Chapter 3
As promised, Blake was standing under the bell tower at 5:15 A.M. A single morning star still hung high above the belfry, but even in the darkness, Ryan could see that Blake was wearing loose white nylon shorts with a light red athletic shell, plus a wooly knit hat and lightweight running shoes. In his left hand, he held a water bottle.
“You made it,” shouted Blake, as if they were the only two humans in the world.
“Yes, I made it,” Ryan replied in a quiet tone. “Why—you surprised? Did you think I’d flake?”
“No, man,” said Blake. “I know you’re for real. Ready to get sweaty?”
“Guess so,” said Ryan, stretching his hamstrings and limbering up. The morning was chill, with a dusting of white frost on the colored leaves that hung down from the arched branches along the campus wa
