School had ended twenty minutes ago, but the track team were yet to exit the school premises. Zayn Hale lingered near the finish line, doing slow cooldown stretches in his navy track shorts and sleeveless shirt, sweat still glistening along his collarbone. He always stayed behind a few minutes, a habit from years of being captain, making sure no one left gear or forgot a phone on the bleachers.
That's when he noticed the new kid, Ethan Brown, sat alone on the third row of the bleachers, elbows on his knees, staring out at the empty oval like he was trying to memorize every white line. He wasn't in running gear. just jeans and a plain black shirt, but the way he watched the track made it clear he wasn't just passing through.
Zayn straightened, towel draped over one shoulder, and walked over.
