Kelsey had fifteen minutes to prepare for the race. Her blonde hair partially covered her face, which was weird because she usually kept it in a high, tight ponytail. Her face was also unusually contorted. Kelsey’s big, bright, white-toothed smile was tight-lipped, and her brows arched.

Without question, Kelsey’s unusual demeanor had something to do with the tall, intimidating new student, Julie. The browned-haired girl similarly wore her hair to Kelsey, a high ponytail. Julie’s every step seemed to strike more fear into the heart of Kelsey, as her movements looked like an elegant ice skater gliding around a rink, yet full of energy ready to erupt into a cheetah-like sprint at any moment.

Kelsey’s gaze, which appeared to be frozen in time, was quickly interrupted by her best friend since elementary school, Leah.

“Hey, have you heard about the new girl?” Leah half-shouted. “Everyone’s saying she was the fastest girl at her old school. No one was even close.”

“She probably isn’t going to be much of a hassle to deal with,” Kelsey retorted.

Quickly, Leah shot another question. “Did you train for this race?” 

“I’ve never trained in the past, and I always won, so why start now?” Kelsey stated in an annoyed tone.

With that, Kelsey headed to the starting line. The palms of her hands were sweaty, and her muscles tremored. The race didn’t wait for Kelsey to calm down. The gunshot sounded, and the children stormed the course.  

“Why won’t my legs normally run,” Kelsey thought to herself as she strode around the track. 

“Everyone’s in front of me,” her brain screamed. 

As Kelsey finally calmed her breath, she began to run at her usual pace. A half-smile came across her face as she began to pass the “NARP’s” (non-athletic, regular, people). Kelsey continued to push through the crowd until she found herself right on the tail of Julie, the current leader. 

When Julie heard the pounding of Kelsey’s feet behind her, she took a quick look back. What Kelsey saw destroyed any bit of confidence that had been developed while she was passing the rest of the field. Julie was smiling…

The quick smile from Julie let Kelsey know that she had no chance of winning the race. Julie was too good. Kelsey’s heart dropped into her stomach, which caused her to gasp and slow down. Others began to pass her too, and it concluded as quickly as the race started. 

 The crowd all cheered for Julie. Not even a glance was cast in Kelsey’s way. Leah approached her distraught friend. 

“Are you okay? I saw you struggling. What happened?” 

Kelsey silently stared at the concrete. She tried to think of everything that could have possibly gone wrong, but she was at a loss. 

Julie taps her shoulder, interrupting her train of thought. Julie asks, “Hey. You’re Kelsey, right?” 

“Yes…” responded Kelsey.

Julie responds, “I wanted to talk to you. I heard about your winning streak in the annual races. To be honest, I think you could have surpassed me if you had spent more time training.”

“I didn’t ask for your feedback,” grumbled Kelsey. 

“I was only suggesting it. I thought you could have won if you had trained more. Good luck with your next race. I’m anticipating how much you’ll improve in a year,” responded Julie.

Julie turned her head and walked away from Kelsey, who reflected on Julie’s words. Kelsey kept her eyes fixated on the ground as a small puddle of tears collected in the dirt.