Mea again

Chapter Twelve: Drowning in steroids

"You only get to read one book a week." Now that one hurts to the core. Why, Daniel!? Why? Isn't reading encouraged to educate kids and develop their imagination? I suppose that Greek tragedies and intense drama are far from being educational. Oh well, I'll only be picking some juicy stories from now on...

"Ice-cream and sweets are forbidden. They're no good for your health" That one I did see coming from the very beginning. Although I've lost some considerable weight, going back to my not so healthy lifestyle will bring back a not so desired headache into my life. I guess that means that I'll be slaying some lettuce, yay!

"Never forget your pills." Yeah, yeah. That one I know far too well. Let's just skip to the next one.

"Avoid the Williams at all cost." That goes without saying. Each and every time I see any one of them, there's a headache waiting to burn the living daylights out of my brain.

"Oh, and you have to work out..." Not that I did anything to cut that phrase short, but the call magically ended right as he was talking to me about going to the gym. Mwahaha... I refuse to be humiliated in a room where I'm the least fit person. Besides, I've never been fond of running, let alone sweating on a rolling mat. Pft!

Beep, beep, beep...

"I saw you hitting that red button!" Oh well, maybe I ended the call on purpose, but I don't want to spend my day in a steroid gorged atmosphere. As I'm about to protest and claim my right to refuse that ludicrous rule, Daniel shushes me and repeats the goddamn phrase he did not have the chance to continue: "You have to work out. I've already booked you an appointment with a personal trainer."

"Daniel! I have no penny to pay him...." flashing me a knowing smile, he comes closer to the front camera of his phone and I can almost see the pores in his skin. It appears that the nearby gym offers a free fitness test to new customers, and I'm one of the few guinea pigs who're going to be benefitting from that. Ugh...

~~○~~

"Second door to the right," says a buff guy looking down at my relatively minuscule self. Although I do consider myself to be a tall girl, that guy makes my five-foot-eleven height look like not much. The veins of his arms bulge from under his skin, making his humongous tattoos appear 3D. I wonder if he sleeps on the treadmill to maintain that body.

As I walk down the hall, several buffed guys look at me in dryness and frown at the sight of the long-sleeved hoodie I'm wearing. Although I'm well aware that it's mid-June and that my skin is practically sobbing its pores out for me to lift the thick fabric from it, I refuse to show my skin. Ever seen a belly or a pair of arms after some considerable weight loss? They look like deflated marshmallows and having them on display in front of all those steroid gods is no good for my shrinking self-worth.

"Come in!" blasts a high-pitched voice from behind the closed door, and I get in as fast as possible for I was drowning in a pool of steroids. Phew, I think I've burned enough calories for a day. Can I go home now?

"Maeva, I never knew you'd set foot in here!" The moment my eyes meet hers, sweat falls profusely out of my skin and the bottle of water I'm holding starts boiling from the intense temperature transferred to it from my palms. If that does not prove how poor of a luck I was born with, I don't know what does! From all the personal trainers Daniel could've picked out for me, he had to choose her?

"Cat got your tongue?" asks Stephanie in a mocking manner. Golden locks fall from her perfect hair bun and hug her tanned cheeks as she scans me in amusement. She sits on a stool, a pink clipboard covering her thighs and she frowns the moment she realizes my choice of clothing.