Dream Runner Read Online Free PDF Page B

her. “If I’m lucky, maybe she’ll let me buy her dinner to make up for it.”
    “Excuse me.” The end of the stage was so high that Marlea had to stand on her toes to see over it. Her fingers tapped the splintered edge. “Excuse me.”
    “Yes, dear?” Middle-aged with weathered skin and fading blonde curls, the woman in the light green red-lettered shirt pressed her clipboard to her thighs and peered down at Marlea. “How can I help you?”
    “I…” Marlea pressed her lips together and tried not to think of the time she had lost while tangled up with a no-name spoiler. “My name is Marlea Kellogg. I’m a runner. I’m…I was in…Is there any way to get my time? I need to know.”
    “Sure, honey,” the woman drawled. Taking her time, she adjusted her white sun visor and shifted her clipboard to a better angle. Squinting, she traced her finger down the list of times. “Kellogg?” she asked. Marlea nodded. “Kellogg? Kellogg? Ah, here it is…time is 40:11.”
    “No,” Marlea said, disbelieving. “No, not 40:11. I was on track for less than thirty minutes for the whole race.” Her shoulders dropped, and she closed her eyes. “I need thirty-six or less to qualify. Can you check again? That can’t be right.”
    The woman knelt and looked into Marlea’s eyes. “You were seeded, right?” Marlea nodded. “Let me see your number.” Marlea held it up and watched as the woman ran her fingers over it. “Your time registered because of the microchip. It’s right here,” she ran her thumb over a thin bump beneath the paper. “Unless you can prove some sort of computer malfunction, I’m afraid we’re going to have to go with the time your chip registered.” Her eyes touched Marlea’s. “I’m sorry, Ms. Kellogg. I’m very sorry.”
    “Sorry,” Marlea echoed, reaching for her race number. “Thank you for checking.”
    “Your time still puts you high in the standings.”
    “Thank you.” Numb and not caring where her feet carried her, Marlea moved away from the stand. Wending her way between triumphant race finishers, she didn’t want to hear where she had placed among the runners. She knew it wasn’t first.
    “Excuse me, miss; I don’t know your name…” The man’s hand was light but firm on her bare shoulder, and Marlea hesitated. “I want to apologize for what happened out there…I wanted to, uh, say…”
    She turned slowly, and her mouth dropped. “What? You want my DNA now? What do you think you have to say to me that’s going to make your clumsiness go away? Where the hell did you come from, anyway? You had no business hauling your big…”
    “Whoa!” AJ held up both hands, his conciliatory smile dangling loosely from his lips. “Wait a minute. Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”
    “To what? Your clumsiness or your stupidity?” Marlea swung her fist, narrowly missing him. “Do you even know what you just cost me? No! No, there’s no way you could. I’ve worked all my life to get to Olympic gold, and all I needed was to finish the Peachtree, and then you and your big ol’ Bozo feet come along. You had no business…”
    “Ma’am, I’m just tryin’ to be courteous here. I said I was sorry. What happened between us was an accident, pure and simple…”
    “Simple?” she flared, stepping closer.
    “Well, yes. It’s actually funny, if you let yourself think of it that way. Kind of like what happened to Mary Decker and Zola Budd in the 800 meters. You remember? In the Olympics, back in…”
    “1984. Yeah, and Mary’s career is over, too!” Marlea swung again, then kicked at him when he blocked her punch.
    “I really am sorry; will you let me at least offer to buy you dinner? To make up for…”
    “What you’ve done to my life? No, I don’t think so.” Marlea snatched her hand from the big man’s grasp and turned her back to him. Her steps went from a march to a jog, to a flat-out run across the park. Running down Tenth Street, she heard and