“Okay listen up, you zygotes! The reason I called you all out here today, is because we will be doing track and field." Class 1-B’s physical education teacher announced, causing half of his class to groan out loud. The sun was high up and the afternoon breeze was a little warm; just the perfect conditions for this certain kind of activity. Baekhyun, sitting on the highest bleacher, was among the students who were whining out their frustrations.

“Why does it have to be track and field of all things?!” Baekhyun raised his hands up in disbelief. Beside him, his best friend was a complete contrast of his agonizing, practically a bouncing ball of enthusiasm on his seat as he eagerly took note of their teacher’s instructions.

“Come on, Baekkie. It’s not so bad!” Jongin beamed nearly blinding his best friend. Instead of giving encouragement to the other, though, Baekhyun let out a pathetic sob and rubbed his hands all over his face.

“It’s not so bad for you. You’re a member of the track team, duh! You like running.” he heaved a weary sigh. “I can't, I can’t! I can’t do this. It’s too hot! The sun will burn me, I tell you!”

“That might be a little over the top, don’t you think?” Jongin giggled, watching in amusement as Baekhyun puffed out his cheeks.

“It’s not! And my legs are sore, I can’t possibly run today and make them worse!” Then Baekhyun paused for dramatic effect, wailing out a, “I have asthma!”

Their teacher, apparently, heard Baekhyun's griping and with a roll of his eyes, threw his student a pointed stare. “You own one of the healthiest medical records in your batch, Mr. Byun. Quit whining and start warming up!”

Jongin chose that moment to lug an incredulous Baekhyun away from the bleachers. Scattered in all directions, most of their classmates have already formed teams of their own. Eventually, Jongin succeeded in coaxing Baekhyun to stretch his ‘sore’ limbs all in while saying that running was fun and was actually a good cardiac exercise.

“How is a sport taking all the oxygen out of your lungs fun?!” Baekhyun grouched, reaching out for his toes with his fingertips without bending his knees. “I hate P.E!”

“You hate every single subject we have, Baekkie,” Jongin countered as a matter of fact as he twisted his upper torso to the other side.

“Well, that is true. But I love me some lunch breaks, though,” At the mention of the said break, Baekhyun’s stomach chose that perfect moment to let out a low growl, hinting his hunger. The blush was instant on his face at the surprised looks he gathered from everyone. “Err...sorry, didn’t have breakfast.”

“How could you miss the most important meal of the day?” There was a mild reproving glare on Jongin's face. “Don’t miss it again!”

“Hey, you miss breakfast too!”

“The thing is, I can endure it. But you can’t. Remember that time you passed out because you forgot to eat breakf—”

“Okay, I get it, mum. I’ll eat tons of pancakes and maybe drink the whole syrup bottle too!” Baekhyun stuck his tongue out, dodging the playful smack Jongin was about to deliver.

Soon after the ten-minute warm-ups, the first team was sent off to the running tracks which enclosed the grassy segment of the field. Jongin waited patiently beside Baekhyun and his teammates, watching his classmates sprint around the oval track with his eyes glimmering with excitement.

Track and field was the only sport where Jongin poured his whole attention into. He began to express interest back when he was still small. However vaguely it was, he had still retained memories of the many afternoons he spent just watching the sports channel on his aunt’s television. Having a decision beyond final, Jongin tried out for the track team just last summer and to his surprise, got accepted in an instant.

Three teams already took off and now, it was finally Jongin and his team’s turn. They were asked to run two laps around the oval and just the act itself of stepping into the Apricot-colored track was making Jongin’s blood pump in excitement. Baekhyun was still muttering incoherent nonsense beside him but he, too, went into a crouching position, knee over his heart and his other leg slightly stuck out from behind, foot firmly planted on the ground to boost him forward for later.

“The shortest time record is 32.5 seconds. Try to beat that and it’s instant A mark for you,” Their teacher challenged with a smile before placing his whistle between his lips. Jongin took a large intake of breath, and with the shrill scream of the whistle, his body boosted forward, legs running on autopilot. Jongin made a mad dash and to his other teammate’s stupefaction, outran them within the span of five seconds. In the process he heard Baekhyun screech, ‘just kill me now!!!’ or something along those lines and a breathless laugh escaped his lips.

Jongin ran with vigor, attention focused primarily on finishing the two laps with the intent of beating the given fastest record. His body was light and his legs ran as if they were fated to sprint across the running track, so it wasn't a hard feat for him to complete the first lap and enter his second one, passing by his teammates who were lagging behind still running their first lap.

“Are you serious, Jongin?!” Jongin caught someone yell behind him and he laughed again, almond-shaped eyes squinting underneath the scorching glare of the sun’s blinding rays. As he was running he took note of the cheerleading squad rehearsing on the left side of the field while on the other side towered the buff members of the football team. They looked like they were on a water break or something since some of them were just dawdling around, with most intently watching the busty cheerleaders carry out their new routine.

At that moment Jongin caught three people from the football team turn their heads to look at the running track—to look at him—and he swore he nearly tripped on his own feet right then and there.

From afar, in the center of the field, stood Chanyeol and Sehun together with their other friend Heechul, watching their juniors from across them. With a sudden lapse on his momentum, Jongin focused his attention back on the track, trying not to get lost in a sudden trance that involved staring at a certain Oh Sehun.

Struggling to ignore the unwanted attention—assuming he only attracted it because of being one hell of a fast runner—Jongin finished his final lap with an exhausted exhale. He slowed down to a stop, the sunlight still blinding his eyes, and jogged his way toward his teacher.

“That was an excellent run from you again, Jongin,” His teacher offered him a smile, though it didn’t particularly look impressed. Jongin eyed the rest of his teammates who were still a few meters from finishing their final lap. Baekhyun was the only one lagging behind looking pretty much like a panting dog in the heat of summer. “But unfortunately, you didn’t beat the record. Yours is 34 seconds.”

The deflated look was quick to befall Jongin’s face. He chanced a glimpse on his teacher’s stopwatch, just to make sure. Disappointment coursed through the young teen as he looked over at his teammates once more, of whom were nearly finished. “I noticed that you were distracted. Distraction is never a good thing, Jongin.”

“I’m sorry coach, I’ll focus more the next time.” Jongin bit his lower lip, wiping the sweat off his forehead. His P.E teacher, who was also the track team’s coach, gave him an understanding pat on the shoulder at the same time his teammates reached the finish line, almost collapsing on the hard ground.

“If you must know, you’re still one of the best runners I’ve come across. Practice hard, okay?” His teacher smiled and went on his way to note the records of his other pupils on his chart board. Jongin heaved a sigh and carded his fingers through his auburn trellises. Since the beginning, he always had a competitive nature whenever it came to his adored sport and not beating the set records dismayed him.