Flee by Keely James

school.
    The sleepy security guard at the school gate waved me through carelessly, his attention focused on the steaming coffee mug in his hands. Judging from the parking lot, we were the only ones here. I parked and began running before I even hit the track, going hard for thirty minutes at a furious pace, pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do and ignoring my body’s protests. Adrenaline drove me forward until I was spent, and I slowed to a walk, collapsing on the soft grass in the center of the track. I closed my eyes and willed my breath to return to normal. After several minutes, a breeze blew softly over me and carried with it the sound of soft breathing. I opened my eyes. Blake sat on the damp grass at my right side, her arms wrapped around her pulled up knees, her face watching mine.
    â€œHey,” she said, her voice soft and soothing. She reached over and gently pushed my sweaty hair away from my forehead. Her fingers were cool and gentle, and I fought to not lean into them. “That was some run. Wanna tell me about it?”
    â€œI just needed to release some energy,” I replied, trying to keep it light. Trying to shield her from the dark parts of my life.
    â€œIt looked like a little more than that. The expression on your face was something to behold.” She waited for me to answer, her fingers still playing with the edges of my hair.
    â€œHow long have you been here?” I asked, veering the subject away from what driven me to the track so early and wondering why I hadn’t noticed her. What was she doing her so early? It was only 4:45, if the clock on the guardhouse was correct. Still the middle of the night to some people.
    â€œAbout twenty minutes.” She let go of my hair, and I suppressed my sigh of disappointment. “I sat in the stands and watched you. You seemed like you wanted to be alone. Besides, I’m not dressed to run.”
    I looked at her more carefully. “Pajamas and flip flops. Nice. Are you going for a uniform infraction today?” I was teasing, but I instantly sobered when I realized that her face was tired, her eyes red-rimmed. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
    â€œNothing,” she waved her hand dismissively. “I’m just tired. I don’t sleep very well. I was going to work on my English paper this morning, but before I could start, I had some strange compulsion to drive to school. It’s almost like I knew you were here. I didn’t even notice I wasn’t dressed until I got here. And then I find you running like you’re being chased by the hounds of hell.” She paused. “No, more like you were chasing them and quite determined to catch them and rip their heads off once you did. So, can I ask you again? What’s going on?”
    â€œJust some family stuff. Nothing you need to worry about.” She looked at me with narrowed, skeptical eyes and started to reply but was interrupted by a yawn. She needed rest.
    â€œWhy don’t you join me?” I asked, patting the turf beside me. “The grass is fine.”
    Blake nodded and lay down on her back beside me, her fingers so close to mine they softly touched at the tips. I didn’t move. I just enjoyed her closeness. We lay in silence for a few minutes, and then she began to speak, in so soft a whisper I had to strain to hear her.
    â€œNights are hard. Things are getting better. Hey, I’m almost a normal student during the day, mostly thanks to you, I think. You seem to have a way of comforting me that I don’t understand.” She hesitated, taking a deep shaky breath before she continued.
    â€œYou don’t even have to do or say anything, I just have to know you’re there and I feel better. And then I go home, and your presence wears off, and I start to get sad. By the time it’s dark, I’m almost completely panicked. Why is that? I hardly know you.”
    I know what you mean , I thought. But I remained