SOTF Archive/SOTF Classic

"Quite right. The tragedy of focusing on ourselves. Not blaming you guys. I've spent more time working on my car than I've spent on the field hockey, swim and track teams. Possibly all of those combined."

Kale flustered a little. He didn't really have an excuse. Thinking about it he had been all too absent-minded at school to actually have a decent conversation with anyone. All he really focused his attention on was his hobby. It was more like a way of life for him.

Smiling weakly, he said, "I'm feeling like a jerk for it. I'm not busy with extra curricular, or studying...Guess I didn't really know what to talk about." With that he hung his head, staring at his shoes. "But..." he looked back up at them, a warm smile on his features. "You guys have got the bug too...At least I've got someone around here who have itchy feet, other than me..."

David gazed off in one direction, past the school ground and out into a nearby park. He was smiling faintly, wistfully: despite his failure he was feeling pretty good.

"Not really your fault, Kale," David chuckled. "I'm not much of a baseball player, 'case you haven't noticed. I can hit sure, but...you know how many times they've caught it on a pop fly?" He grimaced, only half-joking. "Kind of maddening, really."

"...the tragedy of focusing on ourselves..."

David looked at Jason sharply, a twinge of guilty thrumming across his consciousness. He felt nervous, all of a sudden: his fingers twitched upon his bare knee, his mouth curved downwards sharply. Was it true, he wondered? Was he really so...self-centered? Then again, what he do but run? Not even any...

Well. Maybe he could do better.

"Itchy feet, man?" David laughed, kicking up onto his feet, trying to forestall his troubling thoughts. "Nah, man, I got an itchy soul!" His energy was coming back to him spades now, he was feeling brighter, stronger. "You said you run around town, right?" he asked. "Wanna go right now?" His eyes flashed back to Jason. "And you wanna come with us?"

"Nah, man, I got an itchy soul! You said you run around town, right? Wanna go right now?"

Kale's head shot up. Running? Now? He looked around himself and could barely contain his excitement.

"I'm for it." Getting to his feet, a wolfish grin spread across his face. "I've got to warn you, though. Running the streets is alot different from a track." Kale nodded to himself. "There's alot of vaulting and jumping involved."

"And you wanna come with us?"

"Yeah, come too...It'll be an experience, man."

"And you wanna come with us?"

Jason thought about it for ... 0.68 seconds. But he decided to delay them, make it funny.

"Yeah, come too...It'll be an experience, man."

"Well, you give me two very difficult options," Jason rubbed his hand on his stubbled chin. "Either I (a) decline your offer, go back home, peruse Facebook and the same Survivor articles that were on last night, and fall asleep in front of the TV scratching my ass, or (b) have a nice little jaunt around town with you, get some exercise, and actually get to further know people worth knowing. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to say ..." He smiled. "Where to first?"

"I'm for it. I've got to warn you, though. Running the streets is alot different from a track." Kale nodded to himself. "There's alot of vaulting and jumping involved."

"Oh, you think I can't keep up?" David laughed, stretching himself out from side to side and smiling broadly. "Sounds like a challenge to me, Kale. Someone feeling sore from lookin' all tired out compared to moi?"

Dripping sarcasm, Jason agreed to go with them, only asking one thing: "Where to first?"

David thought about it, bouncing from foot to foot, feeling a familiar looseness creep into his muscles, a readiness to run. "Well, I guess I can't really answer that," David said. "But, if I had to guess..." He glanced at Kale, smiling. "Anywhere we want to go, yeah?"

"Sounds like a challenge to me, Kale. Someone feeling sore from lookin' all tired out compared to moi?"

Kale watched him, watched the way his muscles tensed. Yeah, he was ready. The tallest of the three pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie and and replied; "only a friendly challenge." His voice held a slight edge, his lips quirking.

"Anywhere we want to go, yeah?"

"How about we head to the Varsity? It's a fair ways from here, but it's a pretty solid running course." He tugged at one of sweatbands as he said it, already anxious to get going.

((Sorry, Grim. I'm assuming that Kale's taller that David...I couldn't find his height in his description...Sorry...))

"How about we head to the Varsity? It's a fair ways from here, but it's a pretty solid running course."

The Varsity. That restaurant/club downtown. It seemed like a pretty good place to go. Maybe after they could get a drink, a bite to eat, or lark about somehow.

"Sounds good to me, Kale. Lead the way."

(Jason Clarke continued in Soar)

"Sounds good to me, Kale. Lead the way."

Kale bounced from one foot to the other as he nodded and in an instant he was off and running, leaping over the fence and out the school gates.

((Kale continued in Soar))

"Holy hell," mumbled David, glancing sidelong at Jason. "That was quite a jump, eh?"

This might be trickier than he thought.

Well, he could always use a bit of exercise.

He grinned and went after him, taking two quick steps and then launching himself off the bleachers, to land just beyond the fence. The hit seriously jarred his ankles--should have rolled, that was stupid of him--but then he was off again, hopping from foot to another, grimacing.

He evened out, though. And then was off.

He'd won the last race. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep up with Kale on this one, but he was determined to try.

(David continued in Soar