“Come on guys, push it” I screamed, my whistle was pushed to the side of my mouth. I walked up the line of girls giving me sit ups. This was how I was planning on producing better times by increasing abdominal exercises. They were tired, and their stomachs were cramped, that much I knew but I could tell the determination in their faces for each rep. We had to prove that our recent loss wasn’t going to stop us and didn’t affect us.

I licked my tongue over the whistle pulling it back to the center of my mouth and blew filling the pool house with the loud shrill. Each one of the team members sat up taking their partners feet and allowing them to join in on the reps. After the sit ups were over they were going to have to run up stairs, back and forth, no rest involved. I was teaching them how to hold and contain the air they barely had. Each of them was instructed to breath through their noses instead of their mouths no matter how hard or how tired they may have been. To avoid anyone passing out from them if they felt too tired or too dizzy they were instructed to take a seat and I would work on them later. None of them sat, all of them kept pushing.

--

After practice was over Janey was trying to get me to come back to her room but I passed, didn’t feel like ‘pretend tend’ sex tonight. I headed over to the school gym for a couple of reps of my own. It had been a few days since Ross stepped into my room and my life and since then I had became an outcast to everyone, including Pepper and Ivy. They knew something was up and tried to get me to talk about what was bothering me but I wouldn’t budge. Only hours after Ross left my room I got a call from Brent Seller, Ross’s PR, explaining that I couldn’t discuss anything about what I had to do or ‘ you know what would happen’ so I zipped myself tightly into my own world and just sank.

The gym was empty and quiet which at this time of hour, close to midnight, that was exactly what I needed and didn’t need at the same time. I needed not to think about anything I was faced with, that’s when depression hit. Yet, I was becoming so popular at the school I really didn’t want to entertain anyone either or let alone speak. I moved over to the bench press area taking about a good 100 lbs and placing them on the bars, sat and began to do the reps. It was easy, the adreline was pumping and my focus went to the bars not to my fucked up life at the moment.

“Hey sis” I heard Mikes voice shatter my thoughts and my strength went with it. The bar felt too heavy and it hit me in the chest hard after bringing it down. Mike dropped his gym bag running over to me and helping the weight off of me. “Fuck Corrine, that’s too much weight” He hissed pulling the bar from my chest and resetting it on the support beams. I sat up coughing, taking a towel and wiping off my face from the sweat.

“The weight was fine; you knocked me out of my zone.” I replied. I stood walking around, my arms were aching, and my whole upper body was beginning to throb. I needed a break, a rest, my body screamed for it but I just couldn’t stop. That’s when the thinking would begin, and after that would be the depression. I refused to sleep, I would wait and wait until it took a hold of me and the tiredness and lack of sleep would place me in a coma, no dreams or thoughts could find me then.

“You know I thought I would see more of you now that I go here” Mike placed more weight on the bar, sat down and laid back. “But lately”

“I’ve just been busy” I interrupted.

“Abby and I were in study hall yesterday and she says the same thing, you are a ghost” Mike pushed the bar up and did a couple of reps then set it back down. “I thought you guys were friends again?”

“So how is it being back on the field” I made an attempt to change the subject. Mike sat up, took out his towel and wiped his face.

“I’m out of shape, big time” he lowered his eyes. “Harder than I thought”

“You are 21 years old, strong and I’m sure you can get back in shape” I encouraged

“You know what’s it like for an athlete to stop training and how normal you feel when you try to jump back into it.” He was right but Mike didn’t have time to beat himself down, he had to get back into shape. The season was starting.

“Rest is a better exercise too.” I could see a little of the dark rings forming around his eyes, and the tightness in his muscles told me he was on over drive like me.

“Don’t give advice you don’t follow yourself CJ” Mike threw out. I bowed my head and smiled.

“Come on, let’s go get a burger” Mike stood up grabbing his gym bag.

“You buying?” He asked with a smile.

“Unless you want to thrust yourself into the honors”

“Hell no, you offered” Mike and I were walking to the door of the gym. The door burst wide open letting a few of Mike’s teammates in. The guys sized him up and smirked. One I recognized off the back, Jones Barker, walked in and stared at Mike. Jones was the starting quarterback and I knew all too well what’s the story between these two.

“You got to break a sweat first Grant, before you leave the gym” Jones said walking in past him. Jones was tall, thick upper body and legs that seemed too bulged out of his pants. He over did it on a daily basis with the squats but the work out kept him on his feet when the pocket collapsed in the game and he had to fend for himself. “Just a suggestion if you want to take my spot.” The rest of the guys laughed as Jones joined them leaving Mike and me standing by the door.

“You got to do this don’t you?” I asked Mike, who’s blue eyes were lowered to the ground.

“Naw” Mike threw his arm around me. “I guess coach didn’t tell Jones I’m starting the first game.” I could see the smile patrude on Mike’s face.

“Well if that’s the case, I’m defiantly buying” I led Mike out into the night air.

--

THE WEEKEND

I stood in my room, staring out of the window that allowed me to see the front of my dorm. I was supposed to be picked up any minute now to go back home and soften up my past so my step father could become the mayor. I felt sick, pissed off and alone. I couldn’t tell anyone what was happening, his fucking PR called me and told me that my mouth had to remain shut or they would make Abby’s life at college a distant memory.

I couldn’t quite answer the question why I was doing this for her, it was her debt and I was paying for it. Ross knew that I would when I didn’t know. Well, the truth was too caught in my throat now to lie any longer. The truth, now a distant aroma once in the air. I was protecting Abby, because I still loved her. I always knew I would still love her no matter what but this feeling was new, exciting and it hurt when gave me the realization on how little I had came since that day I last saw her in that cafeteria and walked out of her life for two years.

After an hour later of waiting I was lying on my bed staring face up into the ceiling. This was a mind came and I had absolutely no leverage to how far Ross could take this, and how high he would make me jump at his request. I reached into my pocket pulling out my phone. Little by little I dialed the number to his cell number, placed the phone to my ear and listen to the long ring bang silently against my ear drum.

“Corrine Grant” Ross’s voice came over the line. “My PR received the signed papers on your name change and it’s official now” I could hear the bastard smiling. “Excellent, I’m so happy at how you are being a great sport about this.”

“Where the hell is the limo” I asked my throat tight and dry.

“Oh my Lord” fucking mock horror escaped his lips “I guess no one informed you that the press conference had been moved to two weeks from now” I sat up furiated

“Why wasn’t I the first to know, I’ve been waiting over an hour for the car” I screamed into the phone.

“Well look at it this way you can spend more time with Abby, at least before you deface yourself make sure the risk is worth it.” My hand tightens around the phone to the point my fingers had turned white.

“Fuck you” I hissed causing him to only laugh.

“You know she would have never been in this situation if you didn’t fucking turn her out. She could have just fucked me and had the scholarship for free. Well, that depends if she was a good lay. Her letter to you told me that you were” Ross laughed. “Don’t worry Corrine, I’m an asshole but not a sick bastard and I thought very much of poking holes in that tight little ass of yours but that would be kinda sick to ‘boink’ your step daughter.” Ross laughed louder. “Don’t you think? I truly think it would have saved you from the fucking life style you live.”

“What time does the car arrive?” tears were stinging my eyes by this point.