hadn’t gone for almost a week. It was time to rectify that.
Katie had always been fast and had even made it to state her junior year. It wasn’t her life, though she did love it, and it was good to be able to just put on her shoes and go. Not having to think about whatever the hell was on her mind, no matter how shitty the world was around her, she could just take off, and not think. For Katie, running was an escape from … everything. Feet pounding on the ground, sweat on her brow, her heart pounding and sucking in fresh air as music hit her ears, there was nothing quite like it for Katie.
So, Katie threw on some workout shorts and a grey tank-top and put on her pair of pink-and-blue Nike runners.
K atie took it easy and ran a 5K on SCU’s outdoor track. She warmed up with a half-a-mile jog before she started to push herself. Due to the week off, her legs felt stiff when she started, but her breath was calm and regular, even if her muscles were not responding as quickly as Katie would have liked. After the first mile at her usual pace her body relaxed, muscle memory taking over and she felt like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders; Katie didn’t have to think about it, or anything else for that matter. She could simply float, letting her body take care of the rest.
When Katie was done she was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and for the first time since she had arrived at SCU felt relaxed. Maybe relaxed was too strong of a word, but at least at ease enough that she decided it was time to better familiarize herself with the campus.
I t was a trait she had picked up from her father. Arthur Bell never went into a building without knowing where the exits were, as well as having at least three alternative routes out of the location. He hadn’t pushed his lessons on his daughter, but he had taught her, and she had listened.
In high school Katie had known the floor plan to the campus so well that when the need had arisen (a few times) she had easily been able to sneak out or in of whatever building she had been in, without anyone else being the wiser.
It wasn’t like Katie sought out trouble, but … morally tricky situations had been presented to her on more than one occasion, and she had dealt with them as best as she could.
Before Katie had stepped foot on SCU she had looked at several maps of the campus, as well as a city map of Asheville and spent plenty of time on Google Maps looking at nearby cross streets. It wasn’t her town, not yet, but it was going to be.
Katie felt like she had a good grasp of the actual locational layout, but it was the interior of the buildings themselves she was still fuzzy on.
Katie decided her main goal for that Saturday morning would be familiarizing herself with building G. It was the central building that housed both the bookstore and the food court, as well as student government offices and administration offices, as well as classrooms. Katie only had one class there in the fall, General Research 101, but it was the main building, so it was the perfect place to start. Besides, the exploration would fill the requirement of going to the bookstore, which was on her list of things to do anyway.
First though, she needed a shower and a change of clothes.
T he third floor dorm showers were just down the hall from her and Tiffany’s room and she was left undisturbed as she showered and shampooed. It was that time of the month again, and Katie groaned as she added a tampon and tossed back two sugar-coated Advil. The cramps hadn’t started yet, but she knew her body well enough to know they would come.
Back in her room, Katie slipped into a pair of black jeggings with coordinated rips on both legs and a dark green T-shirt and examined herself in the mirror. She had put on a light amount of makeup in the bathroom, just a basic layer of blush and eyeliner, but in the mirror she added a muted red lipstick. Lastly, she slipped on her current favorite pairs of shoes, light
Katie had always been fast and had even made it to state her junior year. It wasn’t her life, though she did love it, and it was good to be able to just put on her shoes and go. Not having to think about whatever the hell was on her mind, no matter how shitty the world was around her, she could just take off, and not think. For Katie, running was an escape from … everything. Feet pounding on the ground, sweat on her brow, her heart pounding and sucking in fresh air as music hit her ears, there was nothing quite like it for Katie.
So, Katie threw on some workout shorts and a grey tank-top and put on her pair of pink-and-blue Nike runners.
K atie took it easy and ran a 5K on SCU’s outdoor track. She warmed up with a half-a-mile jog before she started to push herself. Due to the week off, her legs felt stiff when she started, but her breath was calm and regular, even if her muscles were not responding as quickly as Katie would have liked. After the first mile at her usual pace her body relaxed, muscle memory taking over and she felt like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders; Katie didn’t have to think about it, or anything else for that matter. She could simply float, letting her body take care of the rest.
When Katie was done she was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and for the first time since she had arrived at SCU felt relaxed. Maybe relaxed was too strong of a word, but at least at ease enough that she decided it was time to better familiarize herself with the campus.
I t was a trait she had picked up from her father. Arthur Bell never went into a building without knowing where the exits were, as well as having at least three alternative routes out of the location. He hadn’t pushed his lessons on his daughter, but he had taught her, and she had listened.
In high school Katie had known the floor plan to the campus so well that when the need had arisen (a few times) she had easily been able to sneak out or in of whatever building she had been in, without anyone else being the wiser.
It wasn’t like Katie sought out trouble, but … morally tricky situations had been presented to her on more than one occasion, and she had dealt with them as best as she could.
Before Katie had stepped foot on SCU she had looked at several maps of the campus, as well as a city map of Asheville and spent plenty of time on Google Maps looking at nearby cross streets. It wasn’t her town, not yet, but it was going to be.
Katie felt like she had a good grasp of the actual locational layout, but it was the interior of the buildings themselves she was still fuzzy on.
Katie decided her main goal for that Saturday morning would be familiarizing herself with building G. It was the central building that housed both the bookstore and the food court, as well as student government offices and administration offices, as well as classrooms. Katie only had one class there in the fall, General Research 101, but it was the main building, so it was the perfect place to start. Besides, the exploration would fill the requirement of going to the bookstore, which was on her list of things to do anyway.
First though, she needed a shower and a change of clothes.
T he third floor dorm showers were just down the hall from her and Tiffany’s room and she was left undisturbed as she showered and shampooed. It was that time of the month again, and Katie groaned as she added a tampon and tossed back two sugar-coated Advil. The cramps hadn’t started yet, but she knew her body well enough to know they would come.
Back in her room, Katie slipped into a pair of black jeggings with coordinated rips on both legs and a dark green T-shirt and examined herself in the mirror. She had put on a light amount of makeup in the bathroom, just a basic layer of blush and eyeliner, but in the mirror she added a muted red lipstick. Lastly, she slipped on her current favorite pairs of shoes, light
Similar Books
