Time was inching closer to 4:30 on the track, as the squirrels in the trees chirped the seconds by, but Coach Smith and Coach Amscot still weren’t there. Eventually, Reid rallied everyone together.

“Alrighty everyone, so obviously Coach Smith is at his kid’s meet, and Coach Amscot’s got work. So, I’m in charge,” Reid said.

“Great,” muttered Skylar. She was one of the best girls.

Adrian was feeling very sore, wondering what today’s practice would consist of. It wouldn’t be a workout since they just had one yesterday. Adrian didn’t even want to run at all. Maybe since both coaches weren’t there, Reid would give the team the day off? Or perhaps they could do something like plyometrics.

“Alrighty, Coach texted me the plan for the day. It’s gonna just be 40 minutes on the trail for everyone.”

Then, Adrian realized there was a solution. There was an elliptical bike that they could use whenever someone was rehabbing or injured. This would be perfect. Just the amount of work Adrian wanted to put into his run today, all while going extremely fast along the trail. The elliptical bike was slick and smooth and could go much faster than some of the other bikes on the trail could.

As people started to leave, and watches started beeping, Adrian asked Reid, “Hey, can I ride the Elliptigo today”?

“No, Coach isn’t letting me let anyone ride it. And why do you need it anyway? You should be setting a standard.”

“I’m feeling a little sore, and I still want to do something today. What’s your proof that no one can ride it?”

“Right here.” Reid flashed him his phone with an explicit message from Coach Amscot that told Reid the plan for the day, and to not let anyone ride the elliptical bike.

“Don’t you think I could just use it this one day?”

“No, now get going.” Reid then left with Carter onto the trail. Reid and Carter both had bright, flashy, brand new running shoes that barely touched the pavement. Adrian still had his old and worn down pair from last spring, as his parents had said they would get him some new ones for Christmas.

Adrian didn’t want to have any of this. He then saw Skylar walking to get ready to go.

“You’re really thinking about doing it, aren’t you?”

Adrian didn’t say anything.

“Okay, I’m not gonna stop you, but you know Reid’s gonna be pissed.” Skylar then left with all of the girls on the team.

“Sure he is.” Adrian watched as Skylar and all the girls ran off. He watched the strength and muscle of their calves pounding against the pavement. The sensation of Advil and Icy-Hot were radiating towards Adrian. Seeing them run in unison. Realizing how much it would hurt.
Skylar looked back and rolled her eyes. Now that no one was there, Adrian grabbed the elliptical bike that was sitting on the wall next to the bathroom area, hopped on it, and left the school. He didn’t grab the helmet because he didn’t think he’d need it.

Adrian flew down the gravel path of the trail at a very rapid pace. The trail was narrow and secluded. It was in the middle of the woods. Every now and then, there would be a sign of a neighborhood, but it was mostly woods. Adrian flew past bikers and even people on his team. He could hear some “huhs” and “Who’s that?”’s, but he didn’t care. Humans were like little blurred lines, just fading past Adrian, giving him power. Eventually, he saw Reid and Carter, just getting ready to turn back around and go back to the school. They saw him flying by, and he could hear Reid yelling.

“Adrian…ADRIAN. GET THE HELL OFF THE ELLIPTIGO RIGHT NOW!”

Adrian didn’t care, as again, he was having fun passing people and going fast. Eventually, he hit fifteen minutes and turned back around. This is where he would pick it up even more. The bike was going 25 miles per hour, and he had just passed the last neighborhood on the trail. It was all woods from here to the school. He could hear woodpeckers for a second, then they would fade away. He saw one squirrel and brushed it off. Adrian did think about it for a little bit longer. He could hear the chirping and see the acorns being taken. Adrian had been afraid of squirrels since he was a little kid. The closer he got to school, the more squirrels he saw and heard, and the faster he was going. This made him even more paranoid, and he started to think about the squirrels more and more.

Adrian started going downhill. He was picking up speed, when out of the blue, a weird brown blur crossed out onto the trail. It was a squirrel. Adrian screamed in as high of a pitch as he could muster. He slammed on the brakes; however, he slammed them too hard. He rammed into the handlebars. Adrian couldn’t even know what was going on, but the minute he hit them, he was flipped over, and he landed straight on his legs, doing a summersault in the process. He was dazed and confused and needed help.

“Help, somebody, help.” Adrian kept yelling this until a biker pulled aside, hoisted him up onto his bike, and took him back to the school, taking the elliptical bike with them. When they arrived, everyone was either in shock, or not surprised at all.

“So, what happened?” Reid asked, with a sense of sarcasm and karma in his voice.

“I flipped over the handlebars”.

“How on Earth do you flip over the handlebars?” Skylar questioned.

“I got scared of a squirrel.”

“You’re scared of squirrels? That’s so pathetic.”
Skylar and her friends all laughed at Adrian. After everyone had left and it was just him and Reid walking to the athletic trainer, the two started talking.

“Look Reid, I should’ve listened to you and…”

“Now you know who to listen to, and what little devils squirrels are. And, you’re not as good as you think.”
The two walked to the trainer’s office and waited for Adrian’s parents to arrive. •