Faster (The University of Gatica #2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

hard.”
    She liked it that Jani wanted her to learn. It meant she would be driving Jani’s car once in a while. Her parents had mentioned something about possibly getting the family car when her mother got a new car next year. Her father refused to let her take it this year saying she didn't need it as a freshman. “I’m game. Just don’t let me wreck your car. It’s the clutch, right? My brother refused to teach me because he said I’d burn out his clutch.”
    Jani grinned. “I have full faith in you. We can start tomorrow.”
    They headed to campus and jogged along one of the walking paths. The air was thick with humidity.  Jani led Aileen to the indoor fieldhouse where the familiar wall of fame reminded Aileen of her recruiting trip.
    The humidity disappeared when they stepped inside a side entrance that brought them by the doors that led into the track. The building felt ten degrees cooler than outside even without air conditioning running. No one in their right mind would put AC in a fieldhouse. Heat, yes. AC, no.
    “Do you remember how to get to the track office’s from here?” Jani asked.
    Aileen pointed. “Up that way, right?”
    “You got it. Follow the ramp up and then head to the left. Before the track offices there are another set of rooms. That’s where the athletic academic advisor, or triple A, is located. You’ll be assigned an advisor who will help set up your classes so they can go around training. We get first dibs on class schedules.”
    “Cool.” That would come in handy.
    “Everyone who works there is super nice. They also make sure you are on track for graduating and if you are failing classes, will get you a tutor. My AV is so laid back. I never hear from her except before each semester to set up my schedule. It’s great.” Jani waved her hand and pushed the fireproof door open to head into the track. “You should pop by tomorrow to make sure everything’s all organized for your classes. You might have received a schedule already but let your AV check it to make sure you aren’t overloaded or that you have enough credits and so it doesn’t interfere with training.”
    “I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”
    Jani snapped her fingers. “You might want to wait till lunch. I have a feeling we’ll be lifting in the am. Coach did that to us last year. Weight room hours are shifty before the football team gets first dibs. So we get the crappy leftover hours. Like six till nine in the morning.”
    “How long will our lifting take?” Aileen couldn’t imagine lifting weights for three hours.
    “An hour, maybe a bit more. Except everyone holds off showing up until eight and then it’s crazy-busy and takes longer.”
    “If coach sets it up, want to go in at seven then?”
    Jani groaned. “You’ll have to wake me up. I’m not much of an early bird. None of my classes start till after ten. And half of those I end up missing.”
    Aileen always woke early and never needed much sleep. She was glad she didn’t like sleeping in. The thought of missing class or practice did not appeal to her. She wanted to keep her scholarship and make sure the coaches saw her working her hardest – in athletics and academics. Plus, she didn’t plan on running hurdles forever, they were just the means to getting a free education which meant a good job later on.
    The indoor track carried the same musty, stale sweat smell as last time Aileen had been here. The nervousness she had felt all morning gave way to excitement. Her legs itched to run and her lungs begged to be tormented. Every time. She grinned. Every time. She rubbed her hands together as they walked up the small set of stairs to the rubberized track.
    About twenty kids sat stretching and warming up by the pink high jump mats. Laughter and talk floated across the fieldhouse. Jani and Aileen jogged over to the group. A suntanned girl with bleach blonde hair jumped up and hugged Jani.
    “Chrissy, this is Aileen. Aileen, Chrissy.” Jani