I Hear it's Wonderful in California

[Lukas Greene]

The asphalt of winding paths ended quite abruptly in an expanse of concreted patio. Dodging chairs and tables, benches and flowering pots, he continued onto the grass, freshly cut and enticingly scented. The early morning dew seeped only slightly into his new Nike training shoes. The fresh morning air felt clean in his lungs, and the chirping of the birds in the trees around him caused a carefree sort of feeling within him.

Blonde hair wasn’t coated in gels to spike it, rather was left damp from a shower and just above his chestnut colored eyes. Thirty minutes passed as he ran across the park, feet rhythmically pounding against the ground, heart racing ever faster, sweat now dripping from his back, and finally he stopped next to an old oak tree. Leaning his back against it he sank until he was sitting on green carpeting of grass. Tilting his head up towards the branches overhead he breathed deeply, allowing his lungs to catch up on oxygen supply.

He glanced towards the watch strapped to his left wrist; the time was now 7:30am. A good two hours ago he had left home. Something that was slightly insane for a teenager on a Saturday morning, but he truly didn’t like to sleep in, a mere three hours of sleep would allow him energy until the next morning at two, where he would fall asleep and repeat the process.

There were a few women walking through the park, but by running in the morning he avoided the Frisbee-throwing families, and most of the people that he knew from school. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t mind talking to a few people, but when he was running wasn’t the best time for him to be disturbed by his friends for a talk, or just to go hang out. Particularly when he was sweating profusely he didn’t care for a chat with a girl that he might possibly have an interest in.

Finally having a healthy heart rate and regular breathing he climbed the sturdy branched of the tree, coming to sit ten feet or so off the ground, he surveyed the area, not particularly sure what he was looking for, or what he would do when he found it.

[Ashlee Jones]

The steady core beat of a pair of Nike shoes on asphalt was a rhythmic tone to Ashlee's ears. Every morning, school day or not, she got up early and ran about 4 miles each day. She needed to keep in shape, as always, and needed to work on her limits, pushing them more and more every single day. She only stopped when her legs felt like they were on fire and were about to turn into jell-o and sweat was dripping off of her like she just got out of the shower. Ash loved pushing herself to her limits, and pain was her best friend.

Stopping in the grass, she bent over, putting her hands on her knees rather hard. She gasped for breath, her chest heaving inwards and outwards slowly. Lifting her arms then to the sky, she took in a few deep breaths, then exhaled them loudly. That felt better. Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she looked around. Not a lot of people. Of course not. Everyone was probably sleeping still. Ash looked down at her attire: a pink Under Armour training bra and black short Under Armour shorts. Taking her hair out of her pony, she ran a hand through it a few times, then put it back up.

Seeing a guy then climb up a tree, she tilted her head some. She watched him, then walked slowly towards the tree where he disappeared into. Clearing her throat some, Ashlee grabbed a branch, swung up one of her legs, then brought the rest of her body up. She was like a Monkey; she loved to climb things. Climbing a little higher than the guy did, Ashlee put her back onto the tree, letting one of her feet dangle. It was as if she was half feline; she had excellent vision, really good hearing and smell, and she could climb anything around.