Chapter 19 — The Before the Race
Ethan's POV
Friday morning arrived in a quiet that felt almost… expectant.
The quiet seemed to hold something peaceful, almost heavy.
Just that suspended kind of stillness a story feels right before the turning point—where every breath matters because the next one might change something.
I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence settle over me. My chest felt tight, the good kind, the kind that told me something important was coming.
Tomorrow was her race.
Tomorrow I'd see her run.
Tomorrow I'd fulfill the Main Quest the system dropped on me like it wanted to shove me directly into an emotional crisis:
[Main Quest Active]
Support Ava at Her Upcoming Track Meet
Time Remaining: 1 Day
Reward: The Perfect Song (Epiphany Event)
The Perfect Song.
I didn't know what that meant exactly, but the word epiphany was doing suspicious things to my nerves. Either way I was looking forward to the reward.
I pushed myself upright, ribs aching faintly as if reminding me, Hey, still recovering here. I stretched carefully and shuffled into the kitchen.
My phone buzzed the moment I cracked an egg over a pan.
Ava: Morning… I feel like I got hit by a bus lol
I blinked at the timestamp.
7:09 AM.
She never texted this early.
Me: I know the feeling.Rough practice?
A moment passed.
Then:
Ava: Just nervous. It's stupid.
My chest tightened.
Me: It's not stupid. You care so much about doing your best that you're a bit nervous. That's perfectly normal. I means it matters to you.
Three dots appeared.
Disappear.
Appear.
Disappear.
Then:
Ava:…Thank you.
I exhaled slowly. My hand hovered over the stove as the pan sizzled, but the real warmth came from somewhere deeper.
The system pulsed at the edge of my vision:
[Daily Quest Unlocked]
Give Ava genuine reassurance before the race.
Reward: +1 Confidence
Easy.
And impossibly hard.
Because every time she opened up, every time she said anything real, I had to fight the urge to say too much.
The urge to say everything. It's one thing to say "I'm here as a friend you can lean on," and it's another thing to say "I want support you and be by your side."
It sounds like a proposal
I sighed and flipped the eggs.
**********************************
After breakfast, I finally sat on the couch with the cheap guitar I bought on my way home yesterday, balanced across my lap. The intermediate skill made it feel natural, familiar, like I'd been playing for years instead of this being the firs time I touched one.
I sighed and flipped the eggs.
After breakfast, I grabbed the cheap guitar I bought yesterday. The moment I settled it across my lap, the intermediate skill kicked in.
My hands moved like they'd done this for years.
My fingers brushing strings. Chords falling into place. The warm sound filling the room.
I opened a sheet music app and pulled up an easy, recommended beginner song.
I studied the notes for a single minute.
Then played.
Perfectly.
Not stiff.Not mechanical.Musically.
My fingers glided, shifting positions fluidly, each note ringing clean and clear. I hummed along — quiet, surprised by the way my voice naturally found the melody.
When I finished, I sat there staring at my hands like they were someone else's.
"…holy shit."
I tried a harder song.Then a famous ballad.Then a pop song with complicated fingerstyle.
Every one flowed out of me like water over smooth stone.
Easy.Effortless.Beautiful.
Before I knew it, I'd skipped my afternoon classes — sitting on my couch surrounded by chord charts and tabs, chasing melodies like a man starved.
I had never been good at sports.Never been good at performing.Never been good at anything other than being sarcastic and breathing.
But this?
This felt like magic.A real skill.Something I could grab onto and love.
I made a list in my notes app — ten songs I wanted to master:
Sad ones
Happy ones
One that would sound great with a full band
One that was pure acoustic
A cheesy love song
A soft one for late nights
And one that felt like her
I didn't write titles.
Just categories.
Because deep down, I knew I'd fill them eventually.
Ava texted at noon.
Ava: I'm free if you wanna eat?
Me: Already walking to the fountain.
Which was a lie—I was still in my apartment—but I grabbed my jacket and left like I'd been on my way for hours.
She was already there when I arrived, sitting on the edge of the fountain, ponytail loose, cheeks flushed from exertion or nerves or both.
When she saw me, her whole face relaxed. Like tension she'd been holding all morning finally let go.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," I echoed, trying not to smile too hard. "You okay?" My voice filled with concern when I realized she liked tired.
She hesitated. Then nodded.
"No," she whispered. "But… I feel better now."
That did things to me.
Dangerous things.
We grabbed grilled skewered meat and sat under a tree. The sun cut through the branches in pale streaks, dusting light across her hair whenever she turned her head.
We didn't talk about the race yet.
We talked about evil squirrels, and the awful smell in the biology building, and the fact that she'd never seen a single Harry Potter movie and refused to change that even after I offered to do a marathon with her.
We talked about nothing.
Then she exhaled shakily.
"Can I ask you something?" she murmured.
"Anything."
"Will you really come tomorrow?"
It wasn't a teasing question.
Not casual.
Not rhetorical.
She needed the answer.
"Yes," I said, firm and steady. "I want to see you run."
Her breath caught, lips parting in this tiny, disbelieving expression that nearly crushed me.
"…Okay," she whispered. "Good."
When we finally parted ways, I walked home feeling something warm wrapped around my chest like a bandage I didn't know I needed.
By 7 PM I was a mess of nerves.
For her.
Not for the quest or for the system.
No I was anxious for her.
I cleaned my apartment. Repacked my backpack. Made sure I had water, snacks, an extra sweatshirt, and—God help me—a small green hair ribbon I'd bought at the campus store because she wore them sometimes and I panicked.
I had no idea what I planned to do with it. Maybe a good luck charm?
The system had pulsed after we ate lunch.
[Daily Quest Completed]
+1 Confidence
Good.
I needed it. Even drops can form oceans....
I took out the guitar again. My fingers replayed the some of melodies from earlier, but it felt hollow. Like I knew the song but I couldn't bring out I'd soul.
I whispered the lines aloud, trying to get my mind off the race tomorrow and focus on memorizing the songs.
A buzz.
Ava: Um… are you asleep?
Me: Obviously not.
Ava: I'm nervous.
Me: I know.
A pause. Then:
Ava: Will you… text me when you get there?
My chest tightened.
Me: I'll text you the second I'm in the stands.
Ava: Okay.Goodnight, Ethan.
Me: Goodnight, Ava. And good luck, I'm gonna cheer for you tomorrow.
I lay awake long after the phone dimmed.
**************************
I woke before the alarm again.
I showered, and got dressed then stared at myself in the mirror like it might tell me what I was feeling.
It didn't.
So I packed the bag I'd triple-checked last night and headed out.
The campus was alive — cars pulling in, students in hoodies walking toward the track field, athletes in warm-up gear jogging lightly.
The energy was electric.
I found a seat close on the front and texted her:
Me: I'm here. Front row. Just before a pair of trash cans and across from the vending machines.
It took thirty seconds for her reply.
Ava: Coming out soon. Don't move… okay?
Like I would.
The team emerged from the hallway tunnel—girls jogging lightly, adjusting sweats, stretching their arms.
Ava stepped out last.
She looked… incredible.
Her face was focused, shoulders tense, but I saw the determination in her eyes and.... it was beautiful.
Her eyes scanned the stands.
Searching.
Until they found me.
Her shoulders dropped a little in relief. She smiled— a small, genuine one —the kind that made my heart stutter.
She jogged over and was before me in just for a moment.
"Hey," she breathed.
"Hey."
"I'm… really glad you came."
"I said I would," I whispered. "And I'm glad I came too"
Color bloomed over her cheeks.
And I immediately realized how the words I just said sounded so I quickly opened my mouth to clear up air before it become a awkward misunderstanding
"I ment that I'm happy to be here. not that—cough— Umm I mean... Hey...." I stumbled over my words and ended up just saying hi again
She was rubbed her palms against her thighs, breath a little unsteady. but froze when she heard my rambling then she burst out in laughter a bright cheery kind that I haven heard in over a week. I smiled shyly waiting until she finished then she spoke.
"I'm sorry," she admitted quietly. "I just really needed that. Thanks Ethan" she smiled
"No worries," I said softly. "I know I'm the one making myself look like a fool... but hey I'll still be cheering you on so you better give it your all"
Her eyes shone.
"You don't have to win, Ava," I added. "I'm already proud of you. Even if you finish last, I still think you're amazing."
A tiny, fragile breath escaped her.
Then she nodded, stepped back, and whispered,
"…Okay. Stay right here."
"Wouldn't move even if the earth split open."
She flushed and jogged back to her team.
I sat down slowly, heartbeat pounding like a drum in my chest.
An announcer's voice boomed over the speakers:
"Women's 100-meter heat one! Runners, approach the starting line!"
Ava took her position.
Tightened her shoes. Lowered her stance. Looked forward.
I gripped the railing, holding my breath.
The world seemed to be narrowed, my focus only on Ava.
The starter raised the gun.
"On your marks…"
Ava leaned in. Her muscles coiled, ready to leap into action.
She looked focused— razor-sharp.
"Set…"
My heart slammed into my ribs, my fingers twitched.
My chest tightened with something I didn't have a name for yet—