Bad Influence - popular girl x nerd boy

34- Rome

Streaks of orange chase away the dark grey of the sky as quickly as I chase behind Lucas. My years of running alone have not prepared me for the competition of a cross country runner, his long strides outmatch my rapid ones each lap we make across the school's track. Still, I copy his footfall when he darts through lanes of the track, tackling him onto the terf grass of the football field once he finally stops to take a breath.

Holding his hands down against his hips as I lay on his chest, he laughs out, "pining me to the floor doesn't mean I didn't win the race."

"No, you being slow means you lost." I correct him.

"Is that what you call being ten feet ahead of you?" He's still panting from the run, sweat driping down my own forehead.

"You were never this mean when we started dating," I pout, making him roll his eyes at the blatant lie. "All you do is insult me."

"You were ten times meaner to me when we met, to be fair." His large hand is placed on the back of my head, gently lowering my neck and bringing me into a kiss.

Soft giggles from my lips break our contact. "I've been a bad influence on you," I repeat the words he called me weeks before. His back still pressed against the rubber material we were on top of and bolting across for the past hour.

The school's track has been my sanctuary for countless mornings, a private way to work through my thoughts and emotions. I've never ran it with anyone else, refusing to invite my friends or lovers. It was a big moment for me when I would even tell them my routine of running, let alone have them join me in the quiet space.

Lucas wasn't like that. After enjoying a dinner with his family, the only people who have ever felt like a family to me, I told him that I couldn't spend the night because I was waking up early in the morning. Telling him my guilty pleasure didn't feel like a dirty secret I had to hide from him, instead it was the first time I found myself wanting to admit it to someone. And he surprised me even more by asking to join me on the track in the morning.

A part of myself I never expected to reveal so openly – let alone be respected by the boy I love – is now transparent. The feeling is strange, a vulnerability and warmth resting in my chest as heavily as Lucas's trust does. But there's no worries on my mind as I jump off Lucas and start sprinting down the side of the track, determined to beat him again.

Grazing by the finish line seconds before Lucas can catch me, I throw my arms up in triumph.

"Cheating isn't the same as winning," he offers me his water bottle as I attempt to catch my breath.

"You wouldn't know what winning is like," I say smugly.

My bravado collapses as Lucas pulls off his shirt, his glistening stomach causing me to choke on my water.

He throws the shirt at my head, breaking my stare at his carved abs. Smirking, he rakes his eyes over the embarrassed blush on my cheeks and takes a step closer. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

I'm a stuttering mess by the time his fingers play with the end of my long braid, cursing the way his body towers over mine and makes my thoughts disappear.

Too soon the sun is cresting above the school's building, signalling that the rest of my cheer team will be here soon for morning practice. As my girls stroll through the football field to greet me on the other side, Lucas presses a kiss to my cheek and squeezes my hand, a promise between us.

Lucas pulls his t-shirt over his head, covering up his wide chest despite Autumn's boo's and the lower classmen's stares. Even when I should be greeting my team, my eyes follow his retreating figure, missing him already.