Running Behind

by Sylvia Taekema

  That kept them going for a while. But eventually the boys ran out of questions and started looking out the windows again. The highway had given way to small curving roads. Everyone grew quiet, staring out at the beautiful scenery. Except for Spencer, who was watching the sky.

  They arrived in Barry’s Bay and drove right past a couple of hotels.

  “Which one is ours?” asked Shawn.

  “We check in a little later,” said Dave. “I want to check out the course before it gets dark. Make sure you have coats and hats and gloves. It’s cold out there.”

  Lots of other teams must have had the same idea. The parking lot where the race would start was almost full. Teams and coaches huddled everywhere. A group of girls walked by, and one of the runners, tall with brown hair in two long braids, flashed a brilliant smile in the Diamonds’ direction.

  “She was looking at you, dude,” teased Shawn, punching Simon’s shoulder.

  “Was not.”

  “Was too, and now you look like a pink puffer fish.”

  “Do not.”

  “Your cheeks are on fire.”

  “It’s just from the cold.”

  The rest of the boys grinned.

  “All right,” said Dave, pulling a map out of his parka pocket. “Let’s do a walk-through of the course.” The boys followed him across the parking lot into a wide clearing next to a lake. “This is the start, right here. Everyone’s going to run across this field, then head down this path.” He led them into the woods. The path started out wide, then narrowed to a boardwalk across a swampy section. The boys followed the trail higher and higher until it finally broke out in a rocky clearing. The team stopped at the top. They could see the whole valley from there.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Dave.

  “Wow!”

  “Awesome!”

  “Take it all in while you can, boys. Tomorrow there won’t be time to stop.”

  They took turns doing Tarzan calls and listening for the echo. Spencer was quiet. “What do you think?” Jake asked him. “Is this a great place to run or what?”

  “Yeah,” said Spencer. “Great.”

  “Most of the path is really narrow. We’re going to have to pass whenever we have a chance.”

  “Yeah.” Spencer’s voice was flat.

  “You know, I bet our dads will be here by the time we get to the hotel.”

  “Think so?” His eyes brightened.

  Jake looked at his watch. “Yeah, for sure.”

  “Let’s go,” called Dave. “We’re only halfway through the course, and my nose is turning into an ice cube.”

  They crossed the clearing and followed the trail down as it curved around giant boulders and scraggly trees. Finally the trees began to thin and the trail began to widen again. Dave pointed out a side trail into a grassy area full of runners and coaches. There was a small shelter and some picnic tables. “This is where the finish will be. Don’t miss the turn. Stay tight along the tape, and don’t stop until you cross the line.”

  Chapter Nine

  When they pulled into the hotel, Spencer quickly scanned the parking lot. “Jake, what does your dad drive?”

  Jake looked around. There were lots of vehicles but no green Jetta. Uh-oh. “Don’t worry, Spencer. I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

  The boys took their bags up to their room and took a look around. Only a few minutes later there was a knock on the door. “Hungry?” Dave asked when Shawn opened the door.

  “Starving!” the team cried.

  “Okay, then, let’s go get some grub.”

  Most of the boys raced out immediately, but Spencer sat on one of the two single beds.

  “Spencer,” said Jake.

  “Huh?”

  “C’mon. Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Not really.” But he got up and followed Jake out of the room.

  “Jake,” said Dave when they got to the van, “your dad called. He said he and Spencer’s dad left later than planned. They’re on their way, but they’ll be a bit yet. Okay?”

  Spencer let out a long, slow breath and nodded. “Okay. Good.”

  There was a table for six in the center of the restaurant Dave had chosen. They pulled another chair over and wedged it in.

  “Everyone good?” asked Dave as they crowded around.

  “It’s warm,” said Sam.

  “And there’s food,” said Tony.

  Even Spencer smiled.

  “I still can’t believe Dave only got us one room!” said Shawn as he fumbled with the key card. He finally got the door open, and Jake, Sam, Simon and Spencer tumbled in behind him. Tony was helping Dave bring in the foam mattresses.

  “Probably a team bonding thing,” said Sam.

  “It’ll be fun,” said Jake. He didn’t want to tell them it had been his idea.

  Sam quickly found the hotel’s Wi-Fi password and got his device working. Shawn started skimming through the TV channels.

  Suddenly the door was thrown open. “It’s snowing!” cried Tony, running to the window and pulling back the curtain. Dave followed him in. “Just started. Look.”

  They all pressed their noses to the glass. The streetlights lit up the thick flakes, which were falling fast.

  “I should have brought my snowboard,” said Shawn. “I bet they have some sick hills here.”

  “Want to go out for a snowball fight?” asked Simon.

  “I wonder what it will do to the course,” said Sam.

  Spencer backed away.

  “Spencer, you okay, dude?” asked Shawn.

  All eyes turned toward Spencer. He made an attempt at a smile.

  “Fine.”

  “You look like you’re about to upchuck your lasagna,” said Tony.

  “It’s just been a long day,” said Jake. “A big trip and a big race tomorrow.”

  “Yes,” said Coach Dave, “but we run for fun, right?” He clapped Spencer on the shoulder and looked at his watch. “Listen, I’ve got to head to a meeting about the final race details. You guys take it easy. Save the snowboarding and snowballing for after the run so you don’t sprain any ankles. Watch some TV maybe, but make sure you’re snoring by about nine thirty. Okay?”

  “Yes, Coach.”

  “Simon, I’m counting on you to keep these guys in good shape.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Chapter Ten

  A weather alert showed up in a wide red bar along the bottom of the TV screen. Jake moved in front of it and tossed Spencer a sleeping mat. “Why don’t we set up our mats?” he said, grabbing the remote and quickly turning the TV off.

  “I call one of the beds,” called Shawn.

  “You’re too tall,” said Sam. “Your feet will stick out.”

  “There’s no way I’m sleeping on the floor. There might be spiders.”

  “What’s with you and spiders?” asked Simon.

  “I don’t know. They just have too many legs. It’s creepy.”

  “It makes no sense,” said Sam.

  “Sure it does. Bugs have six. Spiders have eight. Too many. And sometimes they’re hairy. That’s just weird.”

  “Not that part. The being-afraid-of-them part. It makes no sense. They’re so tiny.”

  “Yeah, but still creepy.” Shawn lay down on one of the beds. His feet stuck over the end. “I’ll bet everyone here is afraid of something.”

  “No way,” said Jake.

  “Not me,” said Simon.

  “Grapes,” said Tony.

  “What?”

  “Grapes. I almost choked on one once. My uncle had to give me the Heimlich. Scariest thing.”

  “Okay. What about you, Sam? What are you scared of?”

  Sam thought for a moment. He sighed. “Well, I guess sometimes I’m afraid of letting people down.”

  “Whoa. I thought maybe you’d say you were scared of the dark or something,” said Shawn. “What do you mean?”

  Sam shrugged. “My family, my friends.”

  �
��Sam Jii, with all your medals and awards and smarts?”

  Sam nodded. “A little. Sometimes.”

  “C’mon, dude, you’re solid. We all know you always do your best.” He got up to give Sam a high five, and all the others did the same.

  Shawn turned to look at Jake. “How about you, Jake? Feeling good about tomorrow?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I plan to stick to Spencer like glue and let him take us both right over the finish line. Easy peasy. Right, Spencer?”

  Spencer was staring out the window. The snow was still coming down hard.

  “Anyone else feel a draft?” asked Jake as he got up and closed the curtains.

  “What about you, Spencer?” asked Shawn. “What are you afraid of ?”

  Jake knew Spencer was waiting for his dad to arrive and was worried about the snow. Jake had promised not to say anything, but he was hoping Spencer would tell the others what was on his mind. They would understand. They would help him out.

  “Uh, I don’t know…maybe the dentist?”

  “You’re a dentophobe?” asked Sam.

  “Someone who doesn’t like the dentist is called a dentophobe?” asked Shawn.

  “Yes. And someone who doesn’t like water is called an aquaphobe. Ever heard of claustrophobia?”

  Simon laughed. “What’s that, a fear of Santa Claus?”

  “No, it’s a fear of small spaces.”

  “Oh yeah. I knew that,” said Shawn. “But when I was little, that dude in the red suit sure freaked me out.”

  “How about agrizoophobia?” Sam was loving this.

  “Are you serious? You made that one up,” said Jake.

  “No, it’s the fear of wild animals.”

  “Ha! I’m feeling agrizoophobic being caged in here with you guys!” said Shawn.

  “Especially if any of you have ablutophobia,” added Sam.

  “Gross,” said Simon. “What’s that?”

  “A fear of bathing.”

  “Shouldn’t that be called bathophobia?” Simon asked.

  Sam shook his head. “Bathmophobia is the fear of stairs.”

  Shawn threw a pillow at Sam’s head. “How do you know all that, man?

  “I don’t know. I just like collecting weird facts. I think it’s fun.”

  “What’s the weirdest one you know?”

  “Hmmm. Turophobia maybe? That’s the fear of cheese.”

  “Cheese?” Tony’s eyes were wide. “The only thing to be afraid of about cheese is that they’ll run out of it when they’re making my pizza!”

  “I’m not afraid of anything!” declared Simon.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Well, maybe that one of you will snore.”

  “Louder than you do?” They all laughed. Jake yawned. Then so did Shawn. Then Tony.

  “Come on, you guys, we’d better get to sleep before Coach Dave pokes his head back in here,” said Jake. “Gotta be in tip-top shape for tomorrow, right, Spencer?”

  “You guys go ahead. I’m not tired yet.”

  “You’re not a hypnophobe, are you?” asked Sam.

  “Let me guess. Afraid of sleep?” asked Spencer. “No, I’m just—”

  “What, then?” asked Simon. “Are you really afraid you won’t run well tomorrow?” As he spoke he began moving from side to side.

  “What are you doing?” asked Jake.

  “My job. Assistant coach.” Simon started moving his arms up and down like he was swimming the front crawl. “I feel a rap coming on. Here we go.”

  Silver’s rockin’, I tell you. Watch out yellow, green and blue.

  We’ve got Shawn who’s always on, at the whistle he is gone.

  We’ve got Tony who’s no phony, he is strong, that’s no baloney.

  We’ve got Sam, Sam I am, he is fast, look out, shazam.

  And we’ve got Jake, he’s no fake, when he runs the earth will quake.

  And then there’s Spencer, he’s… intenser.

  Makes the others jump the fencer, uhh-hunhh, uhh-hunhh.

  As Simon danced, pointed and spun, the others boys burst out laughing.

  “Intenser?” asked Sam when he could catch his breath. “That’s not even a word.”

  “That’s because Spencer is so awesomely fast, the words to describe him haven’t even been invented yet.” Simon walked over and punched Spencer on the arm. “Right?”

  Spencer smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Jake saw him pick up the TV remote. He knew Spencer was probably going to check the weather alerts. He had to think fast. “You know, I think Simon is afraid of something,” Jake said, grabbing Sam’s device. “Give me a second. Yeah, look here. Venustraphobia. What do you think, Spencer?” He traded him the device for the remote.

  “What is it?” asked Tony.

  “Yeah,” said Simon, “what is it?”

  Spencer cleared his throat. “Venustraphobia. A fear of beautiful women. Symptoms are anxiety, inability to speak, shortness of breath.”

  “Dude,” said Shawn to Simon, “your face is as red as those Spider-Man pajamas! Boys, I think we’re onto something.”

  “I am not afraid of girls!” squeaked Simon, and peals of laughter filled the room again.

  “Oh man,” said Shawn. “My stomach muscles hurt. I think we’d better try and get some sleep now. I’m going to brush my teeth. No one take my bed.” As soon as he closed the bathroom door behind him, there was a bloodcurdling scream.

  Tony eyes grew wide. “What—”

  “Spider!” Shawn announced, opening the door again. His face was white.

  Simon scooped up Sam’s device. “Shawn, you…arachnophobe. I’m coming to the rescue. I’m not wearing my Spider-Man gear for nothing.”

  Tony and Sam began rooting around in their bags for toothbrushes too. Jake joined Spencer at the window. “Still snowing?”

  Spencer nodded.

  “You okay?”

  “Sure. But I think I’ll wait until our dads are here before I go to sleep.”

  They heard noises in the hall. “Maybe that’s them now,” said Jake. He ran over to the door and swung it open. There stood Coach Dave, all dusted with snow. Jake peered down the empty hallway. “Hey, Coach, everything look good for tomorrow?”

  “No worries there. I just stopped in to make sure the party wasn’t too wild over here.” He winked. “And I got another message from your dads.”

  Behind him, Jake heard Spencer suck in his breath.

  “With all the snow, they decided to stop at a hotel about an hour from here. They will drive up first thing in the morning. The snow’s supposed to stop by then.”

  Jake heard Spencer letting his breath out again slowly. “Okay. Thanks, Dave.”

  “See you in the morning, team,” he called into the room.

  “Night, Coach.”

  The lights were off. Everyone was snuggled deep into their sleeping bags. Jake was just about asleep when he heard someone singing. “The eensy weensy spider went up—”

  He heard the thump of Shawn’s pillow landing. “Ouch!” said Simon.

  Jake smiled and turned over. In the glow of the streetlight he saw a dark shape by the window. Spencer. Jake got up. “Everything okay?” he whispered.

  “Yep.”

  “You know your dad is fine, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s one hundred percent safe and sound.”

  “I know.”

  “You don’t need to worry.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You going to be okay for tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Can you sleep?”

  “Soon.”

  Jake sighed. He wished everyone’s problems were eensy weensy.

  Chapter Eleven

  When Jake opened his eyes the next morning, he saw Spencer already up, dressed and sitting in the desk chair. He wore a long-sleeved turtleneck, black leggings with shorts over them, and long socks. His silver jersey hung over the back of the chair along with a winter hat and glo
ves. He looked ready. But was he?

  Jake could see through the crack in the curtains that the snow had stopped and the sun was trying to shine.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “We don’t want any,” said Tony from his sleeping-bag cocoon.

  Spencer ran to the door and pulled it open.

  “Rise and shine, team,” Coach Dave said with a grin. “How are you, Spencer? Sleep okay?”

  “Yeah, great. Really good.”

  Spencer’s reply surprised Jake. He hoped it was true.

  “Excellent.” He clapped Spencer on the shoulder. “Because it’s race day!”

  Jake watched Spencer walk to the window and pull open the curtains for a clear view of the parking lot. He knew the race wasn’t the first thing on Spencer’s mind.

  “Morning, Coach,” said Jake, sitting up in his sleeping bag. “Breakfast?”

  “You bet. But I’m too old for pajama parties. You guys get up and at ’em. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes with supplies, and we’ll eat. Last one up has to do the dishes.”

  Everyone scrambled out of their sleeping bags at once. Jake stretched, quickly dressed and then joined Spencer at the window. “Wow, what a lot of snow!” he said. He immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. He backtracked. “But look, it’s already melting. It’s going to be a great day for running, don’t you think?”

  “It’s always a great day for running,” said Spencer, but Jake could tell his smile was forced.

  Coach Dave returned shortly with a bag of warm bagels, a jar of peanut butter, some plastic knives and a bunch of bananas.

  “Hope there’s no one here with arachibutyrophobia,” said Sam.

  Shawn groaned loudly.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Coach Dave.

  “We talked enough about spiders last night.”

  “Ha!” said Sam with a smile. “That’s arachnophobia, remember? Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.”

  “There’s a word for that?” said Simon, shaking his head.

  “It’s all good,” said Shawn. “No peanutbutterophobias for me. Pass me that jar.”

  They sat on the floor in a circle and passed around the fixings for their breakfast.