one

Her feet scrape the rough gravel on the track. She keeps a steady pace, her breathing drifts from easy and slow, to heavy and fast as she pushes herself to a sprint. She is feet away from the finish line. All the noise from the crowd and busy bleachers are blurred. Her only focus is to win. If she can't get things right when it comes to reality, at least her parents have something to be proud of her for. She needs to show them what they made... grab their attention. She clenches her teeth just thinking about them. No, she can't. She can't just win for them, no, never. Why would she make it seem like they raised something so amazing, when they have done nothing for her? Or Mason? She is going to win because she wants a scholarship. To get out of this hellhole. To leave with Mason and never come back. She wins.