Here to Win Rewrite (Walker Boys Sequel)

Chap. 6

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I quickly turned off my phone alarm and looked over at Zoe, who was still peacefully sleeping.

I slipped out of bed, careful to avoid hitting her, and got ready for track. Ralph looked at me with his big eyes. I scooped him up and scribbled Zoe a note, letting her know that I’d be back around 9 and I had Ralph. I grabbed my track bag and shoved Sheila into it. I ate a banana on my way down to the track fields.

“Hey Mason,” Coach Daniels called. He raised his eyebrows at me. “And you have a puppy…?”

“He looked at me with big eyes,” I complained, dropping my track bag on the floor. “How could I leave him?”

“And when did you get a puppy?”

“Oh, it’s not mine. It’s my girlfriend’s.”

“Yeah, okay. Because I carry around my girlfriend’s puppy all the time,” Trent said, shaking his head at me.

“Long story short, he looked at me with sad eyes so I decided to let him come out here and run around.”

I dropped Ralph to the floor and he took off running around the green grass.

“He’s adorable,” Caleb said, as he ran in circles. “What’s his name?”

“Ralph.”

“Enough with the dog,” Coach Daniels ordered. “Line up for sprints.”

Ralph’s ears perked up and he stopped to watch us with interest.

I lined up on the line with the rest of the guys, and Coach blew the whistle. We sprinted to the other end of the track.

Ralph pranced over to where we were, and as we got into position, so did he.

“What’s the dog doing?” DeAndre asked.

Coach blew the whistle and we took off, Ralph running right alongside us. And he beat all of us.

“I wish this was Air Bud,” Coach said, shaking his head. “Then I’d replace one of you with the damn dog. Line it up.”

~*~

After track practice, I went back to my dorm to find Zoe still peacefully sleeping.

“Alright Ralph, get her up,” I said, placing him on Zoe’s bed. I laughed and grabbed some clothes before heading into the shower.

I heard her scream over the sound of my shower, and I doubled over laughing.

“Mason Walker, I’m going to kill you,” she called through the bathroom door.

“Love you,” I called, as I ran Axe shampoo through my hair.

“Hate you,” she called back. “I’m taking Ralph on a walk.”

“Already did.”

I was met by a couple of moments of silence. “Well aren’t you just perfect? Alright, I’ll make breakfast.”

“Zoe Baker is going to make food for someone besides herself?” I teased.

“Who said you get any?”

I laughed and I heard her slam my dorm room door.

I took a long shower, taking extra time because I knew breakfast would be waiting for me once I was done.

Once I was out, I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I went ahead and checked my blood sugar, listening for Zoe. But I didn’t hear much of anything.