I'm startled awake when I feel something hit my face. I groan awake and roll over, hearing the granola bar crumple to the floor. I don't even have to open my eyes to know that it was Madeline that did that.
"What do you want?" I ask tiredly. I hear her scoff as she walks over and jumps across my bed. I let out a huff of air when her body hits my legs.
"You have to go to the thing today." She says in between taking a bite out of the granola bar.
I remember that I have to go to the gym to start training. Since last Friday, I've been going to see a trainer to help me throw knives. I'm actually not that bad at it. But today we start the group training.
I kick Madeline off and hear her fall on the floor. She throws a pillow at my face before walking out of my room. I get up and walk into the bathroom, quickly brushing my hair and putting it up.
It's only 9:30, and I have to be there at 11:00. I walk through my house into the kitchen and pull a container of yogurt out of the fridge. I don't even like yogurt, but it's on my diet thing.
I mix up one of the protein shakes really fast and try to enjoy my "breakfast". When I'm finished, I go back to my room to change.
I change into a pair of shorts and a loose tank top to train in. I'm not really sure what Gary's idea of training is, but I have a feeling it won't be easy.
Mom offered to drive me to the gym, but Dayo texted me last night asking if I needed a ride. I had no idea that he lived so close to me.
I haven't seen some of the cast since Wednesday, when we all went out for dinner. We went and got burgers, though we promised each other we wouldn't tell Gary about it. He would flip if he found out that we ate something that wasn't on our fitness plan.
That night was fun, though. We haven't known each other that long, but I've already bonded with most of them. Well, the ones that I've been with. I don't really see much of Josh or Jennifer.
Other than that, I have been going to school every day and gone running every afternoon. Everyone at school that heard about me getting the part is already going crazy about it. They want me to give them spoilers and other secrets about the movie, when I don't even know that much myself. Zachary and Sydney literally will not shut up about it.
I tie the laces on my shoes quickly before I hear a car horn outside. I run out of my room and out of our front door. I see Dayo's car sitting in my driveway.
I run up to the car and pull open the door. Dayo smirks when he sees me.
I sit down and pull the seatbelt across me before Dayo speeds out of the driveway.
"You're a little early." I tell him, looking at the time.
"Well, the gym is like 30 minutes from here." He says while taking a long swig out of a water bottle. "And we have to swing by and get Xander."
"Can't he drive?" I ask.
"Yeah, but it's on the way. Might as well, right?" he asks. I shrug my shoulders and turn the radio up.
We ride on the highway for about 15 minutes before he takes a sharp right onto an unfamiliar street. He rides down the road for a few minutes before stopping in front of a large condo.
He hits the horn once before I see Alexander bursting through his front door. He puts on a pair of aviators and walks toward the car.
He's only been doing the whole exercise plan for two weeks, but he looks as if he's been doing it his entire life. The sleeves on his tee shirt hug tight against his arm, outlining the muscles there. He might have worked out before, but you can definitely tell he has been working out now.
Dayo rolls down my window from his side, and Alexander comes up and sticks his head through it.
"You aren't gonna let me ride shotgun?" He asks with a smirk.
"Just get in the back." I say, playfully hitting the side of his arm. He laughs and opens the door to the backseat.
Dayo rides back down the road and gets onto the highway. We have about 10 minutes until we need to be there. If we are late, Gary will probably yell at us. He's pretty cool as far as directors go, but he seems like he can be pretty strict.
I see an extremely large building up ahead, and on the side it says
Stunt/Athletic Facility. There are tons of cars an flashing cameras outside the building, as if the paparazzi expect to get spoilers this early on.
Dayo pulls around the back of the building and stops abruptly. I already see more people rushing around the side of the building, but the security people block them off.
Dayo steps out of the car. I'm about to open the door, when I see that Alexander has already opened it for me. He reaches his hand down. I take it and step out of the car.
"Thanks." I tell him.
"No problem." He answers with a wink. I feel my face get hot, and turn away before he can see. I follow Dayo through a door in the back of the building.
When we get in, camera crews are scattered about. I walk over to the group in the middle and raise an eyebrow.
"Bonus features." Leven answers my question before I even say anything. I nod my head and stand between Alexander and Jack.
A couple of training people walk behind Gary as he approaches. One of them takes Josh and Dayo with him. The other takes Jennifer and Amandla. Alexander and Jack go with another. The only ones left are me, Leven, and Jackie.
The other trainer takes us over to a small section with weights and a large television screen in front. He stands in front of us and holds two small weights at his sides. I pick up two just like it, and realize they do not feel as small as they look.
The four of us go through a small exercise routine with the weights at our side. Gary gave me absolutely no training with weights. So about five minutes in, my arms are starting to burn. A camera crew walks over and takes quick footage of everyone doing their exercises.
Josh and Dayo went with the trainer into a separate part of the gym. I see Jen and Amandla are climbing on the rock walls. Alexander is doing pull-ups on one of the bars and Jack is below him doing sit ups on the ground.
Our trainer has us pick up heavier weights, and we begin the same routine. I'm already sweating and my arms are literally burning.
After about fifteen minutes with those weights, one of the head athletic directors calls for a break and we all go towards the lockers.
I open the one I set my stuff in and pull out a water bottle. I walk over to the group of people, and am glad to see that I am not the only one sweaty.
A camera crew walks up to us and just asks us to pretend he isn't there. So we do, and start to talk like he wasn't.
Alexander takes his water bottle and splashes a little bit of it on Leven. She freaks out and tries to splash him back. I'm afraid that it's going to end up being a water fight or something between the two, but Jack interrupts everyone.
"Am I getting abs yet?!" he nearly shouts while lifting up the front of his shirt. I start to laugh and almost spit out the water I had in my mouth.
The camera crew shuts off the camera and walks off, probably to get footage of Josh and Jen.
The athletic director tells us that break time is over, and I walk back over to put my water bottle in the locker.
Our trainer now has the three of us start doing basic exercises. We do 10 minutes each of push ups, sit ups, crunches, and pull ups. By the time we are done with it all, I literally think I am dying.
We take two more breaks throughout the session and do many more strength exercises before we are dismissed for the day. I'm excited to go home and rest, but hear that we have to do this every single day for the rest of the month. We changed it to 12:00 each day, since I still have to go to school. By the time the whole month is up, school will be out anyways.
I get my stuff out of the locker and walk out the back door to where Dayo's car is parked. I see that he is already in the car, and can tell that the air conditioner is blasting. I walk up to the car when I feel Alexander's arm hooked around my shoulders.
"Let's go home, shorty." He says. I smile in return.