Page 24 of See You at the Finish Line

“I see it!” I call, pulling ahead of Adam. He groans as he picks up his pace to match mine.

“Paige, 145,” I call to the aid station as I cross into Oasis. They mark mine and Adam’s numbers down.

“What can I get for you, Paige?” one of the volunteers asks.

“I need to catch up, I’m behind on my hydration,” I tell him as I chug a bottle of water.

“Do you need some electrolytes?” he asks, and I nod vigorously.

Adam asks for the same and we gratefully take our fuel.

The night turns dark as we rest, catch our breath, and fuel up for the next leg. We ate two huge cheese quesadillas each, took a twenty-minute nap, separate cots, and now that I’m rested, I’m feeling excited for an evening run.

Ideally, I’d like to make up some of the time we lost thanks to taking it slow today and falling behind after the thunderstorm. Before the race, I told myself the goal was just to cross that finish line but in reality, I want to make it in a good time.

I stand up and Adam groans, half a cheeseburger still in his hand.

“Are we leaving already?” he asks, getting slowly to his feet.

“You don’t have to. I’m sure you’ll catch up to me tomorrow if you need to stay longer.” It’s the right thing to offer, but I’m secretly hoping he turns it down.

“Nah, I can’t let you get a head start. Caleb would never let me live it down.”

I frown at the mention of his friend. Something about him sets me on edge, and I’m wary of how upset he got when Adam told him he was going back for me. But the feeling doesn’t linger as relief floods through me. We’re going to stick together for the whole race.

“Alright then, let’s head out.”

“Adam, 128, checking out,” Adam calls as he leaves the aid station.

“Paige, 145, checking out,” I chime in.

“Enjoy your moonlight hike, guys!” the volunteer says with a wave.

“He makes it sound so romantic,” I say, trying not to get excited.

“Don’t go getting ideas about hitting on me, Paige. I’m saving my love for Q,” he jokes, and I throw my head back to laugh.

Am I in love?

Indian Creek67.8 mi/ 109.2 km

I’ve never been anywhere so dark in my entire life. The stars look down on us and all I can think is it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if we somehow got stuck here overnight and had to camp out together. Logically I know that’s a bad idea—being stuck out here would mean something bad happened.

Still, a man can dream.

Paige has been awfully quiet the last hour and I’m not sure why. I’ve tried to strike up a few conversations, but her one-word answers tell me she doesn’t want to talk. Instead, I’m running beside her, making sure she doesn’t injure herself every time she trips over something. If I thought she was clumsy in the daytime, it’s nothing compared to her at night. Even though the light from the moon makes her glow like a goddess.

Who the fuck am I?

When I look over, her brows are pinched as she stares intently at the ground. She’s concentrating on not tripping, but she stumbles anyway. I catch her for the third time in thirty minutes.

“Sorry,” she mumbles.

“It’s okay,” I say with a shrug. I hesitate and then ask, “Are you alright?”

It seems like she’s not going to answer, but then she says in a small voice, “I’m scared of the dark.”

That would explain her silence and her swift mood change. Selfishly, I’m glad she’s not quiet because of me. But I don’t want her to be scared and alone.

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