The rest of the school day was thankfully very uneventful for Max. Draco was quiet in class, and Vivi left him alone too; though she seemed to be getting along well with the camera boy, and the girl with the hood. Ava stayed clear of Kacey, and kept to herself as well. In some ways Max felt bad for Ava, Draco had a group that he hanged with between classes, but Max never saw Ava with anyone, but something told him that''s how she preferred to live – they were similar in that regard, but their reasons for keeping people out were probably different.


    Max was able to enjoy lunch by himself today too, but that was interrupted by a text message from Richard.


    ''Practice today?'' was all it said.


    Max shook his head in disbelief. It was only the second day of school; track wouldn''t officially start for at least several months. Richard was smart though, and the reality was that Max didn''t train his legs over the summer, so he was fighting an uphill battle compared to the team members who had. Additionally, while almost everyone makes the track team only certain students are selected for the more important events. If Max waited until after tryouts to train his performance wouldn''t be so great, decreasing the possibility of him being selected for those events, and that''s something Kacey would definitely have an issue with – she intended to have a return on her investment, and Max couldn''t blame her for that.


    He replied ''Sure'' and put his phone away.


    The track encircled the football field, and was adjacent to the school down a small path named Iyola Avenue, named after a former teacher, the beginning of the trail was just outside the west wing of the school. The path was paved, and weaved through a wooded area that doubled as a garden area for the students at the school. The path lead to other school buildings like the greenhouse, an indoor swimming pool, and a clubhouse which was under construction. It was usually left alone outside of school hours but over the years Max has seen unsavory types hang around the path from the outside. It took at least seven or eight minutes to get from the main school building down to the track, so gym teachers only went down to it when they had to, like when they needed to test their students by making them run the mile.


    Last year when Max ran track the team often met at the clearing just outside of the east entrance, and that''s where Max planned to meet with Richard.


    Sure enough, after school Max caught him on the way there with Kacey, but as they reached the door she stood on one leg, and kissed him on the cheek before glaring at Max, and striding passed him toward the exit.


    Max caught a hint of her perfume as she passed. It was overbearing, and affluent, and the same she always wore. He started to associate the smell with poison.


    As Max approached Richard he took off his gym bag, and started to look inside.


    "Honestly man I was expecting you to say no. It was a pretty short notice." He said with a light chuckle.


    "It''s fine."


    He pulled a shirt, and some shorts out from his bag, and threw them to Max who caught them expectantly.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Don''t worry man they''re clean. Kinda figured you wouldn''t have anything on you to wear so you can borrow those."


    Max thanked him, and the two took some time getting dressed in the locker room before heading back to the east entrance. It was there they did warm-up exercises, and stretches, something Max sorely needed.


    "So whadya say? Race you to the field?" Richard asked finishing up a set of jumping jacks.


    "In this fog? No, let''s take our time getting there. Plus, we don''t know if the school made any changes to the route."


    Richard let out a disappointed groan, he was clearly eager to run. "Awe man fine, have it your way. We''ll walk."


    And so that''s what they did, the two set off down Iyola avenue. Usually, after stretching outside the west entrance the team would jog down Iyola avenue as part of their warm up, and while it was something Max enjoyed he always considered it dangerous, after all the entirety of Iyola avenue was situated on a slope, meaning it''s all downhill, and a few dozen students racing to the bottom was a recipe for disaster in Max''s eyes.


    "Though I think Kacey probably would''ve said something if they did switch it up." He said peering into the fog ahead of them.


    "Speaking of Kacey." Max said. "You covered for me yesterday, why?


    "Huh, what do you mean?" Richard asked, he gave Max a confused looked.


    "Your lie about texting me, remember? Telling me to watch out for new students...?"


    "Oh yeah, that." A moment of silence passed between the two, nothing but the sound of their footsteps, and the insects that inhabited the surrounding brush filled the area. "It looked like you needed help, and you probably would''ve done the same thing for me so..."


    ''I wouldn''t have."


    "You''re not going to ask me why I was hanging with Ava in the first place?"


    "Nah man, I don''t care. You''re a lowkey dude, and I respect that. I don''t like Kacey trying to figure out whatever it is you got going on."


    Max looked down at the ground for a moment, and furrowed a brow in confusion. Was there no ulterior motive here? What was Richard playing at?


    "I guess I''m just shocked you''d lie to Kacey for me. No disrespect, but that''s not conducive to a healthy relationship."


    Richard laughed hearing that, and slapped Max on the back. "Yeah, yeah I know. I''ll make it up to her, trust me."


    "Oh?"


    "Kacey is a bit of a handful, but she''s special in her own way. She only wants what''s best for the school."


    Max wasn''t buying it. The way he was defending her came off as a friend defending another friend, not as someone defending a romantic partner.


    They were both parasites in Max''s view, leaching off each other for some unknown benefit. If he had to guess, Kacey was doing it for clout and to boost her already enormous popularity, and Richard, well he was harder to pin down. Richard didn''t care for clout like Kacey did so maybe it had to do with his little sister – allowing her to join the cheer squad perhaps? He could only speculate, but at the end of the day it didn''t matter, after all Max was a parasite too, and if he was right he''d keep Richards secret safe.


    "Sorry for asking, Gabby and I saw you two together yesterday and we were curious."


    "Sure, it''s no problem at all, but hey now that you brought her up I gotta know. What''s going on with you two? Are you both on and off or something? Pretty sure she''s been crazy about you since middle school."


    "It''s complicated."


    "You either like her or you don''t. Doesn''t seem that complicated to me."


    "You said you respected the fact that I''m a lowkey guy right? Let''s keep that going." Max said.


    "Ah my bad man, didn''t mean to cross a line." He laughed again, but this time it was an uneasy laugh, an attempt to escape the awkward tension created by the direction of the conversation.


    Before the dialog could shift again Richard bent over, and started to cough, he brought an arm up to his nose, and wheezed.


    "Oh my God, what is that smell?" He asked.


    Max felt it too. The stench was putrid and fresh, an acrid odor that stung his nose like the sharp cut of a thin sheet of white paper. In the cold air, the smell was even more pronounced, making his eyes water. The mist moved uneasily, swirling through the air, and carrying the offensive scent up and down Iyola Avenue, permeating every corner and crevice.