Run
Run!
And Chigusa runs, legs a blur of motion, heartbeat speeding up. She is fast and confident and no one will ever catch her.
At the side of the track, a girl in school uniform stands, smoking as she watches Chigusa run. Mitsuko.
Mitsuko watches every day, dropping her schoolbag on the ground and staring as Chigusa runs her daily miles around the track. Chigusa can feel the girl's eyes on her legs, on her breasts as they struggle against the restraining elastic of her sports bra. But Chigusa never stops running until Mitsuko has left, and the girls never speak.
But today Mitsuko waits until Chigusa begins to slow down, until she needs to take a rest. She stands and stares as Chigusa comes to a halt and walks over to the other side of the track, to her own bag. Chigusa tries to ignore her audience of one, pulls out a bottle of water and drops to the ground carefully. She drinks slowly and carefully as her body cools down, then stretches her legs out in front of her and starts the exercises that keep her fast.
"Chigusa."
She looks up and sees Mitsuko standing next to her, flicking a loose strand of hair from her eyes.
"What do you want?" Chigusa has no time for this girl, this walking trouble.
"I watched you. I like watching you."
"Go away."
"You don't mean that," insists Mitsuko.
"I hate you," she says, and means it.
Mitsuko flinches from the anger in Chigusa's voice. "You don't even know me," she says, her voice hard and level.
"Everyone hates you, you stupid bitch."
Mitsuko drops to the ground beside her, leans in towards her. "You're not like everyone else. I can tell. I watch you every day."
Chigusa glares. "Dyke," she hisses.
Mitsuko doesn't even blink. "Yes," she says. "Takes one to know one, ne?"
They stare at each other for long, silent moments. Mitsuko leans in further, brushes her lips against Chigusa's.
Chigusa reacts with her usual speed, pushing the other girl away and slapping her hard across the face.
"You do that again and I'll kill you," she says, quiet and dangerous.
Mitsuko laughs, "No you won't." She stands lifts up her schoolbag, "See you around." She blows Chigusa a kiss and runs from the sports field, still laughing.
Chigusa thinks of murder. Her heart races and she walks back to the track, the anger twisting and churning in her stomach.
Chigusa runs, and this time no one watches.