An End To The Distance Read online

  Tegan grabbed the ball and hit Peyton again.

  "Now whose being the narcissistic ass?"

  Peyton smiled. Their head coach blew his whistle for the girls to huddle so he could explain today’s practice. Everyone complained when the words "fitness" and "test" were mentioned but Peyton couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with excitement. Pushing her body to the limit and going the extra mile was what Peyton loved. And Peyton actually did go the extra mile. She was the last one to finish the beep test and the first one to finish the shuttle run. Everyone else had gotten tired but managed to cheer tiredly for her on the sidelines. When she finished, her teammates congratulated her before their coach gathered them around one last time. Peyton put a towel over her head and squirted water from her water bottle in her mouth. Her calves were constantly clenching even as she stood still around her teammates but she knew it would only better her endurance, making her a better player. Peyton’s love for handball was always profound but she was only interested in playing college ball. Kat was the one who had the dream. Peyton always loved that Kat had big dreams and that nothing was impossible for her. That’s the main reason why she fell in love with Kat. She had such a beautiful soul.

  “Babe, you know you are better than me at handball. You haven't made contact with any of the colleges that chose you. Including ours. Why don't you join the team?"

  “I don’t know Kat. It would just be an extracurricular activity. I really have to focus on my journalism and all.”

  “Yeah but we could use you. I mean, you make the game so interesting with all your fancy technique that always confuses the hell out of me.”

  Peyton chuckled.

  "It’s simple, really.”

  “Oh shut up. Take a compliment for once. But seriously, think about it. Us playing on the same team means more time for us to be together and you know what that means?"

  Kat brushed her soft lips against Peyton’s neck.

  “Kat, come on. We are in public.”

  Kat bit the bottom of her ear and whispered,

  “So? Let’s go somewhere private.”

  “Kennedy, are your boots more fascinating then my pre-game speech?"

  Peyton blinked hastily and looked up from staring down at her boots, around at her teammates that were smirking at her.

  “Um no sir."

  "So you wouldn't mind me asking what I just said to your teammates. The ones who were listening."

  "I just figured I didn't have to listen because I knew you were going to say that everyone did a horrible job but me."

  The entire team ruptured in laughter. Peyton's coach smirked.

  "Well I see you obviously didn't run enough because you are still able to make cognitive thoughts so how about another—mile?"

  Peyton grinned before heading off to the track.

  "Peyton?"

  Her coach called back. When Peyton turned back around, he curled his index finger for her to come back.

  "You still haven't heard my announcement."

  "Right."

  Peyton grinned, placing her hands on her hips.

  "I was fortunate enough to get in contact with Super Star Kat Terranis and so she will be here next week to come out and show her support to her hometown for our game against Stanford on Friday so I expect everyone to make me look good and make themselves look good as well. That’s what I said, Peyton. Now you can go run your mile. Everyone else is dismissed."

  Tegan gave Peyton a sympathetic look before grabbing her water bottle and heading in the locker room with the rest of the team which Peyton was too distracted to notice. She sighed and took off running her brain going faster than her legs. It was one thing for Kat to be back in the States, But to come back into her life? At her game? Watching her? No, no, no. Peyton wouldn't have it. As Peyton hit the curve of the track she thought about a great excuse enough to make coach let her miss the game.

  Tutoring? He'd have my professor fired.

  Doctor's Appointment? He would have me reschedule.

  Tuberculosis? He'd tell me to buy extra Kleenexes.

  Shit.

  Peyton was royally fucked. She knew the game was important but so was her well being and if she saw Kat, she might die. She didn't even want to think the possible scenarios that could happen. After Peyton’s brisk jog, she decided to go around the track a couple of more times until she was ready to face the world again. She grabbed her duffle bag and sipped her Gatorade out of pure boredom on her walk to her dormitory. She slid her card and took the elevator just this one time because her legs were too tired for the stairs. Peyton knocked on the door and sure enough Tegan was on her bed, sketching out a plan to get Professor Dennings to like her.

  "Hey you're back. Took longer than I thought."

  Peyton dropped her gym bag on the floor of her bed and found herself tugging at her shirt, a nervous habit of hers she never learned to break or find one that wasn't as noticeable.

  “Yeah, I just decided to run a couple of extra laps.”

  Tegan placed her notebook and pencil down on her bedside and stared at Peyton.

  "Hey, we can talk about—"

  "Actually I'm just gonna head for the shower and then go to my class early."

  "Peyton."

  Tegan whined.

  "Teegs I'll see you later."

  PEYTON went to her English class late afternoon and was the first one to arrive. Professor Dennings looked up from her computer screen and raised her reading glasses on her head.

  “Oh, Peyton, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Afternoon Professor Dennings.”

  “You couldn't possibly need help with anything. You have the highest grade out of all of my Composition classes.”

  Peyton shrugged her shoulders and smiled stuffing her hands inside of her blue jean pockets, looking down at the floor.

  “Nah, I'm good. I just had a little extra time so I came here. But don't let Tegan hear you say that. She's hell bent on being your best student."

  Jasmine turned facing Peyton, giving her full attention.

  “Tegan? Flint?”

  Peyton nodded.

  "I didn't know you two were friends."

  "Have been since middle school."

  Jasmine hummed in response.

  "Why would she want to be my best student?"

  Peyton chose her next words carefully. If she outed Tegan in any way she knew Tegan would kill her.

  "She just has this feeling that you despise her. I told her she's crazy. I mean, you're my fave professor!"

  Jasmine smiled thinly before staring down at her heels and furrowing her brows.

  "I could never despise Tegan."

  She whispered softly.

  Peyton headed to her seat and tapped her pencil lightly on her desk, strumming a beat as she waited impatiently for her classmates, who she never spoke to, to show up. Sure enough, the rest of Peyton’s classmates came pouring in, one by one and Peyton was glad that she didn’t have to talk to her Professor anymore. Her assignment write a poem using figurative language. With Kat still resting fresh in her mind, Peyton decided to write it about her. words flew easily on her paper but it only made Peyton experience all the pain she so desperately tried to ignore again. After skimming over it a couple of times she realized the poem was decent enough to turn in. But no matter how good it was, she wished it were a lie, something that she had made up. Peyton didn’t think that anyone could make up such real pain. Peyton handed her paper in to Jasmine and left before class was over. She grabbed her keys out of her messenger bag and headed for the parking lot. Hopping in her Jeep, she drove to the beach. She turned on the radio on her way in hopes of drowning her loud thoughts that were attacking her heart. When she arrived she took her flip flops off of her feet and rolled up her jeans as she walked towards the ocean. Peyton stared at the sunset and wiped a tear that managed to escape her left eye. Breathing in shudders, Peyton sat down in the sand and pulled her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes tightly in attemp
ts to block out any thoughts regarding Kat. She listened to the ocean instead. She couldn't live like this, Peyton thought. With any mentioning of Kat plummeting her mood to zero. It just wasn't healthy for her mind body and soul.

  “OH my gosh, why are you so loud?”

  Tegan’s eyebrows wrinkled as she strained her eyes to stay open and see a gangling figure standing in front of her. Peyton removed her headphones from her head, sliding them down to her neck and pressed paused on her loud music.

  "Sorry, I didn't expect you to be sleeping at seven o'clock. Did you have dinner yet?"

  "Yeah, I already ate."

  "Damn."

  "Well you took longer than usual to come home. How was Professor Dennings’s class by the way?"

  “Good, she asked about you.”

  Tegan turned around and her smile expanded from ear to ear.

  “What? What’d she say!”

  “She said that she couldn’t believe that you and I were friends because I’m so awesome and you’re not.”

  Tegan’s face dropped.

  “She did not say that.”

  “She said something close to it.”

  Peyton laughed.

  “She said that it was weird for us being friends because we were so different from each other.”

  “Like I said Peyt, opposites attract. And even Professor Dennings sees that. I have a chance.”

  “I don’t think that applies to you and her.”

  “Sure, whatever. Professor Dennings and I will be together.”

  Peyton laughed.

  “You’re so stupid.”

  Tegan grinned before it slowly faded away as she realized why Peyton hadn't come back right after her class. She mindlessly played with the thread of her satin pillow.

  “Are you prepared to see her?”

  Peyton didn’t have to ask whom Tegan was talking about. She scrolled through the apps through her phone, avoiding eye contact. The discussion of Kat always made the two awkward.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think there’s a book on how to prepare yourself for seeing your ex.”

  Peyton grimaced as the word ex slid off of her tongue. It felt disgusting to say. Like using the Lord’s name in vain.

  “Are you nervous about her coming?”

  Peyton felt her heart sink. The thought of being in the same breathing air as Kat frightened the shit out of Peyton.

  “I don’t know, dude. I am, but at the same time, I want to see her but I feel like I shouldn’t, after all she’s done.”

  “It’s okay. That’s normal. You will always love her."

  I will always love you.

  FOUR

  TEGAN tapped her foot, waiting impatiently in line of the cafe to purchase her and Professor Dennings's coffee. She looked at her phone. It was 7:48. Her class began at 8:00. There were three people in front of her and they could not have ordered any slower. What the hell was possibly taking so long? There was only coffee and stale muffins; not really a lot of options to choose from.

  "Excuse me, is there a second register we can use?"

  Tegan announced with irritability clearly visible in her tone. Sure enough everyone turned around to glare at her but she didn't care. She just gave them a glare back. She was right. Coffee shouldn't take this long.

  "Whatever."

  She said under her breath before walking out of the coffee shop empty handed for the first time. Tegan walked fiercely back on campus towards Jasmine. She clenched her jaw, irritated at the fact that her morning had already started off shitty and it wasn't even eight o'clock and the fact that she couldn't get Jasmine's coffee. She had been bringing Jasmine coffee every day since the beginning of last semester. What would Jasmine say if she showed up empty handed. That had become her job and the coffee shop had to mess up everything. Tegan rolled her eyes as her thoughts ran wild and opened the door to her English class. Jasmine was in there as usual reading Book of Haikus. Tegan didn't bother saying good morning; she just went straight for her seat in the first row.

  "What? No coffee?"

  Jasmine never took her eyes off of her computer but she smirked and Tegan caught it, and couldn't help the corners of her lips curve upwards, suddenly forgetting she had an attitude.

  "But—you don't like coffee."

  "So you stop bringing it to me? Ouch Tegan. I thought that was our tradition."

  Jasmine now looked at Tegan with a fully fledged grin making Tegan blush. She tried to keep her focus on her professor but she was a little stunned at how they were having a normal conversation that didn't involve discussing what Tegan did behind closed doors in her bedroom.

  "No, it's not that—it's just everyone was so late today at the cafe and I got upset."

  Tegan's heart was racing now. Jasmine looked at her with intent as she spoke, as if she actually cared. She never did that. Tegan was usually so focused on trying to impress Jasmine that they never did have a normal conversation but they were now and that was frightening. She didn't know what to say or how to acts her cheeks felt like they were on fire and her body felt incredibly tingly. She just couldn't control herself. It was weird seeing her professor not be a total bitch when that was her normal disposition.

  "So someone has a temper?"

  Jasmine smirked. Jasmine was teasing Tegan and Tegan felt like her face might just fall off from being so red hot.

  "Um, no. I don't—or maybe I do...I just—"

  Tegan gulped quickly.

  "I like bringing you coffee."

  "And why is that?"

  Jasmine stood up and walked over to Tegan's desk. She stood tall while Tegan's writhe body sunk lower into her seat, Jasmine using her height as an advantage.

  "Uh, I don't really know. I'm sorry I guess."

  "No need to be sorry."

  Jasmine knelt down so she was at Tegan's eye level. Her tone was so sweet and soft it made Tegan want to cry.

  "I actually am a tea person. Chamomile to be exact."

  "Chamomile it is then."

  Tegan smiled and Jasmine walked back to her seat. Jasmine had gone home the other day after her encounter with Tegan feeling terrible about the way she treated her. It bothered her because Tegan was just a student of hers and needed to bulk up and not be a 24/7 pain in the ass but the look on Tegan's face when Jasmine exploded on her was enough guilt to even make Jasmine Dennings feel remorse. As much as Jasmine tried to deny it, it was Tegan who drove her to come to work every day. After a moment of silence and Jasmine fiddling with her nails, she spoke.

  "I um, thank you anyways."

  "You're welcome."

  "Look I'm sorry for the way I treated you the other day. It's just—well I have no excuse and I apologize for my harsh behavior."

  Tegan looked up at Jasmine, trying to detect what was laced within her apology. Sorrow?

  When Tegan didn't reply, Jasmine took that as a hint to continue.

  "My father—he is in the hospital and he's not really doing well. Last week the doctors told me there wasn't anything left they could do."

  "Professor Dennings, I am so sorry. You don't have to apologize. It was my fault anyways, for always being so jumpy. I'm sorry."

  "No, Tegan it's fine, really. To be honest it's your hyper attitude that keeps me awake in the mornings."

  Jasmine chuckled. Tegan smiled briefly before putting her head down to think. Professor Dennings's father was sick. How could Tegan miss the gloominess in Jasmine's demeanor? She should've been on top of that. Tegan thought of something that would make Jasmine feel better. Flowers? A balloon? No, that would just make everything worse. Jasmine didn't deserve any of this. She was a good person deep down. All the good people get hurt and it wasn't fucking fair.

  "You okay over there?"

  Tegan looked up at a smiling Jasmine, before she could realize that she had gotten a little teary eyed during her thoughts. She giggled and wiped away her tears.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't like to see the people I care about get hurt."
<
br />   "You care about me?"

  "I mean, yeah I guess. You are a really great professor I guess."

  Could that have sounded any more teacher-pet-ish?

  "Why thank you Tegan. You're a good student."

  During class, Tegan felt more at ease. She had an open conversation with Professor Dennings and it didn't involve her getting yelled at. She was off to a good start so far. Several times during class, Tegan had to look down at her paper to hide her shit-eating from that would suddenly appear at the thought of Jasmine. Sure, their conversation was short but it meant the world to Tegan. She couldn't wait to tell Peyton what had happened.

  "I DON’T fucking get her."

  Tegan pouted.

  "I mean, just the other week she wasn't even acknowledging my presence. Now she's flirting with me like some whore."

  Peyton stuck a spoonful of peanut butter in her mouth as she looked around her room for another banana.

  "Women are complicated that way."

  "No, Jasmine Dennings is complicated that way. Damn, if i would've known it would be this challenging just to win her attention I would've stuck with Political Science."

  Peyton stared at her watch.

  "Can we cut Dennings Therapy a little short today?"

  "Where are you going?"

  "Library. Unlike you, I wasn't blessed with an easy semester."

  "Oh come on! I still have more Jasmine to talk about."

  "Write in your diary that you think no one knows you have until I get back."

  "I—Fine. But expect me to give you the Dennings today."

  "What do you mean The Dennings?"

  "Expect for me to ignore you."