Beyond Control

16

Her mind brought back memories of her athletic experiences during high school. The time she made a series-winning serve against their school's biggest rivals in the playoffs, tying the record for the second most assists throughout a season, and most importantly, bonding with the friends Emily made that could last a lifetime. She dearly missed her girls, especially their early-morning coffee runs, after-practice dinner at various homes, and catching up on boy drama. Emily enjoyed every bit of it, even the hard moments. 

It gave her more of a reason to keep going. She wanted to see her friends again.

Emily pushed herself, ignoring the growing pain in her legs.

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Meanwhile, I picked up the heavy bar from the rack and lifted it from my chest. Being far from naturally athletic, working out was something I had little experience in. My arms were already shaking after doing a couple of sets. I pressed once and came down before trying to push it up again, but my arms suddenly started to fail me. 

"Come on, Eli," Anthony, my partner, said in a critical tone. "Don't get us in trouble, please." 

He helped me through the next few reps before putting the bar on the rack. I painfully sat up as Anthony pushed my shoulder, almost causing me to fall off the bench. "I'm serious. Don't get us in trouble, or I swear I'll kill you myself." 

"I'm trying my best," I defended, trying to keep my voice at a reasonable level. "Not everyone is as athletic as you are. You're built like a lineman, and I'm built like a stick." 

Maybe I exaggerated my size, but compared to him, it was true. I wasn't sure why I was paired with him to begin with. Anthony rolled his eyes. "Shut up and spot me." 

He came off as a prick, but his eyes were constantly wide with a mix of fear and adrenaline. It was the same with a few of the other boys. There were occasional instances where a few of the boys would start yelling at each other, but Hayward fired his gun in their direction. The bullets never hit, but they'd get just close enough to cease the ruckus. 

Anthony benched the weight easier than I did. It was obvious that he was either gifted with natural strength or had a history of working out. After he racked it, Hayward blew his whistle shortly after. 

"Remove the bench and prepare for squats!" 

I hastily did as instructed and returned to the rack, only vaguely knowing how to do the proper form. We were shown a brief tutorial for those unknowing, but it still didn't give me the confidence I needed. 

Another whistle blared through my eardrums. I hesitantly placed the bar on the back of my shoulders and lifted it off the rack. Taking a step backward, I exhaled before squatting. The weight was more than enough to make me struggle, feeling my hamstrings burning. I repeated this a few more times before racking the bar. Anthony wordlessly stepped up to it and began his set. 

He had much more experience than me, and it was obvious. To him, I was nothing more than a rookie trying to find his place in a gym. I had a huge feeling of not belonging right as I stepped foot in the weight room. 

We did two more sets of squats before Hayward barked the next exercise. "Shoulder press! On my whistle!" 

It blew a few seconds later, and Anthony approached the rack. He curled his wrists back and rested the bar on his fingers. After stepping backward, he lifted the bar above his head with little struggle. With shaky arms, he completed the last one before racking the bar. Seeing him remotely struggle caused me to lose some confidence in myself. Was I going to be able to get through this? What would happen if I failed?