Running

She bent over at the waist and tightened the laces on her blue and white New balance sneakers. She was about to go on a run and hopefully it would help to clear her head; because everything was all messed up inside. She placed her foot on the top step and leaned, feeling her hamstrings stretch from the effort. She didn’t notice the guy across the street, sitting in his window admiring the way her shorts stretched across her ample ass. She never noticed him because her life had always been full. She must have come in and out of the apartment a million times and she didn’t even know she had an admirer across the way.

She stretched the kinks out of her neck and scrolled through her MP3 player to find her running songs. Vivian Green's Emotional Rollercoaster caught her eye. It was not the best song to run to but it matched her emotions perfectly.

She hit her stride almost immediately, her sneakers hitting the ground with smooth thuds in perfect unison. Vivian's voice oozed in her ears and she felt the beginnings of tears well behind her eyelids. Her lips trembled as the tears fell freely down her sweaty cheeks. Curious onlookers watched the weeping woman whiz by in the black shorts and yellow t-shirt.

She ran into the park and collapsed next to the old elm tree, its leaves and branches providing a welcome solitude for her painful reality. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of kids happy cries and their parents rumblings as they enjoyed the sunny afternoon.

The sobs racked her body as she slid to the ground slowly. She was tired of holding all her emotions in, tired of being strong, and tired of pretending to be okay. She wasn't okay, she just wanted to be held. She leaned her head back, looked up at the perfect blue sky, and screamed.