On the Track of Loss (Jason Peirce Series #2) Read online

  Chapter Four

  The next morning started early as well. I had told Wendy that I'd go to church with her. So I was up, dressed, and out to pick her up by nine. It was still pretty cool out when I knocked on her door, so I pulled off my jacket and held it up as she walked out. "Good morning, Friend." I said, referencing the literal meaning of her name. To my surprise, she walked right past me and got into the car. I followed when I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Everything okay, Wendy?" I looked at her for a minute before I started the car and drove for the church. "What'd you do yesterday? Anything fun?"

  I still wasn't breaking through the shell she had put up. So we spent the entire service in silence. She sang along with the worship group and prayed aloud with everyone, but she just wouldn't talk to me.

  After the church service she continued with her zipped lips. We got into the car and drove up to the Village for a planned brunch at Papagayos, the Mexican restaurant. When we sat down and I ordered us drinks, she finally spoke up. "What were you doing yesterday, and who were you with?" Her tone was confrontational and I suddenly knew what was going on.

  I smiled and watched as her face went from angry to confused. "Yesterday, Dad and I helped our new neighbors move in, then I gave their daughter a little tour of the mountain." Wendy started looking more confused, so I continued. "Her name is Carolyn. I showed her the Oak Trunk, Goodwin’s, the lake. We also drove by The Cliffhanger and the Blue Jay Theater. Then we had lunch at McDonald's downstairs. You didn't think I was cheating on you, did you?"

  Her confused looks turned to humility as she broke into a small fit of tears. "I did... I really thought you were on a date." She said through her hands which were covering her face. "I saw you in Blue Jay. She was soo pretty. And I'm... I'm so not!" I sat down next to her and embraced her. I held her tight as her tears ran onto my shirt sleeve.

  "It's okay, Wendy. You're beautiful, and I love you. I don't even know her, really. I wouldn't do that to you."

  She started calming down, but her tears kept dripping as she sat up and looked me in the eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jason. It's just, I got bad news yesterday, and then I saw you, and... I'm sorry for how I've acted today."

  All I heard was that she had bad news. "What's wrong? What news did you get?" Nothing could have prepared me for what she was about to say.

  "Dad is taking a job with the F.B.I. We're moving to Washington D.C. We only have a couple weeks.

  Wendy was leaving. Our time together was coming to an end, even though it had only just started. We finished our lunch and took a walk though the village. We gazed across the Arrowhead Lake and went for a ride on the Arrowhead Queen, a big, white, paddle wheel boat. I didn't want to let her go all day. We kept our fingers intertwined all day and night, until I dropped her off at home just after nine.

  The night came and went. I didn't sleep much, and when I did, it was uneasy. Before I was ready, it was time for school. Today was the day of my re-match down the hill. It seemed so trivial, so stupid to think that I cared about winning a race, when my girlfriend was about to pack her bags and move across the country. I tried to concentrate on the approaching race while our school bus drove the track team down highway 18. Inland Empire traffic was at it's worst and the combination of heat, car horns, and stop and go speeds was driving me insane. I busied myself stretching lightly while listening to music on my .mp3 player. By the time our bus pulled into the high school's parking lot, my muscles were burning and elastic. I stepped off the bus walking tall and quick. We were already an hour late, so my race was only a short wait away. I passed the time watching other events.

  Our team was doing good. The shot-put and discus throwers were setting new personal records. One thrower actually took first place on the shot-put throw. I personally didn't care for the two events, but it was better than watching my friends throw themselves twenty feet into the air with a long, flexible pole. Ten minutes before my race I heard Charlie calling for me.

  "Coach wants you to warm up real quick. I think he remembers your grudge with this school." He laughed.

  "It's not the school's fault I tripped last year." But it was their fault they made me out to be the loser when I clearly would have won. "Okay, wanna run with me? Just a couple easy laps."

  "Sure. Bet I could beat you in a sprint!"

  "Maybe if you cut your hair. I swear, you look like you just got off stage with the Jonas Brothers!" We both had a short laugh at that. Then we started our slow paced run. At the pace we were going, I'd have a couple minutes to re-stretch and get into the race. Then Charlie said something that threw me off.

  "Alright Peter Pan, I hope you saved your happy thought." He took off at a full sprint while I slowed to a stop. I had actually distracted myself from Wendy, and now she was at the front of my mind again.

  I had only gotten about three fourths through a lap when I stopped. I started walking back to where the other runners were gathering before the race. As I reached the group Charlie made it to me.

  "Hey, what happened to warming up?"

  "Wendy is moving across the country in a couple weeks. I hadn't been thinking about it. Then you brought up Peter Pan." I trailed off as he thought about what I said.

  "Oh damn, man, that sucks. Sorry I said that. I just... I didn't know."

  I knew he didn't know. Wendy hadn't told anyone but me yet, but that fact didn't help me feel any better. "I know. Look, just forget about it. I've got to get this race done." I stepped away and took my place at the starting line.

  The loud crack of a blank shell fired from the silver gun a few feet from the starting line. Six of us took off at a fast, steady pace. I took to the front of the pack by the second lap around the quarter mile track. The race was two miles, so eight laps total. I kept a decent lead on everyone but my main opponent. I'd overheard the other racers talking about how he was in the running for a scholarship to USC this year. Apparently the scout was in the stands watching all day. They also reminded me of his last name. Flynn, Jack Flynn. I was coming up to the start of the third lap when I saw him pass me. He was only running ever so slightly faster than me. Maybe gaining a foot's lead every few seconds. That was perfectly fine by me. I was keeping a steady pace before the last two laps. That's when I would explode into a near sprint speed. I was sure that he would have a similar strategy, but at the same time, he had been running most of the day. He would already be pretty tired. I, on the other hand, had hardly run at all.

  We were coming into the second mile when I started thinking about Wendy again. We had been friends since before I could remember. We'd only been dating for a few weeks now. She was leaving in just a couple more weeks. Not even finishing the school year. I started thinking about things we did as little kids. Running around each other's houses, playing hide and seek with other friends while our parents talked and cooked around a barbeque. I had picked up my pace at the end of the fifth lap and I didn't realize it until I was several yards ahead of Jack. Thinking about Wendy had me distracted from the race. But, what was more important? A grudge match, or my girlfriend? How could that even be a question? Of course my relationship with Wendy was more important. This revelation came to me half way through the sixth lap. I shouldn't have been worrying about winning this race when I had so little time to spend with my first love.

  At that point I stopped racing. I walked through the middle of the field back to where my team was gathered. Some of them were sitting around and talking. But most of them, the coach included, were watching me make my way to them.

  He met me some ten feet from the team. "What happened Jason? Did you hurt yourself?" Of course, why else would I stop in the middle of a race?

  "No, Coach. I just realized that I have something more important to do." I said as I walked passed him and picked up my backpack from off the ground. I kept walking to the bus where nobody else was. There were still a few events left, so I had some time before having to face everyone else. I got on the bus and sat down. I pulled out my cell phone
and made a call. "Hey, Gorgeous. What are you doing right now? No, I didn't win, I quit running when I realized what was more important."

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  About the Author

  My name is Christopher Estrada. I'm a Mexican-American, California kid from the Inland Empire area. Writing fiction has been a passion of mine since the age of twelve. My first few attempts started strong, but always fell through. I blame it on a lack of planning, but it could be any number of things. I grew up absolutely hating books and reading until I caved in and read the first Harry Potter novel in 1999, fourth grade. Now I can't stop reading. During the summer of 2005 I attended the Cambridge College Programme at Cambridge University in England. While there, I took my first Creative Writing course under the direction of Professor Steve Waters. Back in the States I continued to learn, read, and write. I attend the Riverside Community College District majoring in Photography with plans to continue with a degree in English, as well. Capturing light and writing fiction are only a part of who I am, though. Throughout high school I was a member of the AFJROTC and I intend to enlist in the US Air Force in the not too distant future.

  To learn more about me and to find out about my upcoming works, visit my blog, send me an email, or follow me on twitter.

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  Twitter: @Chris-writing

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