The bass of music blasted into my eardrums as I stepped into the packed stadium filled with fans ready to cheer on athletes who looked like they had been training their whole life for this.

Breathe. In. Out. "You can do this. You got this Casey." I tell myself, as I take in the red track that seemed to look abnormally larger than normal ones I had raced on.

I had approximately 3 hours until it was my race, the 300 meter hurdle finals, and I was already nervous. Eating the mornings of meets were always the worst getting down and staying down. Half of the time I would need to take a bite of my granola bar and chug a bunch of water to swallow it without gagging. But my mother and coach both insisted that in order to run good I needed to eat.. which is understandable but when I feel like I'm going to throw up every time I take a bite, it's hard to listen.

Buzz.

I look down at my phone and a small smile tugs at my lips as I read the message sent from my best friend Ally.

Ally: Go kick some ass today Casey! We'll all be there to make sure you run uhhh super fast loll! Also, plz remember to jump over the hurdle and not run over it so i don't have a heart attack.. thx!! Much love for ya and I'll be screaming my lungs out for ya and for the Dippin' Dots I'll be getting later! ;)

My nerves settled a little knowing that my best friends were going to be here watching me compete. Ally always seemed to somehow make me relax and laugh, even in times like this when she's not even around.

I text Ally back asking what time they will be getting here, and she quickly responds that they would be here about 20 minutes before I have to run. "They" included Ally of course, along with my two other best girl friends Jane and Kenna. And I could never forget about Noah, Kenna's boyfriend. He's always being a silly little goofball and making all of us laugh. They were just so cute together.. Ugh I need a love life.

FOCUS CASEY! You're at the freakin' state track meet and all you can think about is your love life?!

"Casey!" I hear my mom faintly say, as she waves her arms hysterically trying to get my attention with my music blaring and myself dozing off per usual. How long has she been doing that? I try not to laugh at how ridiculous she looked at the moment.

I quickly take off my headphones and place them around my neck trying my best to give my full attention to my mom, "Yeah mom?" I ask while cracking my fingers. It was a nervous habit I'd always had, although it grosses my mom out. It's her fault partially for making me crack them now since she had grabbed multiple of the fans attention from her crazy waving show to get me to notice she was talking to me. Why couldn't she have tapped me on the shoulder? Who knows. That's my crazy mother for ya.

My mother grimaces slightly as she notices my nervous habit before relaxing and taking a breath, "Your father's wondering if you need anything before he leaves the car. Water? Some food?"

"Maybe just some water, thanks mom," giving her a small smile before wiping the beads of sweat that were starting to form on my forehead.

"Got it!" She answers before slowly but surely typing out a text to my dad with only her  index finger.

Suddenly I burst out laughing, "Mom you look like you've never used an iPhone in your entire life."

She looks up at me with a scowl on her face that I know too well for it to be real. "Go get ready!"

"Love you momma!" I say in a teasing tone.

"Love you too Case, go kick some booty! Your dad and I will be up in the stands cheering for you! I'll save some seats by us for when your friends get here." She says before giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks mom, I'll let them know you are," I tell her before placing my headphones back over my ears and heading off with my coach to find a good area to warm up in.

••••••••••••

After finding a spot to camp out at, coach sends me on a quick warm up run around the stadium. I let myself fully relax as I run off the nerves that had been building up since the moment I woke up this morning. The music pounds in my head and I quickly turn the corner, only to come running into a hard wall, or should I say person? I lose my balance and start to fall backwards, only to be caught by strong, tan arms. Sadly, my headphones couldn't be saved and crash onto the hard concrete, taking my phone with it.

"Shit!" I quickly bend down to make sure my phone, my baby, didn't crack. I let out a sigh of relief when I flip it over and there's not even a scratch.

I'm quickly brought back to reality when I hear a low chuckle from behind me. "You okay there?"

I turn around and look up to see the most attractive man I've ever seen in my life. His dark hair is tousled and stuck to his face from sweat and his blue eyes seem to pop from the sun. His abs show through his tight uniform tank top, and his arm muscles were so huge I thought my eyes might pop out of my sockets. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised and a slight smirk on his lips. "Hello? Are you just going to stare at me or?"

That snapped me out of my trance as I tried to find some words to come out of my drool dripping mouth. "Oh y-yeah, fine. Totally fine, sorry I wasn't looking where I was going and then I ran into you, and then my phone fell and I would have just died if my phone broke, because I need music to help calm my nerves and—"

Mystery boy chuckles and cuts me off from my embarrassingly long rant, "Woah woah, slow down there tiger, it's all cool. I should have been watching where I was going. You sure you're okay though? You look kind of pale." Concern itches his face as his eyebrows wrinkle together. He offers me his hand which I gladly take with my semi-shaking one. "I'm Braxton by the way."

Braxton. That name is sooo hot. Pay attention Casey! I offer him a small smile, "Casey, but I'm totally fine. Just super nervous for my race that's all." I answer shyly.

"What are you running?" He asks while running his fingers through is silky hair.

"The 300 hurdles, how about you?" I ask boyfriend material Braxton.

"Dang that's impressive Casey, hurdles are super difficult. But I'm competing in the long jump and the 400 meter dash," Braxton says and my heart literally stops as he lightly touches my arm, "I'm sure you're going to do great though, I'll be rooting for you."

"T-thanks I'll be rooting for you too," I look down at the sidewalk to attempt to hide my blush, "I should probably get going, my coach will be looking for me. See you around?" Really Casey? See you around? Get this man's number!

Braxton flashes heart stopping smile, "I'll come find you after your race. Don't go anywhere, meet me by the gates of the finish line."

Say something you idiot! "O-okay," I say smiling like an idiot before turning around and sprinting back to coach.

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Hey readers!

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Runner! Please make sure to vote and comment. I will be posting the second chapter soon, so stay tuned!

Also if you're reading this, comment your favorite Wattpad book. Just curious!

Cait :)