and she ran her free hand through her hair. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Why would it bother me so that he is leaving? Shouldn’t I be happy?

 

Then it hit her. Her pacing stopped immediately and the glass slipped through her fingers. It hit the carpet, the wine spilling everywhere. She looked up at the door he had gone through. Before she knew it, she was racing after him.

 

 

 

 

The hallways were dark and deserted. To one staring down them, they seemed endless. Every now and then, a fluorescent light could be seen burning over head. But these were few and far between. These lights were the only ones the janitors left on, so they could see without wasting too much energy. Doors lined the halls, but they were all locked. Or so she assumed. She didn’t care; she only had one thing on her mind. She sprinted down the hallway as fast as she could. Her lungs were burning and her legs were aching, but that didn’t slow her down. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t stop for the world.

 

When she reached a junction, she stopped to catch her breath and listen. The beating of her heart was pounding in her ears, making it hard to hear anything. She leaned her hands on her knees and took a few gasping breaths, knowing her break would be short. Then she heard them: the echoes of footsteps. She straightened up, straining to hear them again. She did and they came from her right. She turned on her heel and took off again.

 

She couldn’t lose him. She just couldn’t. She needed him. Her heart ached for him and longed to pour out her desires and secrets to him and only him. But she had dawdled and ignored the whisperings of her heart, and now she was at risk of losing him forever. She cursed herself for being so stupid. Only an idiot would be blind to love.

 

When she turned the next corner, she lost her footing on the slick tile. Of course I had to wear shoes with no grip, she thought as she went sprawling on to the tile. Luckily, she had thrown her arms out, saving herself from hitting her head. Her body went limp. She knew she had lost the race. He was gone. She could never recover from such a fall and hope to catch up to him. The few seconds it would take her to stand would give him enough time to leave her life forever. Tears rolled down her face and splattered onto the tile. She heard them hit the floor. What a sad sound, tears hitting the floor, she mused.

 

Then, she heard the footsteps again, only louder this time. She looked up and saw him at the end of the hallway. Even though his back was to her and he was walking away, seeing him eased her mind, gave her hope that she wasn’t too late. She tried to call out to him, but her throat was too dry. Tears welled up again and she choked back a sob. The sound seemed to echo in the hallway. Then, he stopped and turned around. He had heard her. His eyes widened as he saw her lying on the floor. “What are you�",” he began, but couldn’t finish. He was stunned that she had followed him, didn’t know why she would follow him.

 

She managed to pull herself to her knees, choking back another sob. “I love you,” she whimpered. Her heart raced at hearing those words, her confession. But the endless ocean of space between them was killing her. Slowly, she managed to stand, though her entire body was trembling. “I love you!” she cried, tears streaming down her face.

 

He was stunned. He had had no idea that she would ever say such a thing to him. He took a step forward, and then stopped. I’m dreaming, I must be, he thought.

 

When he took a step forward, her heart raced even faster. She wanted him to come to her, to wrap her in his arms and tell her that he loved her too and that they would never be apart. But he didn’t. Instead, he stopped and stared at her. Tears ran down her face. She couldn’t lose him, not when he was so close. She wanted to be closer to him, but couldn’t bring herself to take the first step. I have to, or I’ll lose him, she told herself. With that, she took a step forward. That one step was all she needed. She broke into a run, her tears leaving a sparkling trail behind her. He opened his arms and caught her when she reached him. She buried her face into his chest, crying tears of joy. Her body shook with each sob, and he held her closer, wanting to comfort her as much as he could.

 

They stayed that way for a moment before she pulled back to look at him. Though her face was tear-streaked and her eyes were red from crying, he still thought she was beautiful.

 

“I love you,” she said. “I love you and always have. You can’t leave this place. I want you to stay here, with me. Stay here and be with me forever. I can’t lose you….I just can’t.”

 

His eyes filled with an emotion that she had wanted to see all along: love. He hugged her to himself and leaned his forehead against the top of her head, reveling in the moment.

 

“I love you too,” he murmured. “And I always have.”

 

Her body tensed, though she didn’t look up. Instead, she hugged him even tighter to herself.

 

“Then stay here. With me. Will you?”

 

He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. “Of course I will. All you had to do was ask.”

Author's Note

I haven't finished editing it, so if there are a few errors here and there, well, bear with me. Just kindly point them out; that would be appreciated.