This is a rough draft. It has undergone little editing and no re-writes. Enjoy as this story comes together. 

At Merkle High, most of the students were still trapped in their classrooms. Pod and Sara had slipped out of theirs early to station themselves near the front gate.

“Where is that rabbit?” Sara asked.

“Rabbit? Oh. Odi. ‘Cuz he runs?”

“Yes, Pod. Because he runs.”

“I’m sure how I feel about this.”

“He won’t tell us where he goes. It’s out duty as his friends to follow him without his knowledge.”

“I’m fine with all that. It’s just that he’s way faster than we are.”

“Then we hope he isn’t going far.”

Pod folded his arms and slumped against the fence. Sara’s focused gaze was fixed on the front doors of the school. Pod was again amazed at her capacity for drive when she was invested. And speaking of drive…

“Hey, what’s Lily doing over there?” Pod said in his best feigned surprise.

Color flooded Sara’s face and her gaze broke. She stared around but when she didn’t see Lily she turned to Pod who had the stupidest grin on his face.

“I knew it! Odi was being cagey but that only convinced me more.”

“What’s the matter with you!” Sara whispered angrily.

“Of course, you like Lily! Everything you said was true!”

“Shut. Up.”

“You went to Theodore to ask him about their relationship. And when Lily found out, he lied and said you wanted to date him to protect your secret!”

“SHUT UP.”

“How long have you felt that way?”

Sara recoiled. Sincerity was uncommon from Pod. Their friendship typically hinged on Odi as a bonding agent. Pod was ridiculous and rash, but in that moment, she understood what Odi saw.

“The day she moved in next door. I was six.”

“Is– Is she why you didn’t go to Huber?”

The sound of the metal front doors broke them from their moment. Odi was leaning against the front wall adjusting his shoes. Sara turned to Pod with a smile.

“To be continued,” Sara said.

They lost Odi only once. He took an odd turn to avoid a crowded farmer’s market, but they found him again leaning against a weather-worn brick wall. They gasped for breath and whipped the seat from their brows. The mid October air was cool, but the sun and physical exertion still threw them.

“What’s he waiting for?” Pod asked.

“Hell, if I know. Where’d we end up, anyway?”

“You weren’t watching the street signs either?”

“Dammit.”

Sara peered down the street.

“We’re not far from my house,” she realized.

“Hey, how come we’ve never been over to your house?”

“Because my parents don’t need more reminders that I didn’t go to their alma mater. He’s moving again.”

Odi had taken a leisurely pace and was walking up and around the corner of street. Pod and Sara followed. When they rounded the corner, Sara froze.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Sara said.

They stood in front of the worn brick and pale stonework of Huber University Preparatory School. Odi stepped lightly up the stairs and disappeared inside.

“HE’S BEEN SNEAKING OFF TO HERE?!” Sara shouted.

“What a twist!”

“How could he do that…”

“Maybe he’s taking an advanced placement class.”

“Maybe…”

“Well mystery solved. Let’s go get some tacos. I’m sure this part of town has some somewhere.”

“We can’t leave yet.”

“Aw, come on. We found out where he’s going. I’m sure he’ll tell us why later.”

“I’m going to wait here.”

Before Pod could protest further, the sound of a bell rang from deep inside the building. Students began trickling out of the building to their cars or carpools. Odi was not among them.

“Follow me,” Sara said, and she took off through the front doors. Pod sighed and followed after.

“People will know we don’t belong here,” he hissed.

“People can shove it. It’s after school and Odi is here. If anyone asks we’ll just say we’re here for—”

Sara was interrupted by the sight of a curly haired Irish girl and a cleanly manicured Indian boy jog past in fitness attire.

“Did they look like—,” Pod began.

“—Odi when he runs? Yeah,” Sara finished.

The boy and girl hurried through a back door that led to a massive courtyard of trees and grass. Benches lined a stone patio and a quiet natural-looking fountain bubbled in the corner.

“What is this place?” Pod asked.

“Where my parents wanted me to go,” Sara replied.

They huddled at the window and watched as about sixty kids dressed in running attire gathered in a loose mob. Then, through a gate on the far side of the courtyard, Odi jogged through. Still wearing his clothes from school, he jogged past the group to a set of double-doors. Shortly after he emerged in the same Huber jersey as the rest of the runners. Then, he walked right up to the boy and girl that had run by earlier and waved cheerily. The boy waved back.

“Holy crap,” Sara said.

“What?” Pod said as he hadn’t seen it. He had been distracted by the school uniforms that were still milling about the hall. Sara punched his shoulder.

James Pashtun finished stuffing his books into his locker. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror he kept hung inside the door. A few flicks of his fingers set his hair back the way he preferred. With a smooth flick of the wrist, he slammed the locker shut.

Hands in his pocket he began strolling down the hall. His mind strayed to his thoughts of Wilona. It had happened near the end of last year. They’d gone to school together since they the beginning, but he’d never paid her any attention. It wasn’t that he thought she was geeky or not worth his time, she just… didn’t catch his interest. She was background.

But last year, sometime in the early spring, things changed.

The day was beautiful, and the flowers were in bloom. James had just finished baseball practice and was collapsed on the bleachers.

“Damn, I forgot to grab a water,” he had mused loudly. At that exact moment, Wilona was returning from a run. Her cheeks were red, and her jersey clung to back from sweat. She overheard his plea to no one and didn’t think twice. She said, “Hey, James,” and tossed him an unopened bottle of some health drink. Stunned, he could only utter a single word. From then on, he was smitten.

James sighed. Why wouldn’t she just give him a chance? She would see how great he is. She would…

But now, there was the new guy. Otto something. Opie? Whatever. It was a dumb name for a dumb guy from a no-name school. He saw them talking, smiling, running… blushing. A rock sat in his stomach. He couldn’t bear it. He wasn’t going to miss his chance just because she was interested in some other guy. He’d been taught never to give up.

A sight caught his eye. Two kids his age he’d never seen, standing beside the courtyard double-doors. They were both in street clothes and the most unlikely pairing he’d ever seen: a short bulky Hispanic guy and gorgeous, redheaded girl. What the hell? They were talking more loudly than they meant to.

“…know we don’t belong here,” the guy whispered.

“People can shove it. It’s after school and Odi is here…”

Odi! That was his name. Like the dog. James chuckled to himself. So they were friends of his… this could be useful. The girl punched the boy in the shoulder and he rubbed it gingerly. As good a time as any.

“Hey there,” James said as he strolled forward.

“Ah shit, we’re humped,” Pod said.

“Hush Pod. He looks dopey, I bet he isn’t talking to us.”

Brushing that aside, James composed himself.

“I– I’m sorry. I’m James. You’re friends of Odi’s right?”

The girl whirled around on him.

“Yeah. What of it?”

“Look I’m not trying to start anything,” James pleaded. “Just wanted to say hi. Welcome you to the school and all that.”

The boy didn’t say anything. He just stared. He seemed content to let the girl do the talking.

“That so?” she said. “I’m Sara. This is Pod. We feel plenty welcomed so consider your societal obligations complete.”

She turned her back on him and resumed gazing out at the courtyard. Pod didn’t move. He just… stared. The nerve of these two.

“Look, I’m just trying to be pleasant. I wanted some help getting to know Odi.”

“That’s odd. I was trying to be rude. Shame it’s not working,” Sara said. She spun on her heel and met James’s eys with her own. “Odi can be known on his own. You only talk to friends when you want to find out things they wouldn’t want known. Which means you don’t want to be his friend, and we should steer clear of you.”

James was stunned.

“Hey, you—” he began.

“Ah, hell, they’re gone,” Sara exclaimed. “Alright, Pod. Let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough stuffiness today.”

Sara stormed off with Pod in tow. Pod kept staring at James all the way down the hall and around the corner.

“Bunch of idiots,” James muttered under his breath.

––

“I wasn’t hiding it,” Odi said.

“Sure, you weren’t. You just didn’t tell us for weeks and snuck out before the end of the day,” Pod said.

“I was going to tell you at some point,” Odi said. “Preferably after I was sure I’d succeeded.”

“Succeeded? Succeeded in what?” Sara asked.

“There’s a scholarship… for runners,” Odi said. Sara just stared at him blankly.

“Sara?” Pod asked after a moment of odd silence. Sara shook whatever though she was stuck on.

“That’s why you’re running with them? For a scholarship?”

“Yeah. If I get it, I’ll be able to—”

“To go to any school you want, I assume,” Sara interrupted. “No, no that’s wonderful Odi, you deserve every chance you find. I just thought you went to Huber for… something else.”

Pod and Odi exchanged odd glances.

“Err. What else would he have gone there for?” Pod asked.

“You were too distracted by the skirts, Pod, but I thought I saw… You’re not there to be close to the Indian guy?”

“The Indian— What, Edmund?” Odi exclaimed.

“If that’s his name sure, you just looked so flustered what you saw him,” Sara subconsciously curled from embarrassment. “I’m sorry Odi, I misunderstood.”

To her surprise, Odi busted out laughing. It was a rich, relieved laugh that caused Pod to chuckle. Sara gave Pod a look that caused him to recoil.

“No, no!” Odi said, trying to calm himself. “You were actually very close. I didn’t hide anything that personal from you. I would never. No, it’s the girl. The girl that was with us. Curly hair. Her name is Wilona. She’s not why I’m running there. That’s actually a bit of a long story. I saw her running one day with her team. Their coach saw me running and she tracked me down to join. I’m interested in Wilona, yes, but that’s just some cosmic coincidence that I even get a chance to run with her every day.”

Sara slowly broke into the biggest smile they’d ever seen.

“Odion, damn, Uba. You sly man. She is absolutely adorable!” Sara practically squealed. Odi’s smile was mostly embarrassment.

“I know, I know. You don’t know the half of it.”

“A girl that’s actually peeked the stoic Odi’s interest. Must be a smart one.”

“Seems to be. I’ll admit my instincts overtook before I got to know her. I’m a little ashamed of that.”

“Don’t be ashamed, that’s usually how it starts. Oh, Odi, this is all great news.”

Pod watched the back and forth with a sad little smile. Suddenly a thought sparked in his mind.

“ODI!” he suddenly shouted. Sara and Odi started, having nearly forgotten he was there. Pod waved his arms frantically, trying to sign the words that were trapped in his mind

“Spit it out, Pod,” Sara said.

“Sara! Lily!”

Sara blushed furiously.

“Calm down, Pod,” Odi said as he placed a hand on his head. “We won’t talk about that unless she wants to.”

Odi looked at Sara who was finding anything for an excuse to not connect eyes.

“… We will talk about it,” Sara began. “Someday. I’m not quite ready to get into it more than I have.”

Odi took her hand.

“And that’s why we’re here,” Odi said.