alexithymia [h. heavensbee]

i i i

When classes were finished for the day, Aniston got changed back into her dance clothes and warmed up while she waited for Hilarius. The smooth motions helped her rid herself of her thoughts surrounding the reaping and the days ahead.

Aniston faltered when Hilarius entered the studio, closing the door behind him. He set his bag on the ground in one corner and started to approach her. Aniston took one look at his outfit and stifled a giggle.

"Hey," he said. He frowned when he saw the expression on her face. "Oh my God, Ani. It's not that bad."

"I'm sorry," laughed Aniston. "The shorts were funny enough, but your socks? Hilarius, you need a new wardrobe."

Hilarius looked down at his argyle-patterned socks, that almost extended to his knees. He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm just messing with you," said Aniston, playfully nudging his arm. "And your bowtie is cute, so that's one good thing. Are you ready to get started?" Hilarius nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll find some music. Take your shoes off."

"How come you can wear shoes and I can't?" asked Hilarius.

"I have studio shoes," said Aniston. "You don't. You are such a complainer today, Hilarius."

"And you're even snarkier than usual," he responded, retreating to the corner by his bag so he could remove his dress shoes.

Aniston selected her favorite record and set it on the player. She lowered the needle to the disk, allowing the soft orchestral music to fill the room. Then, she moved to the center of the room and took a seat on the wooden floor.

She sat with her legs straightened in front of her, raising her arms delicately into the air before folding forward, feeling the stretch in the back of her legs. She was met with the sensation of someone watching her. She looked up, meeting Hilarius's gaze in the mirror.

"What?" she asked. She patted the floor next to her. "You need to stretch too."

Hilarius looked hesitant, but took a seat near her, mimicking Aniston's actions as she led him through her typical stretching routine. She quickly realized she needed to simplify the steps, as Hilarius was rather uncoordinated and inflexible. He was lucky Aniston was quite patient, at least with him. Anyone else would have been quickly left behind. But Hilarius was Aniston's best friend, and she would wait for him, as long as he needed her to.

"Remind me never to make fun of this ever again," said Hilarius, sweat already shining on his brow. "This is hard work."

"You'll get used to it," said Aniston, offering both hands to Hilarius. He took them and allowed the brunette to pull him to his feet. Aniston felt her face flush at the prolonged contact between them. "That was the easy part."

"What do you mean, easy?" asked Hilarius. "There's more?"

"We'll increase the difficulty as you get better," said Aniston. "You can't learn everything in one day."

Hilarius looked disappointed. Aniston frowned. That might not have been the right thing to say. The tall boy had always been an overachiever and a perfectionist. When things became difficult, he tended to shut down. Aniston reminded herself to relax and stay reassuring with him.

"It will be fine," she said, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You'll be great. And you have six months, you don't have to be perfect today."

Hilarius sighed. "I know. I'll try to keep that in mind. Can we get started? My parents will be upset if I'm out too late. They say I have to study."

"We're nearly done with finals though," said Aniston.

"It's for the entrance exam to the University," said Hilarius, frowning.