jogging just for the heck of it

Payton jogged around the track, keeping a steady pace. She was on the last turn of the last lap and the water bottle that was sitting on the ground by the finish line was just taunting her. She pushed herself to run faster, beginning to sprint. Her legs burned in protest but she kept going to the end. As she reached the water bottle, she slowed to a stop and plopped onto the ground. Her legs felt like lead and she was breathing deeply, beads of sweat rolling down the side of her forehead. She unscrewed the lid to the water bottle and gulped down the water. Pulling the bottle away from her lips, Payton gasped for breath and, setting the bottle down, leaned back and lied on the ground, her breath beginning to slow down.

Because he is the only one I could see even being bothered to try and run around the track, Nate kept himself running in a steady jog, his eyes closed and his head tilted up as he distracted his mind, listening to the own music in his head to help him keep going longer. He only glanced at the track now and then when his instinct was telling him it was time to make a turn; and because of that he hadn't noticed that he was approaching the shape of Payton sprawled out on the ground. Nate did notice, though, just a little too late. "Ah-- hey!" He shouted in surprised, nearly stepping on the girl and tripping over her.

Nate's voice gave Payton a jolt. She quickly sat up and scooted to the side, barely missing a collision with Nate, grabbing her water bottle and moving it away from his feet in one quick motion. "Sorry, my bad," she said rubbing the back of her neck, a little embarrassed. The track was usually pretty empty so she really didn't expect anyone to be out jogging. If she had she'd have collapsed somewhere off to the side.

Thankfully, Nathaniel caught himself before he could hit the ground, doing a few awkward skips. "Jeez, what are you laying out in the middle of the road for?" He frowned, though he wasn't really angry, but it was just like... what? D8 There were people running here!

"I said sorry and running two miles isn't exactly easy," Payton replied, making a small frown. "And this place is usually pretty empty so it's not like I expected anyone to be out here," she defended herself as if it wasn't her fault he almost tripped over her even though it totally was.

Nate ran a hand through his hair, "Well," he started, trying to catch his breath. "Doesn't mean you can't walk to feet unto the grass." He retorted. Well, so much for running those few miles without stopping once. Damnit. "Who are you, anyways?" He asked, thinking he saw her during the last class, but he wasn't completely sure.

Payton set her water bottle down and leaned back, using her arms to prop herself up. "Payton. You?" she said rather casually.

"Nathaniel." He replied, still not entirely over the fact that he had almost fallen flat on his face. "Well, I had hoped to go the entire run without stopping once. I guess I'll just have to try again tomorrow." He was just a little butthurt over it. Don't worry, Payton, he'll get over it. cx

"Eh, sorry 'bout that," Payton apologized again a little awkwardly. "How far were you going for?" she asked. She did feel a little bad about messing him up but she wasn't about to show it.

Nathaniel sat down and sighed. "Three miles." He answered. He hadn't run seriously ever since middle school, when he had been a part of cross country. It was something he missed and he wanted to slowly worked his way up to the huge distances again. "Forget about it. I have work to do anyways." he shrugged. "How long did you go?"

"Only two. I usually run three miles once or twice a week but I've kind of been slacking a bit when it comes to exercising recently so I guess I'm getting a little out of shape." Payton absentmindedly tore up a few blades of grass from the ground and stared down at the ground in front of her with a small pout on her face. The whole topic of running three miles had reminded her of why she had starting jogging in the first place. It had started during the summer when she was trying to get into shape so she could be on the high school volleyball team. She had spent most of her summer going to countless volleyball camps and private lessons to secure her spot on the team as middle hitter. But of course her grandparents decided to ship her off to the worst school in the history of schools and Payton had to say good bye to any chances she had of being on the volleyball team.

He rubbed the back of his neck, scoffing. "You look just fine to me." Nathaniel told her, looking away for a few moments to the middle of the field. His gaze wandered for a few moments longer before flicking back to Payton, frowning. "Is there something wrong?" He asked her, feeling the big tug of regret and disappointment on her shoulders.

Payton glanced up at Nathaniel, a little suspiciously. I mean, seriously, that guy read her like a book. "Um," she wasn't quite sure if she should just tell him or not. "It's nothing, just... nothing," she said, trailing off at the end.

Nate looked at her for a few moments longer, "I'm sorry. Something seemed to be making you feel real down is all." he said, "I don't expect you to talk about it with the guy who just tripped over you." He smiled a little and fiddled with his shoelaces.

"It's nothing. I was just zoning out," Payton said in her normal, casual voice as she stood up. "Sorry again about tripping you," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. This conversation was getting kind of awkward I:

The way this topic started, it was fated for a little awkwardness. xD Nathaniel shrugged the conversation away and stod up along with her. Well, shit. Now what was he gonna do? "Okay, Payton. Wanna go hang out some?" Might as well turn this derpful situation into a chance for a new friend, he supposed.

"Sure, as long as your done running," Payton said with a smile.

Nate nodded, "Yeah, I'll meet you in the front, okay?" He smiled and headed to the loxker rooms.