Fic: Billy's First Race: An Ikeaverse Installment
Title: Billy's First Race
Rating: T
Word Count: ~1300
Disclaimer: don't own them
Summary: It's Billy's first race with the Colonial Runners, and he's nervous. It's a good thing he has a good coaching staff and team behind him...
A/N: Written for laura_mayfair who requested Laura, Billy in a mother-son or teaching-student role. This is a bit of both.
A/N2: Much thanks to lanalucy for the beta. *hugs*
A/N3: This is set in an open 'verse, which begins here.
After the bell rang, Billy remained seated. As Laura packed up for the day, she saw out of the corner of her eye that he looked...stressed. “Is everything okay, Billy?”
He nodded. “I’m just nervous.” He grinned sheepishly. “My first race.”
She stopped packing and approached his desk. “It’s my first race too. And you know what? I’m nervous too.” She smiled. “But it’s okay. My mom used to say it’s good to be nervous; just don’t be scared.”
“What’s that mean, Ms. Roslin?” He clearly didn’t see the distinction.
“I didn’t get it either. And one time I was feeling very...mouthy, and I asked her.”
“What did she say?”
He was too engrossed to remember the race at the moment. Good. “She said being nervous meant you were ready, and being scared meant you weren’t.”
He shrugged. “I guess I’m ready, then.”
She laughed. “Me too.” She gestured to her bag. “I have to finish in here. I’ll meet you at the track?”
He nodded. “Thanks, Ms. Roslin. Your mom must have been really smart like you.”
“She was. I think she was smarter than me. A better teacher too.”
Billy looked surprised. “I don’t see how that could be possible.” Then he gathered his books and headed for the door. “Bye, Coach.”
She was still smiling after he exited the room. Then she returned to her packing. She and Bill had a few last minute preparations to make before the guest team and the officials arrived. Bill had been walking through the course, marking the lines and arrows since that morning. She needed to coordinate with him.
With her bag packed, she was ready to go. She said a silent ‘thank you’ to her mother and left the classroom.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
They stood at the makeshift starting line by the yellow rubber tube that ran along the top of the gate. They were wearing their uniforms for the first time that season, and Billy felt like he...belonged. Even Kara stood at the sideline, wearing the team warm-up gear. Everyone knew better than to bring it up, but she was part of the team. And the coaches. Ms. Roslin had changed into the blue and white sweat suit that matched Mr. Adama’s.
The other team had arrived wearing red and black uniforms. He was nervous about competing against their biggest rivals during the first meet of the season, but Coach Roslin had made it clear he wasn’t really competing with them but himself. Since it was his first race, all he needed to do was finish and set the time he would spend the rest of the season competing against. He could do that.
Coach kept telling him he had runner’s legs. He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but it sounded like a good thing. She said once he built up his endurance and strength, he’d be great, and the only way to do that was to practice. Then she smiled at him, and said there was no greater practice than during a race.
Then she told him a story about how nervous she’d been her first day of teaching, but that it had been good practice for her, and she’s improved so much her first year. She was a really good story teller. Her eyes lit up when she spoke, but sometimes he’d see a tear or two, like when she talked about her mother. He felt so...privileged during those moments. Like he got to see a side of Ms. R that not many others did.
He was still nervous, but not as much, and she told him it was good he felt that way, so that made it...better. When he joined the team, he hadn’t really thought about uniforms and meets. It was more about getting to participate in something in the school. But then race day got closer and closer until everything was...real. And the officials were walking over to the starting line, wearing yellow jackets and hats. One of them held the starting pistol in the air. The sight of it brought back some of the nerves.
The official holding the gun checked to make sure all the runners were behind the line. Then he said, “On your mark,” and fired the pistol.
Then it was time to move. Ms. R had told him not to get carried away in the excitement.
“It’s an endurance race, Billy. Start at a pace you can maintain, and save more for the end.”
He tried to follow that advice, and thought he did mostly, but he knew his legs went a bit faster than they normally would, maybe because he was racing and not practicing with his team. When his breathing got too fast, he knew he needed to slow down a bit, and he did as he ran through the opening at the other side of the gate.
The runners were already breaking into packs, so when he got to the opening, he didn’t have to struggle past anyone else. Once through the gate, he was approaching his favorite part of the course, but first he had to get through the half-mile on the bike trail. Only he was going to veer off into the grass on the side because Ms. R had said it would be better on his knees and shins.
There were a few runners behind him and more ahead of him, but he was learning to ignore them. This was his run through the course, which he had grown to love since the start of the season. At the end of the half-mile he ran around the cone Coach Adama had placed in the middle of the bike trail. An official was standing there to make sure he didn’t trim even an inch off of the racing distance. Ms. R was there too, and she clapped his back as he went past her before entering the wooded trail.
The wooded trail was his favorite part; he knew where he could speed up and where he needed to slow down - on a few spots with tree roots sticking out of the ground.
He made it through the trail in what felt like good time, and then he knew he was almost there. He ran around the perimeter of the high school, and into the next trail, which broke off from the neighboring park.
When he was finally running through the front gate, which would lead to the finish line on the track, he picked up speed. There were only 400 meters left, and he knew he could do it.
He crossed the line and his team was there with Kara and the coaches. The officials shouted a time at him, but he wasn’t paying attention. He suddenly realized how out of breath and exhausted he was, and he leaned against the railing on the side of the track. Coach Roslin approached him. “You okay? Need some water?”
He nodded gratefully, and she made sure he didn’t drink too much too quickly. Then she told him his time: 20:18. She smiled and said that was a fine time for the start of the season. He nodded. Maybe he managed a smile too, but it probably looked a bit...off. She seemed to understand anyway.
The rest of the team came to him, congratulating him. Kara gave him a high five, and the guys each punched his shoulder. All things considered, he felt pretty good, and he certainly wasn’t nervous anymore.
Next Installment
Rating: T
Word Count: ~1300
Disclaimer: don't own them
Summary: It's Billy's first race with the Colonial Runners, and he's nervous. It's a good thing he has a good coaching staff and team behind him...
A/N: Written for laura_mayfair who requested Laura, Billy in a mother-son or teaching-student role. This is a bit of both.
A/N2: Much thanks to lanalucy for the beta. *hugs*
A/N3: This is set in an open 'verse, which begins here.
After the bell rang, Billy remained seated. As Laura packed up for the day, she saw out of the corner of her eye that he looked...stressed. “Is everything okay, Billy?”
He nodded. “I’m just nervous.” He grinned sheepishly. “My first race.”
She stopped packing and approached his desk. “It’s my first race too. And you know what? I’m nervous too.” She smiled. “But it’s okay. My mom used to say it’s good to be nervous; just don’t be scared.”
“What’s that mean, Ms. Roslin?” He clearly didn’t see the distinction.
“I didn’t get it either. And one time I was feeling very...mouthy, and I asked her.”
“What did she say?”
He was too engrossed to remember the race at the moment. Good. “She said being nervous meant you were ready, and being scared meant you weren’t.”
He shrugged. “I guess I’m ready, then.”
She laughed. “Me too.” She gestured to her bag. “I have to finish in here. I’ll meet you at the track?”
He nodded. “Thanks, Ms. Roslin. Your mom must have been really smart like you.”
“She was. I think she was smarter than me. A better teacher too.”
Billy looked surprised. “I don’t see how that could be possible.” Then he gathered his books and headed for the door. “Bye, Coach.”
She was still smiling after he exited the room. Then she returned to her packing. She and Bill had a few last minute preparations to make before the guest team and the officials arrived. Bill had been walking through the course, marking the lines and arrows since that morning. She needed to coordinate with him.
With her bag packed, she was ready to go. She said a silent ‘thank you’ to her mother and left the classroom.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
They stood at the makeshift starting line by the yellow rubber tube that ran along the top of the gate. They were wearing their uniforms for the first time that season, and Billy felt like he...belonged. Even Kara stood at the sideline, wearing the team warm-up gear. Everyone knew better than to bring it up, but she was part of the team. And the coaches. Ms. Roslin had changed into the blue and white sweat suit that matched Mr. Adama’s.
The other team had arrived wearing red and black uniforms. He was nervous about competing against their biggest rivals during the first meet of the season, but Coach Roslin had made it clear he wasn’t really competing with them but himself. Since it was his first race, all he needed to do was finish and set the time he would spend the rest of the season competing against. He could do that.
Coach kept telling him he had runner’s legs. He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but it sounded like a good thing. She said once he built up his endurance and strength, he’d be great, and the only way to do that was to practice. Then she smiled at him, and said there was no greater practice than during a race.
Then she told him a story about how nervous she’d been her first day of teaching, but that it had been good practice for her, and she’s improved so much her first year. She was a really good story teller. Her eyes lit up when she spoke, but sometimes he’d see a tear or two, like when she talked about her mother. He felt so...privileged during those moments. Like he got to see a side of Ms. R that not many others did.
He was still nervous, but not as much, and she told him it was good he felt that way, so that made it...better. When he joined the team, he hadn’t really thought about uniforms and meets. It was more about getting to participate in something in the school. But then race day got closer and closer until everything was...real. And the officials were walking over to the starting line, wearing yellow jackets and hats. One of them held the starting pistol in the air. The sight of it brought back some of the nerves.
The official holding the gun checked to make sure all the runners were behind the line. Then he said, “On your mark,” and fired the pistol.
Then it was time to move. Ms. R had told him not to get carried away in the excitement.
“It’s an endurance race, Billy. Start at a pace you can maintain, and save more for the end.”
He tried to follow that advice, and thought he did mostly, but he knew his legs went a bit faster than they normally would, maybe because he was racing and not practicing with his team. When his breathing got too fast, he knew he needed to slow down a bit, and he did as he ran through the opening at the other side of the gate.
The runners were already breaking into packs, so when he got to the opening, he didn’t have to struggle past anyone else. Once through the gate, he was approaching his favorite part of the course, but first he had to get through the half-mile on the bike trail. Only he was going to veer off into the grass on the side because Ms. R had said it would be better on his knees and shins.
There were a few runners behind him and more ahead of him, but he was learning to ignore them. This was his run through the course, which he had grown to love since the start of the season. At the end of the half-mile he ran around the cone Coach Adama had placed in the middle of the bike trail. An official was standing there to make sure he didn’t trim even an inch off of the racing distance. Ms. R was there too, and she clapped his back as he went past her before entering the wooded trail.
The wooded trail was his favorite part; he knew where he could speed up and where he needed to slow down - on a few spots with tree roots sticking out of the ground.
He made it through the trail in what felt like good time, and then he knew he was almost there. He ran around the perimeter of the high school, and into the next trail, which broke off from the neighboring park.
When he was finally running through the front gate, which would lead to the finish line on the track, he picked up speed. There were only 400 meters left, and he knew he could do it.
He crossed the line and his team was there with Kara and the coaches. The officials shouted a time at him, but he wasn’t paying attention. He suddenly realized how out of breath and exhausted he was, and he leaned against the railing on the side of the track. Coach Roslin approached him. “You okay? Need some water?”
He nodded gratefully, and she made sure he didn’t drink too much too quickly. Then she told him his time: 20:18. She smiled and said that was a fine time for the start of the season. He nodded. Maybe he managed a smile too, but it probably looked a bit...off. She seemed to understand anyway.
The rest of the team came to him, congratulating him. Kara gave him a high five, and the guys each punched his shoulder. All things considered, he felt pretty good, and he certainly wasn’t nervous anymore.
Next Installment