"Just one more! You can do it!" Viktor encouraged. A small cry of pain escaped Amari as she lifted the 25-pound dumbbell one last time. Jesus! Since when did 25 pounds become heavy? This man was clearly trying to kill her.
"Good job!" Viktor smiled. "You've got a lot stronger! Did you try the protein bars I gave you?
"Yes. They tasted like burnt rubber," Amari wheezed. Two weeks of training with this crazy Russian should have killed her by now. Amari wanted nothing more than to give up and waste away, but she knew she couldn't. She owed Viktor big time.
"Of course! They are disgusting, but good for muscles," Viktor said happily with a silly flex of his biceps. How could this man always be jolly? Viktor filled every topic with happiness and glee. He kinda reminded Amari of her old self. She would stop at nothing to make sure everyone happy even if it slowly killed her inside... Well, it did.
"Are you ready for the next exercise?" Viktor asked.
"That depends on what it is."
"Squats!"
"Hell no."
A small frown appeared on the jolly Russian's face. Amari was getting better at her daily exercises but the poor woman had absolutely no stamina.
"You're still not eating," Viktor stated. "You cannot skip meals. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are very important for a healthy weight gain."
"What do you mean still not? I eat like a fucking caveman! It's just... Sometimes I forget," Amari lied. Of course, she remembered to eat. Ever since the incident at the gym, the 24-year-old had no appetite. She would eat little things here and there, but it was never enough to be qualified as a healthy meal.
"Let me see your phone."
"What the hell? Why?"
"Just let me see it. I won't look at your photos," Viktor snickered. Amari put in her password and reluctantly handed her personal trainer her phone. She watched as Viktor typed frantically and gazed into the iPhone with a large smile.
"There you go! All set up!"
"What did you do?"
"I set meal times on your phone so you don't forget. From now on your phone will ring whenever it reaches breakfast, lunch or dinner time," Viktor explained. He handed Amari back her phone with that same stupid grin glued to his face.
"Oh. Thanks."
Two weeks had passed since the incident. It wasn't what Amari did that made her scared. It was how she felt afterward. Just the site of the crying woman filled Amari with excitement. She wanted nothing more than to hear the wails of the woman once more. For some reason, that's all she thought about at night. The moment replayed in her head several times a day and Amari couldn't help but smile at the horrifying thought.
"I'm so glad you are letting me help you!" Viktor practically squealed. "You are going to be healthy in no time!"
"You forced me to do this. It was either this or go to jail," Amari frowned. After the incident, Amber pressed charges on Amari. The 24-year-old woman had no evidence to even defend herself with. Amber put on a show and everyone ate it up. She showed up with a neck brace on and a bandage wrapped around her head. Oh, how Amari wanted to beat the bitch's ass. Luckily Viktor showed up a with a recording from the gym's cameras. Turns out the jolly Russian was the owner of their gym. Thanks to him Amari only got 5 months of Anger Management since Viktor was able to prove to the judge that Amber started the mess.
"Well, it's not like this is a bad thing. Just think about how happy your family will be to see you are doing just fine," Viktor smiled. His face instantly dropped when an angry scowl appeared on Amari's face.
"My family doesn't give a fuck about me so I don't give a fuck about them."
The large stared at her awkwardly. He was at a lost for words and didn't want to push the subject any further.
"Oh...Well, let's just get you in shape. C'mon woman! Just 15 squats!"
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Whoever invented squats needed to be thrown off a bridge. Amari's bottom half throbbed painfully while she made her way to the front door of her house. She wanted nothing more than to plop down on her couch and watch a movie. Maybe a Tyler Perry play? Anything to keep her mind off her aching muscles.
Amari continued to think about what movie to watch until she was startled by what she saw in her house. Laying on her large couch was figure covered in a huge comforter. Amari felt rage bubble up inside her when snores erupted from the person. Hell no. Did someone really break into her house to sleep? Doesn't matter. They were getting the fuck out.
She slowly approached the figure. Her hands ached to feel someone's throat. With a quick leap, Amari had her hands around the intruder's neck. The person thrashed around in panic as Amari pulled them off the couch. Once the young black woman caught a glimpse of the intruder's face she let go.
"Aisha!?"
The 15-year-old girl took a moment to catch her breath and regain control of her heart.
"God dang, TeeTee!" Aisha panted. It wasn't long before Amari wrapped her niece into her arms. Once again she let her anger get the best of her.
"I'm so sorry. I forgot you had a key. Did I hurt you?" Amari questioned as she examined Aisha's face and neck.
"No. I'm good. You did scare the bejeezus out of me though," Aisha laughed. Amari loved the girl so much. When Isaiah was still married to his wife Amari would take Aisha to her favorite restaurant every weekend. The young black woman knew about Isaiah and Destiny's pending divorce. She just didn't know it would end that horribly.
"What you doing here? I don't mind. Just being nosy," Amari knew that Aisha only used the spare key when something wasn't right. She swore to God if Isaiah did somethi-
"I got locked out the house. Isaiah might have been sleeping in. I knocked on the door but no one answered. So now I'm here," Aisha explained before plopping down on the large black couch.
"Oh. Well, why are you dressed like you just got done robbing someone?" Amari asked. Aisha was dressed in all black. She even had a jogging pants and a hoodie on.
"I was cold."
"It's 85 degrees outside."
"...Your house is cold."
"I don't have the air on. It's hot as fuck in here."
Aisha flinched at her aunt's choice of words. Amari never swore in front of Aisha. Of course, Aisha knew about the big curse words. Isaiah and the students at the high school used them all the time. It was just strange hearing them come from the nicest person in the world.
"I'm just cold."
"You're sweating."
An awkward silence passed as Aisha failed to come up with more excuses for her strange attire. She couldn't tell Amari the real reason. It was best to keep it to herself.
"TeeTee!"
"Okay okay. Keep the hoodie on," Amari laughed. "How have you been?"
"Tiiiirrreeed! They are making the whole entire school take CPR classes. If I don't take them then I won't graduate. It's killing me," Aisha explained.
"You need to learn CPR so you can save some lives. You never know who could be drowning... or something like that. It could be your husband, your children or even just a random stranger," Amari rambled. The both of them continued to talk and catch up. After Amari's incident with Patrick, she cut everyone off. She no longer responded to rare calls that family gave her. She even forgot to check up on Aisha. Fuck Isaiah.
"TeeTee? Can I stay the night here? There are only a few more days of school left and there is a bus stop right down the street," Aisha asked shyly.
"Of course you can... Um. You doing alright? You seem a bit off," Amari questioned. The way Aisha held herself was strange. She played with her fingers and gazed at the floor to purposely avoid her confused aunt's gaze.
"I'm fine. School almost killed me today. You also almost killed me," Aisha laughed. Amari felt a small smile tug at her lips. She wanted her niece here with her. A ball of sunshine would probably rid her those disturbing thoughts.
"Go get in my bed," Amari instructed. "I'm about to take over the couch. Feels like I'm sleeping on a cloud.
"Thanks, TeeTee," With a large smile on her face, the 15-year-old made her way down the dark hall. Aisha made sure to get into the king-sized bed with her hoodie on. Taking it off would probably lead to disastrous events.
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Wifi is back! Sorry for the super late update.