The History of a Runner/2

Chapter 2: The Race
"Tuesday, June 4th, 1996, 7:23 PM. Day 3 of the experiment.  Everybody here seems to be pretty bored.  That is, except Manny and Beck Strong, who seem to be having WAY too much fun torturing their brother Samuel.  Seriously, I don't get it.  Other than that, not much is going on here.  Um...that's all I got, so...this is Henry Runn.  Over and out."

Henry turned off the recorder and put it away. He sat on the ground and took out his Game Boy to play The Majora's Mask for the zillionth time. He took a quick look around to see what everyone was doing.

His wife Margaret was strumming her guitar.

Beck and Manny were playing with their dog, Corey.

Samuel was writing in his notebook.

Mr. Zachary was dribbling a basketball, and appeared to be thinking.

T. Knight was eating a bag of potato chips.

Paul, Henry's good friend from high school, was working on a storyboard.

Benny was using a calculator, probably trying to figure out his total sale for the week.

Homer was sleeping. Must be hard for him, Henry thought.

Prof. Winer was reviewing some book, probably getting ready for next year's classes.

Harriet was reading a book.

Chelsea was busy warming up. She did a run around the room practically every day.

Henry decided to broaden his horizons, maybe make a new friend. He put down his Game Boy and walked toward Chelsea. "Hey," he said.

Chelsea stopped her stretching and looked up. "Hi," she murmured. Awkward silence...

"Howya doin'?"

"Fine." More awkward silence...

"So...you're competing in the Olympics?"

"Yep." Chelsea brightened at Henry's acknowledgement. She loved it whenever someone mentioned her athletic career.

"Cool. What sport?"

"Track and Field. 200-yard dash."

"Nice. You know, back in high school I was on the track team.  Best runner of the bunch," Henry boasted.

"Oh really?"

"Uh-huh. They called me H. Runn-er."

"Huh. Betcha I could beat you in a race without even trying."

"Oh, you are so on." Henry and Chelsea found a starting point near the door. "First one around the room four times wins. If you win, you get to tease me mercilessly throughout the rest of the week."

"And if I lose?"

"Then I get bragging rights...and dibs on the 200-yard dash in the 2000 Games."

"Deal." The two shook hands. By this time, all eyes were on them. Paul even set up his watch to time them.

"On your marks...get set...go!" he yelled, and the two took off, both giving it their all. Eventually, Chelsea made a stop at the door, Henry finishing about five seconds afterward.

"Ha ha!" Chelsea teased. Henry made a pretend-pouty face.

Margaret walked toward her husband. "You were gread," she said.

Henry smiled. He replied, "Thanks," and gave her a quick kiss.

Beck just rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, she won, whatever. Can we just get back to our daily routine now?"

****

That night, everyone went to bed, the face fresh in their minds. The memories of what they did that day played before them in their dreams, as they wondered what the next day was going to be life. It was a very peaceful night.

That is, until storm clouds crept over Atlanta, and a bolt of lightning struck the AISS.

Fun Facts

 * Somehow, I forgot that this took place about 16 years ago. Originally, Henry was going to take out his phone to play Labyrinth.  Then I remembered that they didn't have iPhones and stuff back then, so I had him take out his Game Boy instead.
 * Figured out who's who yet? You should be able to.
 * I honestly have no clue if you can call dibs on spots in the Olympics. Eh, whatever. It seems like a pretty good thing to have Henry say.
 * Yeah...sorry if you didn't like the mushiness that happened between Margaret and Henry. Hey, what can I say, they're married.