Coming Back

The second day of the sports festival had arrived, and the energy in the air was just as electrifying as the day before. I found myself preparing for my final event, the one I had been looking forward to. Stretching my legs, I notice an odd pain in my right leg. I'd been feeling it since yesterday night. It felt like something was biting my muscles, though I just brushed it off as mere fatigue.

As I continued to stretch, I exchanged a few words with my teammates. They were all pumped up too, telling me to give it my all. "Reol, you ready for this?" one of my teammates asked, slapping me on the back. I grinned, trying to push through the discomfort in my leg. "You bet. I'll give it everything I've got."

With a final stretch, I joined the other competitors on the starting line. I stood at the starting line, taking slow, deep breaths, attempting to quell the unease hurling through my muscles.

The finish line is just ahead of me in the distance, right on my gaze. Just as it had during our countless practice runs. A deep breath filled my lungs, and I pursed my lips, exhaling slowly, trying to steady my nerves.

"Runners, take your marks!" the referee's voice boomed. The world narrowed down to the track beneath my feet, the starter's pistol, and the finish line in the distance.

"Get set!"

My muscles felt coiled, as if waiting to unleash their power. My heart pounded in my chest, and the eerie pain in my leg seemed to pulse in rhythm.

"Go!"

The starting shot rang out, and I surged forward with explosive force. For a fleeting moment, I felt invincible. I'd felt this vague feeling a few times before in my runs. Like everything turns crystal clear, all my worries... all the fatigue... everything. But nothing matters. The finish line's fixed in my gaze... and crossing it will take me to everything I wish or dream for in life. But then, as if fate had other plans, my right leg gave way beneath me.

Panic surged as I tumbled, my hands scrabbling desperately at the track. My body hit the ground, and the world spun into a dizzying blur of pain and confusion. From my fallen position, I watched as my competitors raced ahead, leaving me in their dust. I've lost... the harsh sting of defeat stung over me, making it hard to process what had just occurred.

Then, like a lifeline thrown from the heavens, I saw him. Rylee, a flash of fiery determination, turned back to look at me. He halted his own race, and without any hesitation, rushed back to my side, offering me his hand. "You okay?"

I gratefully accepted. He pulled me to my feet, and after supporting me on my shoulder, we resumed the race, slowly walking ahead like tortoises.

"Why did you come back for me? You would've clearly won the race... and now your class isn't going to get all the points too..."

"Are you serious? Is that what you call a win?"

"But you would've won either way. You didn't need to come back to pick me up."

His eyes seemed to be gauging my reaction. Then, he let out a small sigh and began to speak. "Reol, you know, when I saw you fall during the race, I couldn't just keep running. I mean, sure, I wanted to finish first, but seeing you on the ground like that... it didn't feel right." 

He continued, "I remembered something my dad once told me when I was a kid. He said, 'Rylee, it's not always about winning the race. Sometimes, it's about helping those who've stumbled along the way.'"

"Just that...?"

"Yeah, just that!"

I couldn't smile back at him due to the pain, but I managed a half-chuckle of sorts. "Thanks... I guess..."

As we crossed the finish line, it was not the deafening applause of the crowd that echoed in my ears... but the sound of our shared triumph. We slowed to a stop, catching our breath, and Rylee turned to me, a smile gracing his lips despite his labored breathing. "You still lost to me, you know... I was just a few centimeters ahead of you when we crossed the line together."

"Does that even count though? We both were disqualified for leaving our tracks..."

"It does. And as the winner, you'll have to give it your all against me in the next sports festival!"

"Yeah... I will." Doesn't he remember this one is the last for us?

The nurse's office offered a respite from the outside world. I sat on one of the beds, the white sheets crisp and cool against my skin. My leg throbbed with each heartbeat, as if sending me a painful reminder of my fall. The nurse bustled around, tending to the forming bruise on my leg. She applied an ice pack on where it had swollen before leaving for somewhere.

I lay back, staring up at the plain ceiling tiles. It was moments like these when I wished I could just disappear. My heart felt really heavy. I'd let my classmates down. My last chance to contribute had ended in a tumble on the track. I pressed my arms against my face, muffling a frustrated sigh. How could I have been so careless?

Just then, the door to the nurse's office creaked open, and I heard my name spoken softly, like a gentle breeze through a quiet forest.

"Reol?" I lowered my arms and turned my head toward the voice. There she stood, Adica. "Are you alright?"

"Adica," I managed to say, offering a weak smile. "Why're you here?"

Adica crossed the room and took a seat beside the bed. "I saw what happened. Are you okay?"

I nodded, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Yeah, it's just a bruise. Nothing serious."

Adica's eyes stayed in my way, as though she was delving for something beneath the surface. "You scared me, you know. Falling like that during the race."

"I'm sorry," I replied, the words feeling inadequate though. "I've let the whole class down..."

She shook her head, her voice softening. "You don't have to apologize. These kinds of things happen quite often. What matters is that you're okay."

Her understanding meant the world to me, though I struggled to find the right words to convey my gratitude. It felt like ages since we last had a conversation like this, not in the club room, and barely in the classroom. I used to cherish those moments when we could simply talk, laugh, and enjoy each other's company without any pretense, but now it feels like the same unease from before was threatening me.

"Yeah. But I let the team down. It was our last chance to win something, and I blew it."

Adica's expression grew sympathetic. "Reol, it's not about winning or losing. It's about doing your best and supporting each other. And either way, you finished the race even with that leg... thanks to Rylee."

"Maybe you're right, Adica. Thanks for telling me."

She reached out and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We all have moments like these, Reol. You'll fall and get hurt. But then, you'll just have to bounce back from them again... yeah... just bounce back!"

Her words brought a kind of wiggly smile to my lips. "Thanks, Adica. You always know what to say."

She returned the smile. "When was the last time... we had talked like this... feels like it has been ages."

"I was thinking the same. After you left the club, it's only been me and Emma there too. It's really boring in the club room now, you know."

"I'm really sorry for that, Reol. I..."

I quickly reassured her, not wanting her to blame herself. "It's alright, Adica. I'm not blaming you. I'm just missing the old times, when the four of us were still hanging out. And I kind of miss the group studies in the library too. I wonder if we can go back to how things were-"

She interrupted gently. "It's not possible, Reol."

"Adica?"

"No...! I don't mean it in that way... I just want things between me and John stay as it is right now... with him, I started feeling different about me and those around me. And like I can start looking forward again." Her vulnerabilities surfaced as she spoke, and she stared at her fingers, twirling them among themselves. "That's why I'm sorry, Reol. But I want-"

"Don't worry, Adica. If you're okay with it, then I don't have anything to say."

But deep inside, there's still so much left to say... so many emotions, but I held them back, before they burst forth from within. And I placed all my strength on keeping the lid on it.