MAYA

"First track meet ever. Are you nervous?"Aunt Gloria asked as she helped me tame my locks.

"Yeah but I've been training really hard, I have a great coach and an amazing team. And besides you guys will be there cheering me on."I replied toying with the necklace on my neck.

I would have loved for my parents to be there with me for my first official race but I knew they would be watching me from heaven cheering me on.

"We'll be the loudest. I'm so proud of you sweetheart and I believe in you and the great things you can and will do."Aunt Gloria said kissing my forehead once she was done with my hair.

It was scary racing in a competition when I'd never done it before but I had all the support I needed. I also knew I was good at running so my skills wouldn't be the problem.

"I'll leave you to finish getting ready. We'll wait for you downstairs."Aunt Gloria said excusing herself.

I wasn't alone for long because a few minutes after aunt Gloria left, Violet came into my room.

"You look cute."Violet complimented leaning against the door.

"Thank you."I replied politely lacing up my orange Nike running shoes.

They were a gift from Aunt Gloria and Uncle Ted.

"Do you have a minute to talk before we leave?"Violet asked sounding unsure of herself.

I turned to look at her and noticed the familiar look on her face.

"Not again Vee. I already told you there's nothing to talk about."I groaned already frustrated with her.

We had been going around in circles for weeks and I was tired of talking about the same thing. Ever since Elijah's accident, she had been suspicious that something was up. Of course there was but I wasn't going to tell her anything. The only people who knew were my dead parents, Aunt Gloria and me. I would keep it that way until Elijah knew too.

"Come on May, we tell each other everything. Why are you keeping this from me?"She asked walking further into the room.

"Because it's none of your business Vee. It doesn't involve you so I would really appreciate it if you let it go."I requested politely.

"You know I can't do that. I'm too nosy. It's not like I'll tell anyone, please tell me."She begged

"No!"I gritted out feeling like I was talking to a wall.

It's like I was talking to her but it was going in one ear and coming out the other.

"Please May, the not knowing is killing me. I know there's something big going on between you and Elijah, I just don't know what it is exactly."She enticed.

"If you like playing detective so much, how about you do a little investigating because I'm not telling you and anything."I replied my voice filled with finality.

I was done talking to her about the same thing. It was exhausting and I already had enough to worry about considering Elijah and I had been dating for more than two and a half months and I was yet to tell him the whole truth.

"You mean that?"Violet asked clapping excitedly.

"Yes but you're not allowed to ask me, aunt Gloria or Elijah anything."I demanded.

"That will make it more difficult but okay, challenge accepted. I will figure it out, just you wait."She grinned victoriously even if I knew there's no way she could make the connection.

"Good luck. Now if you will excuse me, I have a track meet to get to."I replied picking up my gym bag and Andrew phone off the bed.

I left Violet in my room and headed downstairs where everyone else was. Violet was supposed to drive me while the twins went with uncle Ted and Aunt Gloria but at the moment I didn't feel like being stuck in a car with her.

"Ready to go?"Aunt Gloria asked when she saw me.

"Yes please."I replied dying to get out of the house and away from Violet.

"Time to go then, boys coats and shoes on."Aunt Gloria demanded.

A knock on the door echoed through the house and since I was the only one not busy I decided to go get it. I opened the door to reveal my very handsome boyfriend smiling at me.

"Bug."He rasped out giving me a once over.

He bent down and pecked my lips softly.

"Hi Joey."I replied surprised to see him.

He was supposed to meet us at the races not at home.

"You're leaving?"He asked noticing my bag by the door.

"Yeah, the boys are just taking time to get ready."I replied.

"Maya who is at the door? Oh, hi Eli."Aunt Gloria greeted joining us.

"Hi. I just dropped by to see Maya before she left."He replied saying hello to her and everyone else.

"Okay, we are leaving but we'll meet you guys there. Maya don't be late."Aunt Gloria demanded.

"I won't."I assured her even though it was my track meet not hers.

The four of them scurried out of the house leaving Elijah and I alone.

"You're not leaving with them?"Elijah asked.

"No Violet is supposed to drive me but I honestly don't want to go with her."I replied.

"I can drive you."Elijah offered giving me the perfect solution to my problem.

Violet picked that exact moment to come downstairs ready to go.

"Hi Eli. What are you doing here?"She asked looking at him weird.

"To see Maya before the race."Elijah replied politely without picking up on the tone in Violet's words.

"Actually he's here to pick me up. You'll have to drive up on your own or call Wade."I replied.

"You can't ditch me, I had a lot planned for the drive."Violet whined.

"It's a twenty minute drive Violet, stop being so dramatic, you'll be fine."I admonished happy to be escaping her even if it was for a few minutes.

"Okay fine, ditch me."She said with an eye roll picking up her jacket from the hook on the door.

"But before I leave, I have a question for Elijah."She said turning to him.

"Vee."I scolded because I had already warned her about talking to Elijah while doing her investigation.

"What is it?"Elijah asked innocently not knowing what he was walking into.

Violet completely ignored my warning and proceeded to talk to Elijah.

"How much pain can you tolerate?"She asked him.

Shit!

Violet definitely knew more than I was giving her credit for.

"Huh?"Elijah asked confused.

"How high is your pain tolerance?"Violet asked again.

Elijah looked at me for help but all I could do was shrug at him. Glaring at Violet was having no effect since she knew I couldn't scold her in front of Elijah for fear of outing myself.

"Pretty high, I guess. Why?"Elijah replied.

"No reason. You two drive safe. Cousin I will see you on the track."Violet grinned skipping away from us after getting what she wanted.

"What was that about?"Elijah asked.

"Just Violet being Violet."I replied nonchalantly trying to brush off the subject.

Thankfully Elijah didn't dwell too much on it.

"We should get going if we don't want to be late."Elijah declared picking up my bag for me.

He was right so I followed him out of the house making sure to lock the door securely behind me. Elijah put my bag in the back seat while I took my place in the passengers side. He pulled out of the driveway and merged into traffic headed towards the local college where the races were being held. It had a big indoor gym which was more equipped to host the track meet as opposed to the high school gym.

"I bought you something. It's a gift to wish you good luck on your first race and to keep as a good luck charm for the more to come."Elijah said reaching into his jacket and handing me a simple black jewelry box.

"You didn't have to."I expressed softly taking it from him.

"I know but I wanted to. Now open it."Elijah demanded softly.

I opened the box to reveal a beautiful good charm initial bracelet with the letter E on it.

"It's a little upgrade from the one you gave me eight years ago."Elijah explained.

"I love it, thank you."I choked out my voice laden with emotion.

I took it out of the box and put it on my left wrist to match the hand on which Elijah's tattoo was on. The bracelet wasn't as permanent as the tattoo but it had the same meaning. I put the box away carefully and leaned in to kiss Elijah on the cheek. He was driving so I couldn't show my gratitude more extensively but I'd do that later when we had time.

Elijah took my hand in his and lifted my wrist up to his lips placing the softest of kisses there.

Elijah was perfect, he treated me like a queen and anytime we were together I always felt like I was floating on clouds. I didn't deserve him but I couldn't live without him either so I had to make myself worthy of him. I felt guilty that I was still keeping stuff from him that's what I'd decided that I would come clean to him over Thanksgiving break that was in two weeks. He deserved to know everything and he had showed me that he loved me enough for our relationship to take whatever hit I'd throw at us. My confession would either make or break us and I was praying for the former.

"Ready for this?"Elijah asked me as he parked in the universities parking lot.

It was the first meet of the season so there were a lot of people there to watch and to race too since several schools were involved.

"As I'll ever be."I replied getting out of the car with my bag in hand.

Elijah walked me inside the building and towards the gym where the teams were gathering up. Since it was a local game we had been allowed to arrive separately as long as everyone arrived half an hour before the races began.

"Thank you again for the bracelet. I love it."I confessed admiring the details in the letter E.

"You're welcome and besides its like I'm marking you for me and me alone."Elijah grinned.

"I've got to go but I'll see you later."I said to him when I heard my coach calling out to me.

"Yeah, I'll be the tallest guy in the stands. I love you."He whispered leaning in to kiss me softly.

"I love you too."I grinned.

He kissed my forehead for good measure before finding his way to the stands where my family was. I skipped over to my team and I was glad to discover that I was actually not the last to arrive.

"Good of you to join us Miss Amadi, now onto the races today."The coach started going back to what she had been talking about when I arrived.

We'd had the same discussion the day before but I listened nonetheless. For the day we had different competitions like the 60m, 200m and 400m Dashes. There were also the longer races like the 800m, 1 mile and 3000m Runs. For the hurdles we had 60m , 4X400m Relay, High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put and Weight Throw.

I would be competing in the 60m, 200m,400m dashes, and the 4X400m relay. The coach was advising me not to take part in so many races especially since it was my first time but I believed I had the stamina for all of them. I did well in the dashes since they were short and I was fast but I wanted to challenge myself.

"Are you ready for this?"Cassie one of my teammates asked me as we stretched.

She was running the 800m and the 4X400m relay.

"Yeah, I'm excited."I replied happily feeling my body already start to pump with adrenaline.

"You'll do great, you're a fast runner so just do what you do best and run like the wind."She encouraged me.

"Thanks you too."I replied smiling at her.

I looked towards the stands and felt happy when I saw my family and friends there supporting me. The twins had a banner with my name on it which was totally unnecessary but I appreciated it. Elijah wouldn't take his eyes off me and instead of feeling self conscious it boosted my morale because I derived my energy from him. He made me strong and without him I wouldn't be able to run in the first place.

Soon enough the races started with the 60m dash and we all got in place. That was a short sprint which I was ready for. I had already been awarded my number that the coach had stuck to my top and my thigh.

I got in line with my fellow competitors and assumed a crouching position on the starting blocks. I saw the charm bracelet Elijah had given me with his initial on it and it made me smile. I took deep calming breaths, closed my eyes for a second before opening them, the track looking very clear ahead of me. I tuned everything out and the only sound I could hear was my own heartbeat calmly thumping against my rib cage.

"On you marks, get set.... Go!"The starter yelled and the starting pistol went off the same second I did.

I didn't waste anytime sprinting along the track my feet hitting hard against the ground, my arms swinging against me with every second helping me gain momentum.

A few seconds later I crossed the finishing line and since I was going fast I ended up running further. I slowed to a stop and turned around realizing that I'd won. Suddenly everything became louder and clearer and I was aware of my surrounding. I could hear the crowd going wild and when I looked at my family they were cheering for me with very proud looks on their faces.

"You won! You actually won and broke the record."My coach yelled excitedly running to me.

"What do you mean?"I asked confused.

"You just broke the high school record here for the 60m race by running it within 6.94 seconds. The previous record holder was 6.97 seconds."My coach explained.

Winning was exciting but breaking a record I didn't even know was more than I expected.

I grinned happily, clutching my necklace tight against my hand because I had my parents to thank for my win. I definitely knew they were watching me from up there and throwing blessings my way.

There was a buzz of activity around me because of the win I just had but it died down pretty quick because I had other races to compete in. I didn't break any records in the 200m and the 400m but I did win. I came first in the 200m and second in the 400m since I was already exhausted by then. The coach demanded I take a break as I waited for the 4X400m relay to start since I was the anchor. Cassie got second place in the 800m which she was really excited about as she had been fifth the last time she had competed.

"Okay ladies time for the relay. Run fast but carefully, trust each other and don't forget pass the baton quickly and precisely. I'm so proud of all that you have accomplished so far so let's finish with a bang and get this trophy home."Our coach hyped us up before the race.

We all got into position on the track and since I was the anchor I was last. I took my standing stance ready for the race to start and once the starting gun went off I was ready. I believed in my team and knew that we had been working hard for the relay so we wouldn't disappoint each other. Cassie was the one behind me and as soon as I saw that she had been handed the baton I started getting ready. Once she was a meter behind me, I started running too gaining momentum my hand behind me. As soon as it was in my hand, I closed my fist around it and ran like the wind as my coach always demanded from us. The anchor from another school had been handed the baton seconds before me but I didn't let that deter me. I pushed myself hard those last few meters making sure to pass my opponent before we could get to the finishing line securing the win for my team.

We won, we actually won and it felt amazing. Our coach couldn't hide her excitement as she pulled me into a hug and twirled me around happily.

"You Maya are gold, now go celebrate with your team."She demanded pushing me towards them.

They all engulfed me in a hug as we celebrated our contribution to the trophy we were getting. I could see my family and friends shouting excitedly from the stands and I had to give them points for being so patient. Elijah had taken off his jacket at some point leaving him in a plain white t-shirt. I could see his muscles pop from all the way on the track. I wasn't the only one admiring him and I could see other girls eyeing him but his eyes were on me the whole time. He saw me staring at him so he grinned and blew me a kiss. I caught it and pressed it against my heart smiling back at him.

Waiting for the awarding ceremony was excruciating since we had to wait for the other events to be over but it was definitely worth the wait. We changed back into our track suits since it was getting late and they were better for photos anyway, Cassie's words not mine.

As we all got awarded our medals and stood on the podium to get our pictures taken a few tears escaped my eyes from all the joy I was feeling in that moment. Our school got a trophy for winning the relay race and each of us got an individual medal. There were also certificates being handed out but the coach would get those for us later.

Finally that whole ordeal was done and we could finally interact with our family. I had no idea why we weren't allowed to mingle with them in between races but at the moment I didn't care.

"Bitch you won, you actually won. I always believed in you but today you exceeded my expectations."Violet expressed happily pulling me into a hug.

"You really did Ada, I'm happy for you."My aunt agreed hugging me too.

Wendy pulled me into her arms as we screamed and jumped excitedly. She had surprisingly grown to be hear he one of my closest friends so I appreciated her support. Ted and the boys were outside since the twins had been getting restless but I didn't mind. I was surprised to see that Finn and Wade had stuck around the whole competition but it was so nice to have their support.

Finally it was time to see the one person who I desperately wanted to share my wins with. I turned to Elijah who had been patiently waiting for me in the side lines. I bridged the gap between us standing toe to toe with him as I looked up into his big green eyes. He looked down at me proudly smiling so hard his face wrinkled in joy.

"Congratulations bug. I'm so proud of you."Elijah whispered as he pulled me into a bear hug lifting me off the ground.

"Thank you. Couldn't have done it without you."I smiled happily pulling back to kiss him softly.

I could feel my medals digging into my chest because of our proximity but I didn't mind.

"So what do you want to do to celebrate all your wins?"Elijah asked setting me down carefully.

"I have lots of ideas but aunt Gloria is insisting on dinner and I'd like you to be there."I requested him crossing my fingers that he wouldn't say no.

"Of course I'll come with you."Elijah replied making me a very happy girl.

"Awesome, I'll go tell my aunt."I said tugging my hand away from his hold but Elijah refused to let me go.

I looked at him to find that he was grinning down at me.

"I love you."He confessed making me beam.

"I love you more."I echoed.

Elijah leaned in to kiss my forehead before letting me go tell my aunt of the addition to our dinner plans. I could feel Elijah's eyes on my back or was it my ass, I couldn't tell.

Elijah and I still had a lot of pent up tension between us because we'd never been able to complete what we had started the morning after we got home from the hospital. We both got so busy with training after that weekend that anytime we were together, we used it to study or just sleep.

I had no idea if we would get around to it but I didn't care much because all that mattered to me is preparing myself to come clean to him. I was nervous about that but I had two weeks to prepare.

For the moment I decided to focus on enjoying a nice dinner with my friends and family as they celebrated my wins.