Running and Rumors

Jess and Emma stood at the starting line, their breathing steady, their focus locked in. The relay team was coming together, but it was clear that the two of them were the strongest runners. Their rivalry hadn’t disappeared—it had evolved. Neither was willing to accept anything less than the best from the other.

"You’re late on your exchanges," Emma pointed out as Jess finished her leg of the practice run. "If you can shave even half a second off, we’d be set."

Jess wiped sweat from her brow. "And you need to open your stride in the final 100 meters. You tighten up too much near the end."

Emma smirked. "So we agree we both need to get better."

"Guess so."

It wasn’t exactly friendship, but they had found a rhythm in pushing each other forward. Jess had to admit—there was something satisfying about working with someone who demanded as much from her as she did from herself.

****************************************

Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the student union, Leanna sat across from Ryan, her laptop open between them.

Ryan frowned as he scrolled through the data on the screen. "You weren’t kidding—this encryption is heavy-duty. You sure you want to get into this?"

"Positive," Leanna said firmly. "Can you crack it?"

Ryan exhaled. "It won’t be easy, but I can try. Where’d you even get this?"

Leanna hesitated for only a moment before shaking her head. "I can’t tell you that. Just trust me."

Ryan raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fine. But if I do this, I want to know what’s on it when we break in."

Leanna hesitated again, then finally said, "We’ll see. Just keep this between us."

Ryan smirked. "I’m starting to feel like I’ve been recruited into some secret spy mission."

Leanna didn’t smile. "Just get it done, Ryan."

*********************************************

Jess had begun noticing whispers in the hallways. At first, she ignored them. College students loved gossip. But then she started hearing Jason’s name.

"I heard he got expelled for selling steroids."

"Nah, man, I heard he ran off to Mexico to avoid debt collectors."

"You know what I think? I think he got abducted. Like, aliens. One day he’s a star quarterback, next day? Gone without a trace."

Jess couldn’t help but snort at that one. Aliens, really? But other rumors made her uneasy.

"What if he’s still here? What if he changed his name or something?"

"Nah, but like—what if he’s someone else now?"

That one made her blood run cold.

She kept her head down, pretending not to hear, but her nerves were on edge. What if someone put the pieces together? What if someone figured out who she really was?

As she laced up her running shoes for practice, she tried to push the thoughts away. She had too much to focus on. But deep down, a new fear had taken root. What if Jason wasn’t as forgotten as she had hoped?