Head Over Heels

(Updated) Chapter 6-Weight Training

After lunch is my girls weight training class. I signed up for this elective hoping it would be a nice outlet for me to workout my stress. I haven't been training since we moved and I miss being in a gym. Plus it was either this or pottery class and I hate the feeling of clay on my hands so it was a no brainer. Kelly actually signed up for girls weight training too so I have a friendly face to join me. She may be the boy crazy friend in the bunch, but she's also a serious athlete, I've seen the ripped arms she's got to prove it. Honestly, all of Payton's cheer friends I met at lunch are in incredible shape. I'm quickly learning these girls are a lot more fierce than I initially gave them credit for. They mentioned Romeo's gone to the High School Cheerleading State Finals for the last eight years consecutively and that blew me away. I may not have ever competed in cheerleading, but I have gone to the State Finals for Gymnastics the last two years and I can respect any other sport that can do the same. I understand the kind of dedication and skill that it requires. I'm feeling a lot more intrigued about going to see their cheer practice after school today.

Payton gave up her chaperone duties and let Kelly walk with me to the girls locker room since we were both headed there. It feels so great getting to change out of my floral pink romper and into my athletic shorts and baggy t-shirt. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy looking nice and dressing feminine, but being the refined tomboy at heart, comfy workout clothes are where I feel most like myself. My mom always gave me a hard time when I was younger because all I wanted to wear was my older brothers' gross hand-me-downs. She would whine to me that she waited all these years to finally have a girl she could go shopping with and dress in cute outfits but I would protest and never let her. I was too stubborn and only acted like another one of the boys. Poor mom, luckily I grew out of that stage, or at least mostly.

Kelly and I walk into the gym after we are changed. The rest of our classmates are seated at the bleachers waiting for class to begin. There aren't many of us in this class, only about a dozen girls give or take. I guess Girls Weight Training wasn't a popular elective to pick which is a little disappointing. The sound of a loud whistle blowing stops all of the small talk going on. A pretty, young, blonde woman is walking over to where we have gathered in the gym.

"Afternoon ladies, welcome to Girls Weight Training."

I'm caught off guard. The Weight Training teacher is the youngest teacher I've had today by far. If she wasn't wearing a whistle, ID badge and carrying a clipboard with the attendance list I probably would have thought she was another student. She must barely be out of college, I can't imagine she's much different in age then Charlie.

"I want to start off by saying I hope you all signed up for this class because you are planning to work hard and push yourselves. This isn't some blow off class for you to gossip in the corner like I won't care. If you aren't prepared to work hard, then I suggest you find yourself another elective.....Now that we have that clear, if you don't know me, my name is Ms. Hatcher or you can call me Ms. H if you prefer. We'll run through attendance real quick and then go over a couple things before taking our fitness test to establish each of your baselines."

Ms. H begins running down the list of names. She stops when she gets to my name.

"Lila Daniels"

"Here." I raise my hand.

"Welcome Lila, nice to have another non-Romeo native at this school. When I started teaching at this school two years ago you would have thought I had three heads the way everyone starred at me at first. Believe me, it gets better....eventually."

Ms. H gives me a knowing smile as if she knows exactly how strange my day has been going. We both laugh to ourselves and she continues taking attendance. I guess it's not just me who's been through the ringer as Romeo's "new girl." I find it comforting to know that Ms. H went through it too and has come out on the other side unscathed.