Page 60 of Common People

‘Good luck, Eve. I hope it goes well.’

‘Thanks, I’m sure it’ll be grand,’ said Eve, and then they left, leaving Max alone on the sofa, with a whole morning to himself.

Max had hoped Bethan would eventually text him or return his call, but she hadn’t. He knew that he had really hurt her, but he hoped that with time she would speak to him again. He had texted with Charlie after the event at Anita’s party, and Charlie had forgiven him, said it was all fine, no problem, which was typical of Charlie. Max had really missed Common People and his twice weekly 5k run around Clapham Common, but morethan that, he had missed the people who had become his friends. He missed Joe, who was so warm, friendly, and had the best stories. He missed talking with Hope and Anita, and he even missed Charlie, who could be annoying, but he could see that underneath all the bluster, he was just trying to be a better human being. He missed Bethan the most, but he had ruined their friendship when he had told everyone about Jake without her consent. He had been the one thing she couldn’t handle having in her life. He had been unreliable. She needed someone stable, someone able to help her get through the terrible loss of her fiancé, and when it had come down to it, he had let her down. It was no wonder she wasn’t talking to him.

After Robbie and Eve left, Max got up to make himself some breakfast. He could do a little more travel planning, and maybe later that afternoon, he could do something with Robbie and Eve. He had just got the bread out of the bread bin, when he heard a knock at the front door. Robbie had probably forgotten his keys again, it wouldn’t be the first time. Max walked across, opened the door, but standing outside was Bethan.

‘Bethan,’ said an incredulous Max. ‘What are you doing here?’

She was dressed in her running gear, ready for the Clapham Half. She looked so beautiful, so wonderfully perfect, it made Max hate himself just a little bit more for what he had done.

‘Eve said you aren’t running the race because of me.’

‘I didn’t want to ruin your day.’

‘You should run it.’

‘What?’

‘You should run it, Max, and this doesn’t mean that I forgive you for what you did, or that I’m ready to be friends again, but you should finish the journey you started. Run the race.’

‘But I’m not ready, I—’

‘Five minutes. I’ll be outside,’ said Bethan, before she turned around and walked away, leaving Max completely and utterly stunned.

Max wasn’t prepared to race at all. He didn’t have a race outfit ready to go, didn’t have water, and hadn’t eaten breakfast, but if he was going to run the Clapham Half, he needed to get moving. He dashed into his bedroom, rifled quickly through his drawers, throwing things on the floor until he found his best pair of running shorts, a running top and the socks he had purchased for the race. Luckily his running shoes were already out, and so he quickly got dressed, grabbed a banana from the kitchen, and then ran out of the flat, meeting Bethan outside.

‘Are you sure about this?’ asked Max.

‘Let’s just go and meet everyone else,’ said Bethan, who began walking away, as Max peeled his banana, and started taking quick bites as they marched towards Clapham Common.

Max’s head was a heady haze of emotion, trepidation at what was ahead of him, and his sudden close proximity to Bethan again. Since the incident, he hadn’t been running and so felt vastly unprepared for the race. He was also not ready to be around Bethan again so suddenly. He had so much he wanted to say to her, but it wasn’t the right time. They were trying to get to the start of the race to join the others, it was busy, noisy, and Max was full of adrenalin and anxiety. It definitely wasn’t the time for a long, in-depth conversation about everything that had happened.

Once they reached the start of the race, they immediately met up with the rest of Common People. Max couldn’t help but feel a little bit awkward and uneasy around everyone, until Charlie, of all people, broke the silence.

‘Chunder boy! Glad you could make it to watch me crush the Clapham Half!’

For a second it was silent, and then Eve jumped in. ‘Typical. How about we all just do our best, yeah?’

‘That’s for losers,’ replied Charlie. ‘I’m here to crush it!’

‘It’s good to see you, mate,’ said Joe, who had come along for support with Dawn.

‘You too,’ replied Max.

‘Are you ready for this?’ asked Hope.

‘Not in the slightest, but I’m here, so let’s see how it goes,’ said Charlie, before Robbie walked up next to him.

‘Glad youse made it, pal.’

‘Thanks, although I am genuinely worried. I’m really not ready.’

‘Och, you’ll be fine,’ replied Robbie, before Max looked across at Bethan, who was doing some light stretching. He wondered what had changed her mind, and whether this meant that she was prepared to sit down and have a chat with him afterwards. He couldn’t stop looking at her, until she looked across at him, and he quickly looked away, before it was ready to race.

Max lined up with everyone else, and he was next to Anita. ‘Good luck, Anita.’

‘You too, Max. Glad you came.’