Hideaway

Chapter |1|

Chapter |1|

Fast.

No, faster.

Chanting these words in my mind, I pushed my legs and willed my body to follow the dusty track on which I ran.

Th white lines that marked my area of the track lane had started to blur, in more sense than one.

The wind slapped me against my face and my muscles screamed for rest as I kept on running.

The craving of the shining medal against my chest made me push even harder. I could see the other runners on my tail but this only made me run harder.

A little more.

Just a little.

I kept telling myself when the red ribbon came into view.

This was it.

My feet thudded on the dusty track as I approached the finish line. Within a few more seconds, I felt the gentle caress of the broad ribbon on my torso as it swayed with me the moment I crossed the finish line.

I ran a few more steps before collapsing on the grass and the crowd got up and cheered.

I could very well feel the intense beating of my heart and the deep breathing as I lay on the soft grass with my arms spread out on either sides and the red ribbon on my stomach.

But even the panting couldn't remove the massive grin that graced my face as I shut my eyes.

I could hear the crowd bustling with cheers. Some offering their congratulations while some encouraged the ones who lost. Every parent, every relative comforted or seemed to be enjoying the victory of the others in one way or another.

But I had no one.

It wasn't that I didn't have a family. I did have one.

But they didn't even know that I ran, let alone knowing that I was the best runner on the track team.

The question would be why. But the thing is that I didn't live in my family.

I survived.

I had no friends either.

And that wasn't because I was too shy to make some or because I wasn't a sociable person.

It was because I was made a social pariah.

For the whole school and my family, I was a fat girl with a protruding belly and huge thighs. For them, I had jet black hair that were heavily oiled, instead of my caramel locks. For them, I was a nerd with glasses so huge that could put the grandma glasses to shame.

For them I was Penelope or mostly Penny.

Freaky Penny.

Not, Skylar. Skylar Penelope Carter was the one who was gazing at the sky, trying to regain her breath as she tried to control the thoughts of her mother. She was the one with a toned body and caramel hair.

I was Skylar, right now.

The same Skylar that had won medals and medals for her school.

It's strange how everyone knew who Skylar was during sports events but no one actually tried to find out where she was during the school time.

But I didn't mind. It was actually good because it saved me a lot of trouble. Trouble of hiding my identity even more than it already was hidden.

"Skylar! Is that you?"