The team, the coach, the assistants disappeared off the field and Angel came out of his corner to return to the track oval. At practice, he had held back. Not too fast, not too slow. It was a difficult thing to do when a few had monster egos waved in front of his face he was so tempted to crush.

          Instead he stayed while everyone else went off to their cars or the locker room for a shower. He had to stick around to keep himself from falling back in his PRs. He was hiding but he still had pride. If he was going to keep what he could do away from everyone, he was at least going to keep it for himself.

          He duplicated most of the entire practice, this time at full exertion, even in setting their times for the start of the season.

          For one last time, he lowered himself properly, his feet one behind another underneath him and his head angled up. Just to the two hundred meter mark. He kept his center of gravity low and most of his contact to the ground on the tips of feet. As fast as he can. Light as feather. The floor is lava.

          He forgot to time himself, but it didn't matter because as he was trying to pump the breaks on his steps, Jeremiah appeared in his line of vision holding a stopwatch. Startled, his knee bent backwards and he tripped forward.

          "Oh shit, man" Jeremiah quickly jogged towards him, clasped his hand and picked him back up like he weighed nothing, "Sorry. I was sneakin' up on you, not trying to kill you"

          Angel's face was already red from working out so hard all over again, concealing his blush, "It's cool"

          "Why are you holdin' back?" said Jeremiah, changing the subject away from his obvious embarrassment, "Your times are decent in practice, but you broke records in high school. Why you savin' all your power after practice?" He stated almost accusingly, pointing to the impressive digits on the stopwatch.

          "Uhm," He glanced behind him, unsure how to respond coolly without telling the truth.

          Jeremiah put his hands on his hips, patiently waiting for a reasonable answer but Angel looked off at the football field that was wrapped in their rust red track trying to scrape up some kind of explanation.

          Jeremiah bit his lip sympathetically at the panicked look on his face. He put the lanyard clipped to the stopwatch over Angel's neck, a casual gesture to release some of the pressure he inadvertently put on Angel, "Are you still scared?"

          "I ain't scared"

          He tilted his head and furrowed his brows as to say 'really?'

          "Alright. Yeah. A lil' bit. Just a little" Angel pouted.

          "Why? The guys are pretty nice. Way nicer than the boys from high school"

          Angel shook his head, rolling his eyes at Jeremiah's privileged ignorance, "To you"

          "Have they done something to you?"

         "You wouldn't understand, Jeremiah. I don't wanna stand out" He didn't want to talk about it, it was more than that anyway.

          "What's the point of joining track again if you're just holding back?"

          "Just leave it alone please"

          "I don't get it" He stepped closer to Angel, to level with his eyes, not knowing the effect he had on the other boy, "What do you get from bein' here then? It's not like you're joining and holding back to be a part of the guys 'cause yo' ass barely wants to talk to me"

          "Dude, I'm here for me. That's all"

          "For you? You bein' here is a disservice. With the way things are going. What even motivates you to come? What's the point?"

          "Shit don't concern you"

          "You're wasting your time. Why even show up?"

          Angel glared at him, "You're soundin' just like high school, Jeremiah"

          The other frowned a little hurt himself, not meaning to open old wounds but to push him.

          "You ain't even my friend. Let me be"

          "...I'm not?"

          Angel noticed his expression and instantly melted internally in apologies. He cleared his throat shaking his head in firm disagreement, "Sorry. I don't know. I didn't mean it"

          Awkward silence. Why did he say that? Angel scolded himself for making things awkward. The other boy had no idea how in fact he didn't even want to be friends but more than that. So much more than that.

          'Stop thinking about it. How could you be foolish enough to still want him like that? You're not a lil boy anymore. Grow up'

          "It's okay. We don't hang out or nothin' so I understand why you would think that" Jeremiah's lips slowly quirked into a small smirk, "But now that we're official, we should"

          'Fuckin hell he has no idea what he's doing to me'

          "You know, I didn't mean to press you like that. I'm just saying that this time can be different. Quit hidin'. I'm always going to stand up for you"

          Angel wiped the sweat from his forehead with the end of his shirt, also as a way to cover the happiness forcing its way up from the inside, "How'd you know I was here? Practice ended hours ago"

           "Gotta keep an eye on you if no one else is. I noticed where you'd go when it's over. This time I had to go to my room though to get my wallet, came back to see if you would still be here and maybe...go get some mangonadas?"

          "I'm gross, man"

          "Drive thru" He answered immediately, "We can hang out here and then I can leave you at your dorm. Plus, I ain't showered either. Or we can hop in the locker room showers together before we go"

          No.

          "I'm good. No, I'm good. Sure. Drive thru"