three

For Mia, time passed very slowly during the races that lasted about an hour in the evening, with three races held. In the last race, the two winners of the first two races faced each other for the cash prize. Esteban was one of the best runners, which allowed him to pay for college, although it was quite risky.

"Are you all right?" Sara asked her friend when she saw her lost in thought.

"Yes, it's just that I don't like this place very much," Mia replied.

"Don't worry, when Esteban's career is over, ask him to take you to another place."

In the end, Mia could only let the time pass, and what she wanted most at that moment was to see Esteban. Just as Sara said, Esteban's race was over, and she could see on the screens installed in the warehouse how he crossed the finish line. Mia wanted to run over to congratulate him, but the space was only reserved for a few people. The races were broadcasted live, but at the finish line, only the runners, some mechanics, sponsors, and one or two people who accompanied the runner were allowed.

Normally, Ivan accompanied Esteban to the finish line, but since that day, he did not want to leave Sara alone in a place where everyone was staring at his girlfriend.

Mia's heart began to beat fast as she saw Esteban getting off the bike. It was so close to the moment she would see him face-to-face again. But her heart stopped when, on the screen, in front of everyone, a girl ran into Esteban's arms, and he kissed her passionately.

From one moment to the next, everything took a back seat for Mia. It was as if she was in a bubble, and everyone else was oblivious to her existence. All the screams came to her ears in the form of whispers, and her eyes filled with tears. Her body became static, and she was in a trance from which she could not escape.

Out of Mia's field of vision, Esteban and his new girlfriend were approaching Ivan to celebrate the night's victory. It was the last race, and Esteban had won, which meant another semester at his university was secure. The boy was so happy that he didn't notice Mia's presence until Sara herself greeted him with a slap.

The noise somehow woke Mia up from her trance and she could see that the girl was shamelessly hanging onto her ex-boyfriend's arm. Esteban's eyes followed Sara's finger pointing towards Mia and he saw the only girl he had ever loved, the one he had to stay away from to keep her safe. Mia's silent tears were flowing down her face, reflecting her pain. Esteban wanted to approach her, but as soon as the girl saw him, she took off running as fast as her legs would allow her.

Everyone was silent, not because of the scene the boys had made, but because of the imposing presence of the owner of the races, who was approaching Esteban to give him the cash prize, as was customary at every event. This prevented Esteban from running after Mia and explaining things to her. Mia kept running until she reached the highway.

When Mia stopped running, a car almost hit her.

"Are you out of your mind?" - the driver quickly got out of the car to check if the girl was okay - "If you want to die, find a different way. Don't throw yourself into the car like that." Mia's gaze was lost. She wasn't scared by the appearance of the car because she didn't even notice it. Her heart and mind were focused on the moment when she saw Esteban kissing another woman. She never thought that a broken heart would also break her ability to pay attention to what was happening around her.

"Your strategies to conquer me are not very usual, are they?" Nicolas' mocking voice snapped Mia out of her trance.

"What are you talking about?" Mia couldn't recognize Nicolas, but she did notice the situation they were in. "I don't know you, lunatic."

"The only lunatic here is you." Nicolas was quite amused with the outcome of the night. "First, you jump on me, and now you're jumping on my car."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mia's face turned red as she noticed that the guy who almost ran her over was the same guy who broke her fall when she was running away from the party.

"By the color of your face, you already remembered me." Nicolas extended his hand to introduce himself. "I'm Nicolas Lennox." Mia saw Nicolas' hand and was tempted to take it. Somehow things ended up with her again saved by Nicolas, and more because the noise of a motorcycle distracted them. After months of not seeing each other, thousands of messages and unanswered calls, and seeing him kissing another woman, Esteban had gone after her. But something in Mia's heart screamed at her to run away.

"Please get me out of here." Mia looked at Nicolas with pleading eyes. "Quickly."

Mia's altered voice stunned Nicolas for a moment, but when he saw that the motorcycle not only stopped but its driver was heading straight for them, he got in the car with Mia and put it in gear to get the girl away from the man who was chasing her.