“What are you doing?” Kaikai asked, pulling Sae from his silent staring. “Pair up. Chan will tell you what to do.”

Shum Deil asked Kaikai, “Pair up with whom?”

“Who do you think?” Kaikai counted four fingers on his hand – first, sticking the pointer and middle finger together. “First and last place.” His ring and pinkie fingers followed as he continued to say, “And you two in the middle. Weren’t you paying attention?”

“...” They really weren’t.

The group paired up into three teams, Susu and Emi being the most efficient. Emi could help Susu instantly, giving her tips and correcting her form. Teo and Kaikai made another pair, while Sae and Shum Deil made the last one. Rise Chan moved back and forth between the boys, helping them in turns.

No serious problem was detected with their forms, so Rise Chan told them to practise plyometrics on the grass. He said it would help them gain more excessive force when running. 

The two boys stood facing each other a handful of metres apart. They jumped in a zig-zag line, quickly pushing off the ground and increasing their power. There was no time to chat while doing these exercises. Sae didn’t continue their conversation, and Shum Deil tactfully didn’t linger on it either.

They did a variation of jumps, sprinted a little at the end and took breaks in between. This method helped them get used to that springy feel while dashing, pushing off right after they hit the ground.

Emi didn’t come close once during the forty minutes they trained. It was Rise Chan who came around to say a few words every now and then. Actually, this Chan kid wasn’t that bad. When instructing, he only tried to help and wasn’t frivolous. After some time, even Sae softened his attitude towards him.

Finishing another round, Sae and Shum Deil walked to the shade to drink and rest for a while. 

Sae pulled a familiar flask out of his bag, but it was one size bigger than usual, with half a litre of capacity. Unfortunately, he had to leave the smaller flask at the scene of the crime Deil pulled him into committing.

While Sae drank, Deil shed his long-sleeved shirt. He only wore a loose, dark T-shirt underneath and raised its hem to fan himself with it.

“I went back the day after and paid the bill to the stall owner,” Deil said out of the blue. He leaned back on one of his hands and watched Sae.

Sae wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Were you chased?”

“Of course I was,” Deil replied without hesitation. “But he let me go when he saw how sincere I was. I paid for everything I ordered and gave him a bit of compensation too.”

“How did you know how much to give?”

“He told me the day before. How could I not remember that much when I was the one who owed him?”

Sae didn’t answer but took another sip. They listened to Emi trying to teach Susu how to do a midfoot plant. “You have to change it. Flex back the toes so your feet, and make them parallel to the ground. Try landing flat.” Emi demonstrated the movement and said, “You can push off as soon as you hit the ground. Use your dominant foot to set off.”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Susu assured the little girl, “It’s just tricky to execute it. Like, my legs won’t listen...”

Hearing their conversation, the corners of Sae’s mouth lifted.

Deil spoke again. “The owner is a nice guy. We chatted a bit. He told me to tell the other brat, sorry for chasing him with a rod.”

“No, he didn’t,” Sae said.

Deil didn’t refute it. He looked aside and let out a small sigh.

On the other side of the field, Kaikai and Teo started chasing Rise Chan in circles, dead set on catching him. After half a minute, the middle schooler took off in the direction of Sae and Deil.

“What are they doing?” Deil asked, amused. It wasn’t a serious question, not one he needed an answer to, so Sae stayed quiet.

As Rise Chan ran towards them, Teo yelled, Get him! and chased tirelessly. Deil sprang up like a spring, jumping from side to side, much like they had done during their drills, and sprinted after Rise Chan. His form was rather eye-catching.

“Ahaaa!” Rise Chan’s shouts echoed, but he avoided his newest pursuer. 

Soon, Sae also joined the growing group, and they collectively chased the boy. 

Emi caught up to Rise Chan from the side, pushed the boy’s shoulder, and hollered, “Rise Chan, the so-called MVP of the track club!” She laughed and turned to run in another direction, leaving Rise Chan behind.

Teenagers had much more energy than they seemed to have. For example, Rise Chan was tall but looked scrawny. His face was a bit sallow and he had circles under his eyes. Contrary to that, though, he possessed crazy endurance and ran five kilometres like he didn’t feel a thing.

Everyone ran around the field without rest. Teo caught up to Emi, screeching, “Little girl of my soul, why’d you eat my Valentine’s Day chocolate?” 

“You said I could eat it!” Emi screamed in the midst of giggles.

Teo ran like Naruto but still tapped the girl’s shoulder. Emi laughed so hard she had to stop to breathe. 

Not a minute later, Susu captured Teo. Unfortunately, Sae was up on Susu’s heels and triumphed once and for all. The two almost tumbled down, and Sae had to circle Susu’s waist to prevent her from falling.

They played this modified game of tag, saying embarrassing stuff to laugh, then gasp for air.

Shum Deil was after Sae for the longest time. Sae evaded him left and right, jumping back and turning his body to spin out of the distance Deil’s hands could reach. 

All of a sudden, no one could catch one person. Part of the group was too weary to continue.

The wind passed Sae’s ears from both sides, his chest burned with the need to breathe in deeply, but he was laughing just as hard as Deil was. They stopped with the bike between them and made a bet.

“If you can catch me in fifty seconds, I’ll go run with you,” Sae said, quite winded. He raised his wrist and pushed a few buttons, ready to start the timer on his watch with a grin.

Deil’s cheeks were rosy, and the sides of his forehead glistened with sweat. He agreed after a chuckle, “Deal.”

Fifty seconds later, Deil almost vomited once he finally stopped running.

Sae wasn’t that much better; he stuck to the ground on his back like a starfish, his stomach heaving. Deil’s hand still gripped his ankle.

Almost as a whisper so only he could hear it, Deil’s voice drifted over to Sae’s ears. “Hoh Saering, I’m your pacesetter now.”

---

 

Since everyone had already gotten sweaty, they decided to practice a little more and improve their start and handoffs. There were seven of them, a bit unlucky in number, so Emi and Rise Chan took turns invigilating.

In the first round, the lineup turned out to be Teo, followed by Emi, Deil, Susu and Sae, while Kaikai took up the rear. Emi and Rise Chan tried to arrange it so that the two girls and four boys were stationed interchangeably.

They talked about which side of the lane to take, how to keep the same posture, or how to properly turn their bodies.

“Don’t try to alter your speed. Just sprint through it, both of you. Don’t worry about the other person behind you. The incoming runner will follow really fast and then give a call.” Emi demonstrated with Rise Chan before her. “The distance between the two runners is a thing that has to be experienced in training, though. But the point is, don’t stay too close. Chan stretches his hand back, and I give the baton to him. See? I’m holding it down here.” Everyone focused on her slender hand fisted around the baton.

“When I push it into his hand we are almost at a distance of the length of my arm, this stick, and his arm. We aren’t too close.”

“Start as you would for an individual race, like the hundred-metre dash. Accelerate normally, and the other will catch up.” Rise Chan added, “They, too, will be running at full speed.”

Actually, it was a bit early to practice up to this point, but the group was afraid they wouldn’t have time right before the midterms. No matter whether they would make it or not at the qualifier, there were things they had to be clear about.

The group first practised handoffs at short-distance to get the feel of it. Then, they moved back and farther out. After three laps, they rested a bit and lined up for the second set. This time, Susu gave the baton to the boys, and Teo passed it to Rise Chan at the end. This way, Teo could experience two handoffs.

The lineup here changed to Kaikai giving the baton to Sae, who passed it to Shum Deil. While they walked to their respective spots, Sae and Shum Deil started to grumble again. The two were like angry chickens, impossible to play nice with each other.

“Run with all you’ve got, or you won’t catch up to me,” Shum Deil teased.

“You mean, find a dog to chase me?” Sae said, “You have more connections for that.”

Shum Deil slowed his steps upon hearing the jab. “In your opinion, that time still counts? And you dare call it connections… It’s not like I wanted to get cosy with potato.”

Sae tilted his head to the side. “What potato?”

“The tea shop owner’s dog. He’s called Potato with a capital P.”

Sae couldn’t help but ask, “You are on a first-name basis with the tea shop owner’s dog?”

“Shut up. Should I call him by his full name, then?” Shum Deil guffawed and waved his hand. “Also, that time doesn’t matter. Exclude it.”

Sae blinked at him.

Shum Deil shook his head. “Just now, while I tried to catch you, you were running like the wind. Where was the dog chasing you?”

Sae stopped on the track while Shum Deil had to walk out more. Sae gave him a meaningful look. “Where could it be.”

Shum Deil paused and cursed after a moment, “You fucker.”

“That’s the second time you said that.” Sae smiled. “You really have no manners at all.”

“Because you call what comes out of your mouth manners?” Shum Deil retorted, incredulous. “How can you still be angry at me for Potato chasing us? It wasn’t intentional!”

Sae held the other’s gaze with a calm and collected expression. He wasn’t angry anymore, but as his grandmother said, sometimes it was fun to rub a little salt into the wound.

Two boys ceased to move on the track surrounded by heat and dirt, and no one could understand the reason for the halt in their movement. The sun beat down with an intensity of summer in early spring, the air stagnant. Sweat beaded foreheads and hairlines, especially now that they were exercising.

“What are you two doing?” the others shouted.

It was well over two in the afternoon. Everyone felt tired but wanted to wrap up as soon as possible. “What’s the holdup?”

Shum Deil didn’t have a choice. He had to move on, or the others would keep yelling at him. He pointed at Sae before turning away with a wronged expression.

---

Three rounds later, only the real deal remained.

This time Rise Chan set off first while Emi finished the last leg. The group agreed to stop after this last lap. It was late, and they were exhausted. Some had other places to attend in a bit as well.

“Let’s do this right,” Teo tried to pump everyone up. “Run like it’s against that stinky science class” He looked up. “…no offence, Susu.”

“None taken. I’m gonna make it either way.” Susu was cool through and through. “Besides, I’m not the only science student here.”

Four pairs of eyes turned to stare at Shum Deil. Ah, right. That person was also a science student.

“…we didn’t mean to offend you either,” Kaikai said after a few seconds of everyone soaking in the awkwardness.

Shum Deil laughed it off with a shrug of his shoulders.

Teo coughed and continued, “Keep in mind that there are only eight chances per year to run in the relay. We have to make sure that none of those big-mouthed idiots can beat us.”

“If you mean the online fight,” Shum Deil interrupted, “At least five or six of them will try out.”

“Yeah, I also heard them talk about it,” Susu added.

Emi kind of knew what the high school gang was talking about, but as an outsider, Rise Chan didn’t have a clue. Regardless, he turned to whoever was talking and listened with an easy expression.

Kaikai ruffled the hair at the back of his head. “Shit, that’s more than the people from our class. Are they any good?”

“Kind of...” Susu grimaced. She seemed conflicted by being put on the spot like this. “Tomo signed up for sure.”

“Okay,” Teo nodded. “Who else? What about that beansprout-looking kid?”

“From the basketball court?” Shum Deil asked but didn’t wait for an answer. “Online handle DJG_parks. Our football team captain. He’s definitely running.”

“Don’t mind it,” Sae opened his mouth for the first time. “No one can tell the outcome before the race is over, right?”

His words seemed to calm a portion of their nerves. Filled with determination again, everyone got into position according to what they had discussed.

This time, no one fooled around; they just wanted to finish and get home. Everyone sprang forward with all they had. Teo, however, was careless and succeeded at dropping the baton. When the others saw that, it was like they had one voice. Everyone screamed at the same time, “I’m not running again!”

Alas, of course they did. After that incident, they completed the training session in a lively and collected manner. Emi and Rise Chan timed the last lap, and they said it was pretty good.