“Only if you snitch on me.” Kevin looked over and saw Gwen. “Great, I’m wasting time. Listen, fairy girl! You don’t say anything. If you do, you’ll regret it.”

  With that, he was up and over leaving the two others with Gwen. The girl, Samantha, sighed and turned to face Gwen. She smiled and waved.

  “Hi, I’m Sam, and this is also Sam.” She pointed to York.

  “Samuel is my name.” He clarified, “And I believe we should be getting along.”

  “Don’t be rude,” Samantha said and stepped over to Gwen and extended her hand, “What’s your name?”

  “Gw- Gwen.” Gwen said, nervously taking the hand, “He’s right. You should be trying to make your best time.”

  Samantha shrugged at that and smiled, “I don’t care too much about that. Like my grandmother always says, it’s better to have company at the bottom than to be at the top alone.”

  “Well, I’m very slow and don’t want to bother you.” Gwen tried to let go of her hand.

  “It’s no bother.” Samantha kept up her smile. “Everything is more fun with friends.”

  “We’re not friends,” Gwen pointed out.

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  “We can be. We have all day after all.” Samantha countered, “And I’m sure other Sam won’t mind-”

  “I said, leave me alone!” Gwen nearly shouted leaving Samantha quiet. Trying to shrink down where she stood Gwen whispered, “Please, just go.”

  “Okay then.” Samantha said recovering, “But I’ll talk to you later. Okay?”

  She took off at a run. Samuel stood there watching her go.

  “Active passivity is a poor long-term strategy.” He turned his scooter forward, “I’m sure you’ll come to adapt.”

  With the push of a button, Samuel launched forward and caught up with Samantha. Gwen watched them disappear around the bend again. After a moment she continued her jog and was soon passed by some other students who she knew were giving her dirty looks over their shoulders, but she just kept her eyes on the ground before her. So long as they just left her alone she would make it.

  Gwen continued her steady pace keeping to the outer edge of the path as the inside was getting used by students who had greater than average speed to pass by. It was about a quarter of the way when she heard the stomping feet behind her and a boy shouting “Out of my way fairy!”

  The boy came up directly behind her and back-swung her pushing her over the track line and into the surrounding ditch.

  “Sorry,” He stopped to loom over her, “but you really shouldn’t be so pathetic while in other people’s way.”

  “I was out of the way.” Gwen tried to defend herself as she looked for a way out.

  “Shut up!” The boy kicked dirt at her, “Something as pathetic as you is always in the way. I don’t know why they even allowed you to come here.”

  “I belong here,” Gwen said with false defiance as she gained her footing.

  “Like hell you do.” The boy lifted his boot and set to hit her, “You fairies don’t belong anywhere.”