The run started a bit slow and steady. It took me a moment to find my rhythm, but once I did, everything about the situation melted away and I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline that took over.
This wasn’t the first time I’d run the trail around campus, but it was the first time I’d done so with company. Trent kept paced on the right while Blake ran in step on my left. I got a unique sensation throughout the run that we were all connected. As I felt my breathing and heartbeat, I imagined that theirs were an exact match to mine.
I guess I should have realized that me running with both of them would not go unnoticed. I registered the cameras that were whipped out and knew the pictures would be on the school feed before our run was over. But once we bypassed the main campus and were on the trail through the forest, it didn’t even matter at all to me.