Yours If You Want It

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The gym, despite its name, is actually two halls of differing size, divided by a wall with a window. One half is a flat matted area, set aside to give the school's wrestling, cheerleading, and gymnastics teams a practice space of their own, while the other half is a more traditional gym featuring exercise machines such as treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes, and other equipment. The students are allowed to use the gym's exercise facilities outside of school hours, but they are required to sign in and out. Anyone found to be misusing the equipment provided will be banned for a two-week period, although these bans can escalate to semester length or become indefinite should the behavior continue.
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Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Yours If You Want It

#1

Post by Cactus »

PREGAME START - CONNOR LORENZEN

Grip.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

Lift.

Up.

Down.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.


So it went for Connor Lorenzen, the same set of workouts, week after week after week. Today was arm and chest day, and so the bench press was a natural hideout for the lanky senior. Fitting his 6'5" frame on a weight bench was sometimes an exercise in futility, but he'd managed to snag the one with a little bit of a longer bench, which kept his lower back a bit more stable than he'd be able to otherwise manage. Not wanting to tackle any more weight than he knew he'd absolutely be able to handle without a spot, he'd tacked on a couple of twenty-five pound plates onto either side, more interested in the reps today than the weight itself.

No point injuring yourself if you didn't have to.

Today's sets were more about form: Connor had noticed a bit more soreness after his last chest workout than he liked, and so his focus now was on making sure each muscle did its job, trying to prevent the overcompensation that led to his muscles feeling that particular brand of pain. In doing more reps with less weight, Connor found his mind wandering, trying to put an exact point on where his form was going wrong. His arms felt like they were lifting the bar an an even keel, but maybe it was his initial lift? Could it be his grip? Maybe he needed to have his hands further apart... or closer together?

Lifting his fifteenth and final rep, Connor slowly let the bar fall back onto its starting position, exhaling as he felt the weight fall away. Sitting up, he glanced at himself in the gym mirror as he wiped a beat of sweat from his brow. He could see a bit more definition in his arms - that much he was sure of, and he pulled the sleeves of his black gym shirt up to get a better look.

Yep, definitely a bit more definition.

The figure looking back at him from the mirror was someone he was pretty proud of. His brown hair was tied back in a ponytail for workout purposes, and his black workout shorts meshed perfectly with the shirt: the green highlights were supposed to line up, being the school colours and all. White earbuds sat in his ears, the advent of wireless technology being a boon for exercising and not having to worry about tangling yourself in cords. His iPhone sat next to his water bottle underneath the weight bench, sending the catchy tunes of Rascal Flatts into his ears. He was saving his cardio playlist for... well, his cardio, and in Connor's eyes there was nothing like a good country tune to get a guy pumped up to lift some weights.

If only he could figure out what the hell he was doing wrong.

Feeling the familiar tweak in his shoulder - not his throwing arm, thank God, Connor stretched it out. If he couldn't figure things out, he'd have to schedule an appointment with the masseuse for later this week. Coach Oppenheimer would have his head if he hurt himself training. Hell, Connor knew he'd probably crucify himself more than anyone if he did that.

Everyone counted on him to be way better than that.

Laying back down on the bench, he started back up. Maybe he'd try spreading his grip out a little this time. Had to be something like that.

Grip.

Breathe.

In.

Out.

Lift.

Up.

Down.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#2

Post by Aura »

Aleksandra Prudius: Pregame Start
Aleksandra walked into the gym with a towel over her shoulder and a water bottle in her hand.  A big part of playing basketball was staying in shape, and she had come to the gym to do exactly that.  Although actually playing the game itself did help with that, she needed to do more.  When she played, her legs got most of the workout.  She still used her arms for shooting, passing, and stealing, but it was her legs that carried her up and down the court the whole time she was in the game, so she figured that they were doing more work.  So because of that, she figured that she would work on her arms first.  She could get to her legs later, but she thought that her arms needed it more.

There was a guy there doing bench presses.  She didn't like the bench press.  It seemed way too dangerous to hold a bunch of weight over her head and neck, and watching someone do it always made her uncomfortable.  It was the same reason she didn't like watching those strongman competitions.  There was a lot of weight being lifted and thrown around, and it looked like they were just one slip-up away from something really horrible happening.  She tried to avert her gaze as she passed him by, not wanting to imagine the bar slipping form his hands.

She sat down at one of the nearby weight machines and calibrated it to her usual settings.  She put her towel and water bottle to the side, and caught a short glimpse at her outfit while she looked down to get herself a comfortable seat in the machine.  A pale green sleeveless shirt and matching gym shorts.  She had always liked green.  It was her favorite color, and it had been for as long as she could remember.  She didn't like it when it was too bright, though.  She didn't like bright colors in general.  That was one of the reasons she had hated kindergarten.  Everything was too bright.

She reached up and grabbed the handles of the machine, ready to pull them down and start her workout, but she looked over to the side and saw the guy on the bench press again.  Aleksandra admittedly didn't know everything about weightlifting, but weren't bench pressers supposed to have people watching them, to make sure that the horrible consequences that she thought about whenever she saw one of those setups didn't come to pass?  Where was his spotter?  Did he have one?  If he didn't, then that was pretty dangerous.  She was pretty sure that it was against the rules in some places to do that without a spotter, actually.

She leaned forward to make herself more visible and called to him.  "Hey."  She said, her voice coming out flat as usual.  "Is anyone spotting you?"
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Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

#3

Post by Cactus »

Finishing off his second set, Connor grunted slightly as he lowered the weight back on to the starting bars. He was right - it had definitely been the grip that was giving him issues. Sitting up and stretching out his shoulders a little, he nodded to himself as he glanced over to the mirror. As soon as he'd spaced his hands a little further from one another? Voila. The impingement had vanished, and he'd powered right through the remainder of his reps. Honestly, it was a weight off of his shoulders, no pun intended. College representatives were starting to be seen at some of the games as of late, and the last thing he needed was to miss out on an offer because someone might suspect he was injury prone.

Having been absorbed in his workout, Connor hadn't noticed that he was no longer alone in the gym, and only noticed the girl sitting at the weight machine a few feet away once she'd called out. Taking a second to scan his mental rolodex, he came up empty, but holy shit, that surprised him. A girl - no, a woman of her stature was someone that Connor was certain he would have remembered meeting. Ignoring the sudden buzzing of his cell phone on the ground underneath the bench, he glanced at her and gave his head a half-shake, popping one of his earbuds out of his ear.

"Ahh, no. Just here doing some easy reps, trying to fix a shoulder bug before Saturday's game."

It was commonplace for Connor to just assume that people knew who he was. While the school had a reputation for absolutely elite women's basketball and volleyball teams, this was still Tennessee, and anyone worth their salt came to the football games. That was it, too. Basketball. This Amazon was on the basketball team. There were an awful lot of very tall women who attended George Hunter High, but few who had the sheer size that this girl did. He didn't doubt she could teach him a thing or two on the weights.

"You know..." He started, glancing around the gym. It was still mostly empty. "... if you're offering, I'd love a spot. It would be nice to get at least one real set in."

He smiled at her, practiced but not altogether artificial. The phone buzzed again below him. Connor ignored it. "Once you're done, of course. I'm not in any rush."
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#4

Post by Aura »

So he didn't have a spotter?  That was weird.  He looked like the kind of guy who probably worked out a lot, so Aleksandra figured that he would probably know all the rules about all the different exercises and machines in the gym.  They were all pretty important, so there was no reason not to keep up with the safety requirements.

He seemed to realize it though, because he asked her if she would be willing to spot for him.  Aleksandra wasn't totally sure if she was up to the task, to be perfectly frank.  The main reason for her doubt was that, aside from knowing that it involved lying down and lifting a whole bunch of weight on a bar, she didn't know that much about bench pressing, and she didn't know the full details of what a spotter was supposed to do either.  Were they just supposed to watch and make sure that the lifter didn't lose hold of the bar, or was there more involved?

She wasn't in much of a rush since she didn't really have anything panned for the rest of the day, and since the boy had been in the gym before she came in, she figured that he would probably be done before her anyway, so it wasn't like she was really being inconvenienced here.  She really would like to know the full details before committing to a decision though, just to make sure she knew what she was agreeing to.  The last thing she wanted to do was try to help without having any clue what to do.  That definitely wouldn't be good.

"What would I have to do?"  She asked, still looking out from her perch on the weight machine.
User avatar
Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

#5

Post by Cactus »

Now THAT was surprising. Connor hadn't expected someone with her impressive musculature to be unfamiliar with a bench press. That being said, there was more than one way to skin a cat, so he wasn't about to judge. Besides, basketball players often favoured lean muscle and cardio over bulk. That, or maybe she just hadn't ever worked out with anyone before. He couldn't recall seeing much of her in any particular social gathering, now that he thought about it. No matter.

Still wearing a smile, he slowly pulled himself to his feet, standing from the bench, cracking his neck as he did so. It had been a couple of years since his sudden growth spurt and his coordination had caught up to his body, but a small part of him still felt a little silly being so tall. Stepping around to the head of the exercise bench, he gestured to the weight bar in front of him.

"Now, there's really not much to it. You just need to stand here, and be ready to help me push the weight up if I start to struggle with it. Just put your hands underneath the bar and gently guide it up if you see my arms start to shake."

Grinning at the girl seated on the weight bench, he gestured at her with his head.

"I don't think y'all will have any trouble supporting the weight if I falter. Pretty sure you can handle it." Leaning forward a bit, he placed his arms on the weight bar. His phone buzzed again under the bench. Probably Madison again.

Always Madison.

"So whatd'ya say? Willing to give me a hand?"
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#6

Post by Aura »

So all she had to do was watch and make sure that the weights didn't get to be too much for him?  So it really was just as simple as it looked.  She could definitely handle that, no problem.

"Okay."

Aleksandra stood up from her machine and walked over to the weight bench.  She maneuvered around the boy to the head of the bench, where the weight bar lay dormant.  She was set to hook her arms under the bar when a buzzing noise distracted her.  Her eyes drifted down to the bench, but she couldn't see what it was.  It sounded like a phone.  It was probably a phone, actually.  She had seen people keeping their phones under the benches before.  Yeah, that was probably it.

She recovered from her distraction and put her hands under the bar before grasping it.  Not tightly, but enough to clasp all of her fingers around it and let it rest in her palms.

"Okay, I got it."
User avatar
Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

#7

Post by Cactus »

Tremendous. Getting one extra hard set in would make him feel like he'd done something aside from just fixing mechanics today, and it would give him a retort the next time Wyatt started giving him shit about how much he was lifting. Granted, Connor wasn't an outhouse like either of the Carters, so he didn't usually give that a whole lot of thought.
As the girl stood from the bench and came around to assist, Connor took the opportunity to slide a few extra twenty-five pound plates on to either side of the bar. 250 lbs was probably pushing it a little, but as the saying went, no pain? No gain. Besides, he had a tree helping him out, so it should be fine. By his own estimation, he guessed that he'd get through six or seven reps before faltering. If he hit that, he'd call it a good day.

Glancing at his phone under the bench as it buzzed once more, he quickly rolled his eyes. He couldn't see the name from a quick glance, but the tell tale hearts and kissy-face emojis meant that only one person could be blowing up his phone. Lord help Madison, sometimes she just couldn't be left to her own devices. Attention back on the bench, Connor lay down and positioned himself under the bar for the bench press as the girl positioned her hands under the bar.

"Perfect. If I start to shake, don't worry about my feelings, just grab hold and help me with the motion. Better to do it with a spot than not at all." He smiled at the girl. She hadn't smiled back at him. Weird.

Taking a deep breath and grasping the bar, Connor gave his head a half shake back, flipping a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "Here we go."

Whoa. The weight took him a little off-guard, and he felt his muscles buck in protest as he brought the bar down, but slowly pushed it back up. This wasn't so hard after all.

"So y'all are on the-" He exhaled mid-sentence as he reached full extension on his first rep. "-basketball team, huh?"
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#8

Post by Aura »

Aleksandra uncurled her fingers and let the weight bar be released from her grip as the boy started to lift.  She kept a sharp eye on him as the full burden of the weight became his to handle.  The first rep went pretty slowly, and she kept her hands ready to catch the bar if she needed to.  He seemed to be holding up all right though, at least for now.  Even so, that didn't mean she was going anywhere.  She was the only one that could spot right now, so that was what she was going to do.

The boy had decided to start a conversation while he was on the bench, and somehow he had already figured that she was on the basketball team.  It wasn't really an unfair comparison, considering that she was one of the taller girls in school and kept herself fit.  Even so, she didn't expect that to be the starting point.

"Yeah.  I am."

Not wanting to leave things off so soon, she posed a question of her own.

"Do you play any sports?"
User avatar
Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

#9

Post by Cactus »

Was she kidding? Bringing the bar back up from the second rep, Connor was admittedly taken a little aback. It wasn't often that people genuinely didn't know who he was. He didn't consider himself to be conceited, per se, but since he'd taken over the starting spot on the team, he'd prepared himself for a certain degree of scrutiny around town, and high school was no different.

Still, it was actually kind of nice to meet someone who hadn't greeted him with a knowing sideways glance.

"Hah! Yes ma'am, I sure do." His muscles strained against the bar for his third repetition, the effort causing him to drawl a little; enunciation wasn't his primary focus right now. He pressed the bar up for the fourth time. It was starting to get a little harder now.

Focus. He needed to focus on getting the bar up for a fifth time.

"Football." He grunted out as he slowly lowered the bar to his chest. "I'm the quarterback."

There it was - rep number five. Plus, this girl hadn't had to step in yet. So far, so good. He blew air out as a bead of sweat ran down his temple.

"Have you been to any of our games?" More strain as he went down for the sixth rep. "I've seen your team a few times. Y'all are really gre-"

As he pushed against the bar for his sixth push-up, his muscles suddenly started to shake, not wanting to cooperate. He'd definitely jumped in over his head. Straining to press the bar up, he hoped that his inexperienced spotter would have a bit more sense than he had when he started.
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#10

Post by Aura »

Oh, he was the quarterback?  That was pretty cool.  Aleksandra had only really been interested in football for a few weeks when she was a kid, but she had retained enough information to know that the quarterback was the one who decided how the ball moved downfield.  They were basically the main lynchpin for the offensive squad.  So she supposed that he must have been a pretty important part of the team if that was his position.  No wonder he was doing so much to stay in shape.  He had a pretty big job to handle.

She listened to him muse about the basketball team for a moment, but his sudden stop in speaking combined with his arms ceasing to push the bar indicated that something had gone awry.  His arms started shaking and she could hear the weights on the bar rattling.  Her face shifted, showing grim surprise as her arms snapped up to catch the unsteady bar.  She locked her grip and applied enough upward pull to stabilize the bar, easing the burden on the boy attempting to keep it in the air.

"Are you okay?"  She looked down at him, still a bit shaken by the shock.
User avatar
Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

#11

Post by Cactus »

The weight eased suddenly, and Connor found himself able to complete the sixth repetition. Exhaling in a small relief, he forced a smile onto his face as he caught his breath. He found her concern to actually be a little sweet. His face must have gone really, really red. Ever the charmer, he reassured her in as calm a voice as the sweaty senior could manage.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good. I put more than I could handle on there, but thankfully for me, you're here."

Blowing air out of his lips to prepare himself to do his last four reps, he glanced up at her and nodded. "I'll keep going on the last few, but I'll need your help with them. Just guide me through them."

His phone buzzed again under the bench. For fuck's sake, Madison. Going to the gym for an hour meant going to the gym for an hour. He again ignored it and slowly lowered for the seventh rep. With the girl's help, it was doable and he felt his arms and chest burn a little bit.

"Like I was saying..." He pushed the bar up. "...y'all and your team pretty damn good. You always been a basketball player?"
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
User avatar
MK Kilmarnock
Posts: 1931
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:28 am
Location: On one of the coasts, generally

#12

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

With a thunderous crash, one of the gym doors swung open wildly and struck against the rubber stopper set against the wall.

"'SUP, FAGGOTS?"

((Wyatt Carter, pregame start))

The intruder entered the the gym with a raised foot first. Wyatt loved kicking the doors to the weight room open. Was a real bitch that one time some kid decided to stand too close to the arc of the door hinge, though. Nearly got him in deep shit, and he had a heap of trouble explaining to the vice principal that it was a complete and total accident. Of course, he was then asked if it occurred to him that it would be a lot safer to just open the door like a regular person.

It hadn't, and he still wasn't thinking about that to be entirely honest.

Upon taking a few steps inside and thoughtlessly dropping his gym bag on the floor, Wyatt noticed that there were only two other people in the whole weight room. Aleksandra was distinctive enough that anybody with a fucking dick should have known who she was: over six feet tall, athletic build, killer ass? Wyatt wouldn't have minded making a pass at her. Face wasn't the best to choose from, but you could always just fuck her face down or in a dark room, no big thing.

But it was the guy on the bench itself that Wyatt was here to see. He sauntered up to the two and shot Aleksandra a wink before lightly tapping Connor's shin with the toe of his shoe. "The fuck, man, you don't wanna answer my texts n' wait for me?" Wyatt asked, half-annoyed, half-amused. "Don't fuckin' matter I guess, you picked up a way better spotter to look at. How far in are ya? Don't tell me you're already done."
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#13

Post by Aura »

Aleksandra felt a wave of relief as the bar became steady and the rhythm of the boy's lifts returned to normal.  She muttered a quick "Good" as she helped him continue to move the bar, following up and down along with his movements.  It was kind of like music, following the beat as the song goes on.  It was pretty simple when she thought about it that way.  The conversation picked up from where it had left off regarding the topic of basketball, and she was glad to answer his inquiries.

"I've been playing basketball for a really long time.  I joined the team in freshman year and, uh..."

She winced as the door was thrown open with a bang, followed by a loud, intrusive shout.  Aleksandra was familiar with Wyatt, mostly because it was almost impossible not to be aware of him.  He was very... loud.  Extremely loud.  Aleksandra didn't really like loud people much more than she liked loud places, and the two often went hand in hand.  She tried not to show any more of a reaction as he swaggered over.  She just kept her head down and helped with the reps.

She hoped that Wyatt wouldn't do anything too crazy.  It seemed like he was friends with the other boy, but she always got anxious whenever things started getting too noisy.  It just felt like a prelude to things going wrong somehow.
User avatar
Cactus
Posts: 2101
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:36 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

#14

Post by Cactus »

Connor was completing his final rep and slowly lowering the bar back onto the rack when the doors blasted open, which truly could mean only one thing.

Wyatt Carter was in the proverbial house.

Smirking as his large football teammate and friend made one of his customary explosive, crude entrances, Connor glanced up at the girl and whispered a quick "thanks" before Wyatt sauntered over. He wasn't sure how well she knew Wyatt (or his reputation) but he knew that the quiet conversation was about to get a whole lot louder. Feeling the nudge at his shin, Connor stood up and smirked at the massive mountain of a teenager standing in front of him.

"Finished? Course I finished, y'ugly troll. Y'all should know by now that I don't run on Wyatt time!"

Locker room banter held the same tone, no matter what the sport and no matter what the circumstance, so Connor held his smirk as he threw a couple of jabs at Wyatt. One might think that the two had very little in common - Connor ever-conscious about appearances and his image and Wyatt... not, but in truth, Connor appreciated his uncouth teammate. Few people were as dedicated to the craft of football as much as Connor, but Wyatt had proven he fit that mould as well.

It was an exhausting friendship, but Connor was glad for it. One thing that Wyatt had said gave him cause to pause, though. Leaning over and quickly grabbing his phone from beneath the bench, he finally took a look at his lock screen.

❤❤❤?? Wyatt Carter ??❤❤❤
16 New Messages


No wonder Wyatt had been blowing up his phone. It looked like someone had figured out his password and added all of the same emoji and hearts beside Wyatt's name that he had beside Madison's. Connor had an idea of the likely culprit. He was big, mean, and sacked quarterbacks like his life depended on it.

"Aw, real funny, dick." He lobbed his phone at Wyatt. "You know I glaze over sometimes when I see the hearts. When the hell did you get to my phone?"

Remembering his spotter standing awkwardly by the bench, Connor glanced over at her. "Oh, hey, Wyatt, this is..." Shit. He'd never asked her name.

"Aw, hell. I'm really sorry, I've forgotten your name already. I'm bad with names."

That was a lie - he was great with names. He shot her that well-practiced smile once more, this one a lot more artificial than the last, covering his embarrassment.
[+] V7

B027 - Morgan Dragosavich: "Now come on, you have a flight to catch."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - M1 - PPr1 - PPr2 - T1 - T2 - T3

B042 - Connor Lorenzen: "You— you're gonna have to live with this for— for a long time. A long time, and I hope you do, brother. Really."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - Pr1 - PoPr1 - T1

B005 - Claudeson Bademosi: "May you see your Redeemer face to face and enjoy the vision of God forever."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 -M1 - VPS - T1

B062 - Jeff Greene: "Wait a minute, you're not Palom—"
Status: DECEASED (adopted from Blastinus)
V7: 9 - 10 - 11

G042 - Ariana Moretti: "You were always here."
Status: DECEASED
V7: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Pregame: P1 - P2 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - M1 - M2 - M3 - T1 - T2 - T3
[+] Meanwhile...

V7 (2018):

Life; As It Happens

1: The Essay; June 2, 2015
2: The Pizza; June 6, 2015
3: The Leak; June 7, 2015
4: The Safe; June 4, 2018
5: The Call; September 19, 2015

6: Coda
7: The Secret; June 4, 2018
8: ???; June 9, 2018
9: ???; June 10, 2018
10: ???; June 10, 2018
11: ???; September 13, 2018


Ross Miller

1: Shatterday; June 9, 2018
2: I Wait on You Inside the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea; July 13, 2018 - ongoing

3: ???
4: ???
5: ???

Pregame: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - M1 - M2 - SP - Snapchat

Carl Fredericks/Steven Lorenzen: The Needs of the Many

V6 (2015)
Mrs. Ritch: Sweet Billy
[+] The Past

The Creme de la Creme

V3: B007 - Keith Jackson: At the end of the road he's running, looking back to survey where he's been.
V1/3: B077 - Adam Dodd: You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The truth lies somewhere in between.
V1: B087 - Sidney Crosby: It's only cowardice if other people are around to tell you so. Otherwise, it's survival.
V1: B092 - Eddie Serjeantson: Fully in charge, but not much of an arborist.
V2: B013 - Andrew Ponikarovsky: Probably could have used a proper license and a driving lesson.
V1: G005 - Amanda Jones: A breath of fresh air, and in the end, that was all it took.
V3: B099 - John Sheppard: Went out with a bang.
V3: B122 - Ryan Atwell: Couldn't help but write a "Dear John" letter.
Aura
Posts: 547
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:01 pm

#15

Post by Aura »

The bar was safely back in its place on the rack, and Aleksandra had no idea what to do with her hands now. She moved to place her hands on her pockets, but remembered too late that her gym shorts didn't have any, so she let them idle by her sides instead.

With the two boys bantering and laughing like old friends, presumably because they were, Aleksandra was starting to feel out of place. She had already helped spot, and they weren't using the bench press anymore, so her services weren't really needed. She could probably go back to her weight machine and do her routine, and they wouldn't mind. They might not even notice, actually. They were probably too busy catching up to pay attention to her, so it was probably fine if she left.

Oh wait, they still remembered that she was there. Wait, had she really not given her name to the bench press guy yet? Apparently she hadn't. Come to think of it, she didn't know his name either. Weird how that worked. She had been helping him exercise, and they hadn't even bothered to so much as exchange pleasantries. Looking at the two boys gave her a strange feeling. It wasn't often that she was the shortest person in a room, but it seemed that was the case now. It felt... weird. She tried not to dwell on that and instead focused on answering the question posed to her.

"Aleksandra."
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