ART 3–CHAPTER 152
11 288 Vouchers
The thought still felt strange sometimes. A year ago, I was in college, on track for something completely different. A “normal” life, I guess. But that wasn’t me anymore. I left school about six months ago, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard at first. My parents were disappointed. Hell, everyone was disappointed – except Aiden.
He was the one who pushed me. The one who told me I needed to run again. And God, I hated him for it at first. For trying to force me to be someone, I didn’t feel like I was anymore. For pushing me to relive something I didn’t even remember.
But now, I know I owe him every time I lace up my shoes. He knew, even when I couldn’t see it. He knew this was what I needed.
I needed to thank him.
I rounded a bend in the trail, my heart pounding with effort and exhilaration. The sun had just started to rise over the trees, casting long shadows across the path, and for a moment, everything felt still.
Perfect.
It was in these moments, with nothing but the sound of my own breath and the steady beat of my shoes against the dirt, that I felt closest to who I used to be–or maybe who I was becoming now. A new version of Jess. Stronger. More sure of herself.
And yet, there was always that nagging emptiness. That piece of me that felt… incomplete.
I couldn’t explain it, but it was like something was missing. Someone, maybe. Sometimes, when I was out here in the
30.45%
PART 3–CHAPTER 152
288 Vouchers
middle of nowhere, the world stretched wide and open around. me. I’d feel it–a shadow of something I’d lost. A whisper of a memory just out of reach.
But I never could quite grasp it.
I pushed harder, picking up speed as I descended the mountain, my body moving on instinct. The faster I ran, the more I could outrun those ghosts. At least for a little while.
By the time I reached the bottom, my legs were shaking with exhaustion, but it was the good kind–the kind that made you feel like you’d accomplished something. Like you’d pushed yourself past your limits and come out stronger on the other side.
I slowed to a jog, wiping the sweat from my brow as I made my way back to the trailhead where my car was parked. The sun was higher now, warming my skin. I stretched my arms overhead, feeling the tension release from my muscles.
As I stood there, breathing in the cool mountain air, I thought about the future. About what came next. The competitions, the sponsors, the next race. It was exciting, but it also felt… overwhelming. Like I was standing at the edge of something huge, and I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready to take the plunge.
But I knew one thing for certain: I wouldn’t be here without Aiden. As much as I hated him for it at first, he was the reason I was back on this path. The reason I’d found something to hold onto when everything else felt like it was slipping away.
PART 3–CHAPTER 153
