CHapter 20- Jessica

Stepping onto the track near the runners, Jessica had to shield her eyes from the sun. Heat radiated in rippling waves off the ground over her bare legs. She couldn’t imagine how anyone could run three miles on a day like this.

“They should postpone their race till evening,” Alice said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “They’ll get heat-stroke in this.”

“Maybe, it’ll rain.” Sara said. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She pointed towards the shadow cast by the scoreboard. “Let’s go over there.”

“Where’s Polly?” Jessica asked.

“She said she was stopping for a drink,” Alice said.

“Not a bad idea,” Jessica said, turning to Sara. “See Russ?”

“No.”

“You haven’t even looked for him,” Jessica said. “You’ve got to tell him you’re here.”

“I’m under no contractual obligation to do so,” Sara said.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“He’s here to run a race. Why should I bug him?”

“You’re just afraid he won’t remember you,” Jessica said.

“You’re right, I should have him known me down again in case he’s forgotten,” Sara snapped. “Get off my back Jessie. If he wants to talk to me, he can come over and talk to me.”

“Sorry,” Jessica muttered, surprised at her tone. Sara was usually as sensitive to personal remarks as brick wall.

They reached the shade and sat down. The grass tickled Jessica’s legs. Alice continued to wipe at her head, the sweat literally pouring off her. “Are you all right?” Jessica asked.

Alice smiled quickly. “I’m fine, just glad I’m not running.”

“But you were sick weren’t you? You didn’t come in Monday or Tuesday.”

Alice found a tiny yellow flower, plucked it. “I was painting.”

“What?” Jessica asked.

Alice threw her flower into the air, watched it fall directly to the ground. No breeze. “The blue wind.”

“Really? Sounds interesting,” Jessica said. “You’ll have to show me. Hey what are you doing this weekend? Want to go to the beach?”

“I’m painting.”

“Couldn’t you set it aside for a few hours?”

“I’ve got to finish it.”

“That’s too bad,” Jessica paused. “I’m going to the movies Saturday night. You won’t believe it, I asked the guy. His name’s Michael Olson.”

Alice nodded slowly, leaning back, looking up into the clear sky. “Polly told me. That’s neat that you found- someone you like.”

“We’re just friends. He’s going to help me with chemistry. That reminds me, where’s that fantastic guy you were going to introduce me to?”

Alice lay down, closed her eyes. “Ask me after your date.” She yawned. “I could go to sleep here and never wake up.”

Jessica patted her arm. “You go ahead and rest.”

Polly reappeared a few minutes later. Seconds before she reached them, however, Sara nodded in the direction of the stadium ramp. “That’s him over there with the shaggy brown hair, the muscles,” she said.

Jessica cupped her hand over her eyes again. “He looks tough.”

“You don’t like him?”

“I didn’t say that. He’s very attractive.” He belonged in a black leather jacket on the back of a motorcycle. “He’s the one who stopped that black guy from killing the football player?”

“Yeah,” Sara said. “So what do you think?”

“I just told you,” Jessica said. “He’s attractive.”

“Attractive. Phoneys on TV are attractive. Do you like him?”

“Yes, I really like him. He’s totally bitching,” Jessica said.

“Shut up. I was only asking.”

Polly waved. “What are you guys doing over here? They start and finish by the bleachers. Come on, let’s move. What’s Alice doing?”

“Dreaming,” Alice whispered, her eyes still closed.

“She’s taking a nap,” Jessica said. “Sara wants to stay here in the shade.”

Polly plopped down beside them, her face flushed with blood. “You won’t believe who I was just talking to. Russ Desmond. He-“

“Shut up,” Sara said.

Polly looked to Jessica. “What did I say?”

“It’s the heat,” Jessica said.

They stood- except for Alice, who appeared to have caught an early train to sleepy land. For the start of the race. The bang of the gun echoed off the mostly deserted stands. Ina  colourful jumbled herd- Russ lost in the centre- the runners circled the track and vanished out the gate. “That’s exciting,” Jessica remarked. “What happens now?”

“We wait till they come back,” Polly said.

Jessica preferred races where you got to see the runners running. She contemplated joining Alice in sleep on the grass.

Fifteen minutes later Russ reappeared, coming up the ramp. He had company, a short Japanese fellow clad in green dogging heels. A cheer went up from the people gathered near the finish. Jessica leapt to her feet, her interest level taking an upward climb. It was going to be close.

“Come on, Russ!” she yelled.

Russ accelerated sharply as he hit the track, opening up a ten-yard lead. He added another five yards as he went into the curve of the track, momentarily heading away from the finish but quickly approaching their vantage point. Jessica poked Sara in the ribs.

“Cheer.”

“Shh,” Sara said, intent upon the race.

“Shout his name,” Jessica said.

“Shh.”

“Go!” Jessica yelled with Polly.

“Damn,” Sara muttered. With a surge of his own, the Japanese guy cut his lead in half. “Russ!!” Sara cried.

At the sound of her voice, he twisted his head towards them. He even raised his hand, shielding his eyes to see better. Then his left foot stepped on to the slightly upraised narrow cement strip that circled the inside of the track. The rhythm of his stride faltered; he practically tripped. When he had recovered, the Japanese guy was ten yards in front. Russ went after him.

“Go!” they screamed.

He lost by inches. Maybe he would have lost, anyway without the stumble. His competitor obviously had a powerful kick. Jessica told Sara as much. Sara would have none of it.

“I should have kept my mouth shut,” she said. “Two races, two screw-ups.”

“But it sure was exciting,” Alice remarked, still on the ground, fresh from her snooze.

“What makes you think he was looking for you?” Polly asked Sara. “He could have been looking for me.”

Jessica expected Sara to explode. Sara, however, ignored Polly completely. “Let’s get out here,” she said.

“No, you should congratulate him on his effort,” Jessica said. “I’ll go with you.”

Sara surprised her again. His loss seemed to have depressed her. “All right.”

“I’m coming too,” Polly said.

“No,” Jessica said. “Stay here. Stay with Alice.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I’m asking you to. Please?”

Polly gave in reluctantly. Jessica and Sara approached the gang at the finish slowly, watching as the winner embraced Russ, hanging back for a few minutes while the coach and several of the other runners spoke to him about the race. Finally he separated himself from them and grabbed a can from the ice chest, heading for the shade beyond the bleachers.

“You want to talk to him alone?” Jessica asked as they followed after him.

“No.”

He must have been totally exhausted. Sitting with his back to a wooden plank, he didn’t notice them coming. He had a beer in his hand, Jessica realised. Quite an ice chest they had here. Or else he filled it with his own private stock.

“Hi,” Sara said.

He glanced up briefly. “Hi.”

“This is my friend, Jessie.”

Russ grunted. Sara looked at Jessica uncertain. “That was a great race you ran,” Jessica said quickly. His rough edges was more apparent up close, and yet, he also seemed somehow younger, more of a boy than she had thought from a distance.

“I’ve run better.” He took a slug of his beer, his eyes wandering to the baseball field.

“It’s a shame you lost,” Jessica said.

“You win some, you lose some.”

“I didn’t mean to distract you,” Sara said.

Russ belched. “Hey, you got my axe?”

Sara paused. “What?”

“My axe. You took it the other night.”

“I don’t have your axe.”

“What did you do with it?”

“Nothing. I don’t have it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

Russ looked vaguely annoyed. “You know you’re a weird girl.”

Sara sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m weird? I’m weird? I’m not the one who’s worried about some goddamn axe that he thinks he’s lost.”

He sharpened his tone. “I didn’t lose it. You took it.”

“Why should I take it?”

“You didn’t want me to chop down the tree.”

“What tree??”

Russ rubbed his head, growing tired of the whole discussion. “What are you doing here?” he muttered.

Sara chuckled. “I came over so you could thank me for getting you reinstated on the cross-country team.”

“Huh?”

“In case you didn’t know, I’m the school president. It was I who talked to the school principal. It wa si who made it possible for you to race today.”

She’d caught his attention. “No kidding?”

Sara nodded. “You better believe it.”

He had a short attention span. He finished his can, crumpled it up in one hand, and threw it aside. “You shouldn’t have bothered.”

She stared at him for a long moment, and Jessica was just thankful Sara didn’t have the missing axe in her hands. She probably wouldn’t have killed him, but she might have taken a foot off. As it was, she turned and stalked off. Russ observed her departure with mild surprise. “Is it that time of month or what?” he asked.

“I think you might have hurt her feelings,” Jessica said diplomatically.

“Oh, really?” he said innocently. “Well, I didn’t’ mean to. Tell her I’m sorry.”

Jessica knelt by his side. “This is probably none of my business, but do you like Sara?”

“Huh?”

“When she shouted for you in the race, I couldn’t help noticing how you looked over. I was wondering if you liked her?”

“Yeah, she’s all right. She’s got a temper, though. God.”

“Would you want to go out with her?”

“Where?”

“Anywhere, you know, like on a date?”

“I don’t know. I guess.”

She supposed that would have to do in place of yes. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”

“No.”

Jessica took a pen and paper from her bag. It would be hopeless to give him Sara’s number.  He would only lose it. “I’ll tell you what. Come over to my house, tomorrow at six. Sara will be there. You can pick her up and the two of you can go out to dinner. How’s that sound?”

“I don’t know where you live.”

“I’ll draw you a map. Will you come?”

He shrugged. “All right. As long as she gives me back my axe.”