A New Momentum

By The Contents Of His Character

          A full week has passed since I first began taking classes at Apogee and it's been pretty good so far. The school is well kept and full of many distractions, like clubs and extracurriculars. It wasn't like I was going to join a club, but for some reason I did really want to form the same kind of club I'd been a part of before. I didn't really know where to start though, since I wasn't really familiar with any of the teachers yet.
        A teacher's approval is required to form a club, as opposed to the normal school clubs. It was honestly going to be a pain in the ass trying to find a worthy person, so I put that objective on hold for the time being. I didn't really want to get too hasty with club activities anyways, considering I had signed up for the track team already. Conditioning was absolutely excruciating, but it was necessary in order for you to join the team. I wasn't alone though, since Tom was there to help me through it all.
          For some reason, I thought I'd automatically be the second fastest on the team, but that just was not the case. All the guys on the team were fast, but the second fastest was only a few tenths of a second behind Tom's best time. His name was Barry and he was the son of a famous Olympic sprinting champion. All throughout conditioning, I simply did my best to keep up with Barry and all of his routines, just to see what all it took to be as fast as he was. Tom was fast, but he just kind of had a natural talent at running. Barry on the other hand worked and trained rigorously for hours on end to reach his level.
          Whenever we'd leave practice, Barry would stick around and continue training all by himself. I've honestly never known anyone to train as hard as this man did. Yet again, another very ardent fellow who strove for the very best at all times. Even though he was the 2nd fastest member, he was a very humble guy. His overly formal behavior was adverse to the minor sentiment I had about him. Normally people who were destined for greatness like he was would be a bit boastful about their craft, but he was the exact opposite.
          Despite my own high inclinations of him, I'd only ever spoken to him in a few forgettable instances up until recently. I was packing it up to leave practice one night, without really much to do other than play games, or listen to music and do homework. To my astonishment, I could see Barry was also getting ready to head out. As I looked off to Barry, Tom trotted on over to his side, quickly greeting him as if they were set to rendezvous there. "Well look at you two love birds. Where exactly are you off to, Barry?", I joked, knowing that they were both fairly close teammates.
           "There a particular reason you've decided to randomly ask another man where he's going?", Tom retsliated, the smirk I had on my face slowly drooping to one of pure derisiveness. "I'm just asking, man. Don't you always stay extra late to train more?", I turned my attention away from Tom and back to Barry, who was currently snickering at our petty exchange of words. "I'm going to work. I just got a new job at a warehouse, working with my cousin", Barry spoke in a reticent tone, moving his hand away from his face and into his pocket. "You got a job? That's definitely unexpected", I was a bit puzzled by his news of employment, since he seemed so dedicated to training, and getting a job would only eat into that time.
           "Yeah. We're on our way there right now, why don't you come with? We're gunna grab some vittles before we actually get there, since we've got a little time to kill before his shift starts. You obviously don't have shit else to do, so it wouldn't hurt to have an extra for our little ensemble", Tom walked over and wrapped his arm around my neck like he normally would, a toothy grin on his face. A small growl of distaste left my lips, a short sigh of acceptance following seconds after. "You don't have to be so curt about it, you asshole", I shook my head and surrendered a tiny smile. And with that, we went on our merry way, just talking about typical guy stuff over the short trek.
          Barry chatted about his time spent on the team and all of the achievements he made over the years. He also talked about his girlfriend Ta'Leah, who was also a student at our school. The way he talked about her showed that he loved her a lot, but that she just didn't seem interested to know anything about him at all. "Ya'll ever just feel like your presence goes unappreciated? Cause I'm pretty much feeling that right about now with her", Barry spoke in a sincere tone, but the smile on his face carried a small hint of discontent. "I don't know man. I haven't really found a girl that's inspired those kinds of feelings in me yet. Not that I'd have too much trouble or anything", Tom spoke in a facetious tone, with an accompanying smile that sickened Barry and I to our stomachs.
           I elbowed Tom and shook my head, "This guy's serious, man. I can't really say I've never felt that way before, but I don't really think you should dwell on it. They say 'communication saves relations', so I'd just talk to her, dude. If you aren't getting the fulfillment you desire from her, knowing full well it's within reach, you should tell her how you feel. If she's got a problem with it or the problem persists, I'd leave." Tom removed his arm from around my shoulder and looked at me for a few seconds in complete silence. "When exactly did you start giving solid advice? Isn't like you've got all that much experience. I barely remember any of the girls you've been with, dude", Tom shook his head and crossed his arms loosely, turning to walk backwards and look at me. "You know exactly where this is coming from-", I halted the rest of my words, redirecting my attention to Barry.
          "It's just advice man, I don't want this to sound like it's from some weird old man though", I sighed and kicked Tom in the back of his leg so he'd stumble a bit. "Geez dude, I'm walkin' here!", Tom spoke loudly as his brows narrowed, his smile still apparent. "Nah, it's alright. I feel you, man. I know what you're saying is the truth, just sometimes wish I didn't have to spell shit out so clearly to her. Thanks for the words of encouragement, Rob", Barry spoke with a genuine smile of gratitude. I shook my head and opened the door to the small diner we'd come all this way for, "It's all good, dude. Sometimes we just need to hear another person's take on things to give us that little push we all need. Now time to eat. I like the school lunches and all, but they come in such small serving sizes. What the hell do I look like eating that baby shit, when I'm a grown ass man?"
           We all burst into laughter before entering the diner. An hour or so passes in the blink of an eye and we're getting ready to head out for Barry's job. We talked a lot while we ate, so I got to learn a lot more about Barry than I initially thought I would. He isn't as formal or overly persistent like I thought, and instead he had a slightly more laid back side to him that he probably rarely showed to anyone other than Tom. It had been a whole week now at this school, but I still didn't have many new friends; mostly just acquaintances. It felt pretty nice meeting new folk like Barry, and even Jasmine. Just kinda reminded me that I'd do well to make more friends than enemies.
          Our little walk was brief, taking less than 5 minutes to reach Barry's new place of business. "Well, looks like it's time for us to part ways. It was nice having you tag along Robby; it's usually just me and this jackass hangin' out", Barry had extended his hand to my shoulder while we spoke. I nodded to him and let out a small chuckle, "I know that feel. It was nice chattin' with you too, man. You best be gettin' inside, you're a workin' man now." Tom said his goodbyes and Barry waved as he entered the smaller building. Tom nodded his head so I'd follow along, "He's a good guy, yeah? Bet this is the first time you've even spoken to him." Tom wore another one of his cavalier grins, wanting me to simply agree with his slightly backhanded statement. "You said that like I avoided him or some shit. I'm not that much an asshole, alright? Give me some credit-", I placed my arms behind my head and shook my head.
          "I spoke to him a few times before now. Not about anything special, but...I've talked to him once or twice", I sighed at my own words, realizing just how lame my excuse was. "I don't even have to say it. The look on your face tells it all", that weasel grin of his pissed me off whenever his mouth moved, but he was right. I knew he wasn't your average student and that we were teammates, but I still made no solo efforts to get to know the guy. I guess my ability to be oblivious had a lot to do with it. But even so, I'd finally broken the ice between us, so I wasn't going to concern myself with negative thoughts anymore.