I hated running.
I hated it so much.
Whenever I ran, wind glided across my body, like an armor of force.
My vision narrowed, focusing completely on my direction.
Every hair on my body stood on end, yet I wasn't tense in the slightest.
That feeling was unlike anything else in the world.
'Damn it.'
As I practiced in the park with the rest of the track and field team, I was faced with one simple fact.
I wasn't fast enough.
Running was so much fun. But I wasn't good enough at it.
I was never able to be the best at it.
It robbed me of one of my greatest joys.
"You good?" Austin asked, approaching me.
While he walked, his blonde hair seemed to glisten.
I was sitting down and resting while I drank some water.
The grass on the ground acted as a cushion, allowing great comfort.
"Yeah, I'm great. And you seem like you're having the time of your life," I replied after I gulped down the water in my mouth.
"Yup," He replied, sitting down next to me.
We sat in silence for a few moments just looking out into the distance.
Fortunately, Austin wasn't a very silent guy.
"Why do you run?" he asked, not looking at me.
I paused before answering.
There were many reasons why I ran, at least I thought there were.
But when faced with that question, only one answer came to mind.
"Because it's fun."
Although, even if it was fun, could I really say it was worth it?
Was it worth it to keep trying even though I was never fast enough?
"That's the type of answer I like to hear."
With those words, Austin grinned.
"Too many people put complicated reasons behind running. Running for philosophy, running for morals. Running for politics or running to follow in someone else's footsteps. Those reasons aren't good enough for me."
The air seemed to shift. It was no longer casual, it was filled with confidence.
"No one should need a reason for running outside of having fun. Sure, you can have other reasons but fun should always be the main one. If you don't love what you do, why do it at all?" He explained.
Austin's body seemed to relax even more than before and he laid down.
"It's not really my problem though. To each their own, right?"
Hearing his words, an intrigue brewed in my brain.
'With all of his heart, Austin must really love running. Not just because he was good at it, but because he's running.'
In my heart, I believed Austin was talented. He had a natural gift for running.
Yet, if he never came to love running, all that talent would've gone to waste.
"Yeah, I guess it's really up to the person. I agree with you though," I replied after a few moments.
I envied a lot of things about Austin.
And in that moment, what I envied most of all…
…was his character.
I sighed silently.
'Still though…maybe one day, I'll be a bit more like him.'
Envying him wasn't going to help me.
But improving would.
**
Crunch!
I chewed on a pocky stick, enjoying the delightful flavor of the chocolate.
Practice had ended, and I was riding the bus on my way home.
I checked my phone and glanced at what day it was.
Friday.
'I wonder how the funeral is going…'
The funeral for Soriel's grandfather was supposed to be that day.
She hadn't come to school because of that.
'It's probably fine. Anyway, life has been pretty simple lately.'
For the past few weeks I had just been studying, practicing and working out. Plus, the occasional hang out with Soriel.
It was sort of odd.
I no longer spoke to Aurora.
But, I still had Nishimoya and Tristan and they had grown over time.
'Life is so weird…'
Looking out the window, I gazed at the clouds in the sky. There weren't exactly a lot of them, but not few of them either.
They glided in the sky, gently moving in its natural course.
Perhaps we were all like clouds, simply drifting to our next destination.
Clouds rained, humans cried.
In darkness and in light, we all still continued on. So were we really that different from clouds?
'Nah, we're definitely much better.'
Humans adapted, they learned, they grew.
Clouds couldn't do that.
Even if I didn't feel like I was getting any better, I was still me.
I was human.
Ping!
'Hm?'
I glanced at my phone, checking my notifications.
— Soriel: The funeral went well. We're all eating now
I smiled.
— Me: I'm glad to hear that.
— Me: So what're you eating?