((Oskar Pearce continued from Goodbye May Seem Forever))
Oskar was working up quite the sweat.
He'd opted to exercise outside today, instead of the makeshift quasi-gymnasium he usually turned his bedroom into, not wanting to waste such a gorgeous afternoon. It hadn't taken him long to decide upon a destination; Sumac Park was but a short walk away from the apartment complex, and the large, sprawling fields it possessed were just perfect for a workout. The grass was parched from several weeks without any hint of rain, but instead of the triple-layering of towels he usually opted for as protection against the hard earth, he had something much more special and much less amateur. It was a magenta exercise mat he'd been lucky enough to spot at a sale the local Target had a few weeks earlier, significantly reducing in price most of their exercise equipment, and Oskar couldn't even begin to describe how much more comfortable it was than a pile of threadbare towels. Sheer bliss.
He'd been practicing pilates for a good half hour already, but a quick pan through the mental list of exercises he'd planned for the day showed him he'd barely finished a fifth of them. Resigning himself to a longer afternoon (or a drastically reduced amount of exercise, depending on how strict his father would be with getting home on time) than he'd anticipated, Oskar adjusted his position on his exercise mat and mentally prepared himself for his next goal: beating his current record for crunches. He ordinarily favoured flexibility and cardio above anything else; it was just so much fun showing off the ease with which he could perform the splits to his friends and teammates, and he dreaded the thought of not being able to keep up with any cheerleading routines.
Today, however, was to be one dedicated to his core. Looking at the defined torsos of his peers in the changing rooms had its obvious appeals, but it also had the clear-cut downside of causing him to reexamine his toned, but altogether comparably dull chest. The thoughts had slowly been collecting in his mind, and the time spent in front of the bathroom mirror contemplating his physique had gradually gotten longer, to the point where he felt almost physically propelled towards focussing on abdominal workouts. It wasn't much of a chore doing so, either; he liked pilates - it was one of the few solitary activities he enjoyed, besides reading, and the endorphin rush he acquired after finishing a workout was a high unlike any other. It was always a nice self-esteem boost too, knowing he hadn't yet fallen off the rails with dieting and the like.
His neon orange singlet peeled away from the fabric of his mat as he began his first crunch, its vibrancy dulled by the sheen of sweat it'd acquired. His whole body felt like it was dripping wet; a layering of slick sweat was percolating across his brow, his teal galaxy leggings were clinging to his skin even more, and despite tying his hair up into a messy bun, his strawberry blond locks had still become dampened. He couldn't wait to be finished, if not purely to grab his nearby towel and wipe away the level of grime he was practically bathing in.
Oskar continued to pull himself up and gently lower himself down once more, every muscle in his torso throbbing from the strain. The heat of the day was blending with the pain of his workout to create distinct waves across his vision; the only thing tying him down and forcing him away from exhaustion was the tinny pop music blasting from the speakers of his secondhand iPod.
He couldn't tell how much time had passed when he finally gave in; his lungs felt like they were fit to burst, his knees were knocking violently together, and with one final breath Oskar allowed himself to collapse down onto his mat, chest rising and falling rapidly and his throat burning from dehydration.
He'd reach for his water bottle in a moment, but for now he thought he'd just soak up the sun, and catch his rattled breath.
All in the Golden Afternoon
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Emprexx Plush
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((Ty Yazzie Continued from My Ball And Chain))
The burning in his chest was a pretty good sign that he was pushing himself too hard. Ty'd been working out long enough to know when he was pushing himself out too far out of his sweet spot in terms of heart rate and shit. He never invested in one of those fancy fitness monitor wristband things, seemed like a damn waste of money to him, so he couldn't time it to the exact beat or anything super-human like that. There were just a few pretty clear indicators of going too far, and they were ringing like a firehouse alarm.
He didn't stop running.
Fuck it. This wasn't about a great workout today. Just needed to get out of the house and out of his head for awhile, lose himself in a pounding beat. Something cheesy and upbeat blaring in his shitty old headphones, loud enough for anyone to hear as he ran by.
Too Legit, Too Legit To Quit! Too Legit, Too Legit To Quit!
Funny thing was, he barely heard it. Even out here he couldn't get his head out of the house, and it was starting to piss him off. He won, damn it all. 2-0, no recount, no rematch, barely even a hand laid on him. Obinze had literally come into the house swinging and he'd dropped him on his ass. Nobody could argue with that.
So why did he feel so empty about the whole thing?
His breath became too ragged to go on, so he finally brought himself to a halt and slung his water bottle out of its holder on his backpack, sucking down mouthful after mouthful of lukewarm tap water until he finally steadied himself. Only after a few gasps and a quick shake out did he notice the shaky kid in the singlet on the ground beside him. Probably looked pretty weird, stopping the way he did. Granted, if he was putting names and faces together right, dude wasn't in any place to judge about weird: Oskar Pierce was the sorta guy who showed up in color combinations you never thought you'd see, and if you had any feel for complements you'd pray to whatever the hell you believed in that you'd never see them again. Not something Ty ever thought he'd care about way back when, but after years of arranging flowers he couldn't unsee shit like that.
Didn't help that Oskar always seemed like he was trying to make everybody love and pay attention to him. That sort of thought didn't reflect well on Ty, and he knew it, but hell, it grated on his nerves when people were constantly cheery and dancing around like everything's okay. They were either goddamn ignorant or lying, and he didn't have a lot of time for dumbasses or liars.
That might be all the bitterness over his brother talking, though. Made him act like the kind of person he used to be in a real bad way. He didn't want that. He wasn't going to be that, not now, not ever again. So despite all that mess, Ty forced a shaky smile to his lips and gave the kid a wave.
"Hey. Hell of a day, ain't it?"
The burning in his chest was a pretty good sign that he was pushing himself too hard. Ty'd been working out long enough to know when he was pushing himself out too far out of his sweet spot in terms of heart rate and shit. He never invested in one of those fancy fitness monitor wristband things, seemed like a damn waste of money to him, so he couldn't time it to the exact beat or anything super-human like that. There were just a few pretty clear indicators of going too far, and they were ringing like a firehouse alarm.
He didn't stop running.
Fuck it. This wasn't about a great workout today. Just needed to get out of the house and out of his head for awhile, lose himself in a pounding beat. Something cheesy and upbeat blaring in his shitty old headphones, loud enough for anyone to hear as he ran by.
Too Legit, Too Legit To Quit! Too Legit, Too Legit To Quit!
Funny thing was, he barely heard it. Even out here he couldn't get his head out of the house, and it was starting to piss him off. He won, damn it all. 2-0, no recount, no rematch, barely even a hand laid on him. Obinze had literally come into the house swinging and he'd dropped him on his ass. Nobody could argue with that.
So why did he feel so empty about the whole thing?
His breath became too ragged to go on, so he finally brought himself to a halt and slung his water bottle out of its holder on his backpack, sucking down mouthful after mouthful of lukewarm tap water until he finally steadied himself. Only after a few gasps and a quick shake out did he notice the shaky kid in the singlet on the ground beside him. Probably looked pretty weird, stopping the way he did. Granted, if he was putting names and faces together right, dude wasn't in any place to judge about weird: Oskar Pierce was the sorta guy who showed up in color combinations you never thought you'd see, and if you had any feel for complements you'd pray to whatever the hell you believed in that you'd never see them again. Not something Ty ever thought he'd care about way back when, but after years of arranging flowers he couldn't unsee shit like that.
Didn't help that Oskar always seemed like he was trying to make everybody love and pay attention to him. That sort of thought didn't reflect well on Ty, and he knew it, but hell, it grated on his nerves when people were constantly cheery and dancing around like everything's okay. They were either goddamn ignorant or lying, and he didn't have a lot of time for dumbasses or liars.
That might be all the bitterness over his brother talking, though. Made him act like the kind of person he used to be in a real bad way. He didn't want that. He wasn't going to be that, not now, not ever again. So despite all that mess, Ty forced a shaky smile to his lips and gave the kid a wave.
"Hey. Hell of a day, ain't it?"
Without the pain of his workout to distract him and engulf his focus, the world and all that came with it returned to the forefront of Oskar's mind. As he lay splayed out across his mat, breathing heavily and greedily pulling oxygen into his lungs, he found himself drawn towards the unmistakable chants of M.C. Hammer, coming from the headphones of a nearby jogger as they circulated the field, eventually pausing near him to drink from their battered water bottle. Rolling onto his stomach to get a better look at them, Oskar instantly recognised the other exerciser as one Tyler Yazzie, a classmate of his with whom he had almost nothing in common.
Their interaction had been scarce over the years, with most of Oskar's knowledge of Ty coming from secondhand accounts - predominantly tales of shouting matches and the like, along with the stories that'd arisen after his brother's arrest. They hadn't exactly painted the most glamorous picture of Ty in Oskar's mind, but he seemed to have mellowed out recently - if the conversations he'd had with Bernadette whenever she came into the bookstore were anything to go by. The two of them dating had proved to be something of a surprise when their relationship status had popped up on his Facebook feed, but they seemed to genuinely care for each other, and that was all that mattered in Oskar's eyes. Happy couples weren't something he found himself around very often, and he was quick to encourage them whenever he saw a romantic pairing working. Occasionally he found himself longing for the comfort and stability a relationship would bring into his life, but that would require bringing down a wall he'd spent years building up and making himself more vulnerable than he'd ever allowed himself to be.
The whole casual fling thing was just a lot easier for him.
As Ty offered him a greeting and commented on the heat of the day, Oskar quickly scrambled to turn down his music, not wanting their conversation to be drowned out by The Gay Pimp's 'Soccer Practice'.
"Hey Ty! It certainly is! How're you doing?" Oskar beamed, propping himself up into a seating position and folding his legs together. Not wanting to let the conversation to run dry once the usual pleasantries were finished with, he'd ordinarily scour through his mental list of possible conversational topics, but Ty was mostly a non-entity for him, and the still-lingering exhaustion that was clouding his mind made an already miniscule list almost impossible to conjure. So he instead fell back on what he'd already observed during their short exchange: Tyler's choice of music. M.C. Hammer was nowhere near being one of Oskar's favourite musicians, but he could appreciate the energy and catchiness of the music. There'd been more than one occasion when he'd found himself dancing around his bedroom to 'U Can't Touch This' when his father wasn't home.
"So, M.C. Hammer, huh? Good choice!"
Their interaction had been scarce over the years, with most of Oskar's knowledge of Ty coming from secondhand accounts - predominantly tales of shouting matches and the like, along with the stories that'd arisen after his brother's arrest. They hadn't exactly painted the most glamorous picture of Ty in Oskar's mind, but he seemed to have mellowed out recently - if the conversations he'd had with Bernadette whenever she came into the bookstore were anything to go by. The two of them dating had proved to be something of a surprise when their relationship status had popped up on his Facebook feed, but they seemed to genuinely care for each other, and that was all that mattered in Oskar's eyes. Happy couples weren't something he found himself around very often, and he was quick to encourage them whenever he saw a romantic pairing working. Occasionally he found himself longing for the comfort and stability a relationship would bring into his life, but that would require bringing down a wall he'd spent years building up and making himself more vulnerable than he'd ever allowed himself to be.
The whole casual fling thing was just a lot easier for him.
As Ty offered him a greeting and commented on the heat of the day, Oskar quickly scrambled to turn down his music, not wanting their conversation to be drowned out by The Gay Pimp's 'Soccer Practice'.
"Hey Ty! It certainly is! How're you doing?" Oskar beamed, propping himself up into a seating position and folding his legs together. Not wanting to let the conversation to run dry once the usual pleasantries were finished with, he'd ordinarily scour through his mental list of possible conversational topics, but Ty was mostly a non-entity for him, and the still-lingering exhaustion that was clouding his mind made an already miniscule list almost impossible to conjure. So he instead fell back on what he'd already observed during their short exchange: Tyler's choice of music. M.C. Hammer was nowhere near being one of Oskar's favourite musicians, but he could appreciate the energy and catchiness of the music. There'd been more than one occasion when he'd found himself dancing around his bedroom to 'U Can't Touch This' when his father wasn't home.
"So, M.C. Hammer, huh? Good choice!"
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Emprexx Plush
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Kid wasn't so bad outside of school, really. Whole packs of folks like him rode his nerves hard, but just the one was alright. Ty rolled his shoulders and stretched a bit as he listened to Oskar's questions, nodding along to show he was listening. Guy didn't want to hear how he actually was, probably, so he might as well stick to the polite shit. "Hey, can't complain, can't complain. Nice enough to get out for awhile, yeah?"
Ty had to wonder if a kid like Oskar would get what he meant even if he talked about it. Chipper fella like that probably has a Grade A sterling home life, good folks, nice house, that kind of thing. Seems like they always did, in Ty's opinion. He couldn't imagine anybody with that bright a mood having to get real deep in the shit. There was some vague memory scratching at the back of his head of something big happening to the guy a couple years back, but Ty couldn't put his finger on it. Didn't really pay much attention to the rumor mill, to be honest. Probably wasn't important.
Oskar picked out his choice in music, and Ty had to chuckle a bit. "Gotta admit, yeah, I've got a weakness for this one. Don't really know much about the guy, but I'll be damned if this don't get me right in the zone to work out." He'd say something about Oskar's music, but the bit he'd heard before it got turned down wasn't ringing a bell in his head. Instead, he relaxed a bit and wiped his forehead. "How about you, hoss? How's the afternoon treatin' ya?"
Ty had to wonder if a kid like Oskar would get what he meant even if he talked about it. Chipper fella like that probably has a Grade A sterling home life, good folks, nice house, that kind of thing. Seems like they always did, in Ty's opinion. He couldn't imagine anybody with that bright a mood having to get real deep in the shit. There was some vague memory scratching at the back of his head of something big happening to the guy a couple years back, but Ty couldn't put his finger on it. Didn't really pay much attention to the rumor mill, to be honest. Probably wasn't important.
Oskar picked out his choice in music, and Ty had to chuckle a bit. "Gotta admit, yeah, I've got a weakness for this one. Don't really know much about the guy, but I'll be damned if this don't get me right in the zone to work out." He'd say something about Oskar's music, but the bit he'd heard before it got turned down wasn't ringing a bell in his head. Instead, he relaxed a bit and wiped his forehead. "How about you, hoss? How's the afternoon treatin' ya?"
((Mia Rose continued from Yard Sard))
Mia had gone through enough 'gorgeous days' to last a lifetime.
It was yet another scorching hot day in Kingsman. Any other person on earth would probably be spamming their Facebook and Twitter feeds with just how nice out it looked, and sure, Mia could appreciate the aesthetic aspect of it, and how nice it was to just sit outside and chill. It made swimming even greater than it normally was, too.
But for any other form of exercise, it might as well be classified as torture. Jogging in this heat was like going running with a backpack full of rocks strapped to you. It got easier the more you did it, sure, but you'd probably get pretty good at sleeping on a bed of nails if you did it enough, and there were easier ways of freakin' sleeping.
Okay, maybe Mia was over exaggerating a little bit. The fact remained, however, that she was getting a little tired of the weather. If it was just a little cooler, it'd be pretty much perfect, but nope, the sun refused to take a nap for even just a day. Hopefully one of the sports colleges she was considering would be located somewhere in a more temperate climate. Like... Alaska. Or something.
Ugh. Mia mentally berated herself as she sped along as many side paths as possible. She'd decided to go with a change of pace, and go cycling today; she hadn't done so for a good while. Course, she had made this plan somehow forgetting that the reason for that was because her BMX was currently getting repaired, but that had only momentarily stopped her. She had 'borrowed' David's bike for the day; surely he wouldn't be too annoyed, right? His annoyance would be nothing compared to her mom's wrath if she discovered Mia had been cycling without a helmet, anyways.
She had been enjoying the ride, feeling the wind rush past her and whip through her hair, the world tinted sapphire through her sunglasses, but thinking about what she was going to do after school always put a damper on things. She knew she was going to have to actually put her mind to it and make a decision soon, but it felt like no matter what she chose, she was going to be disappointing somebody. And what if she ended up completely regretting her decision, whatever that may be, in the years to come?
So Mia was welcome for the distraction as she turned into Sumac Park, and instantly caught sight of Oskar Pearce; even through her sunglasses, it was hard to miss her fellow cheerleader. They didn't get to talk all too often outside of cheerleading, thanks to Mia's schedule, so it would be good to spend some more time with him. Mia changed track and lowered her speed, heading towards her friend.
Oskar was already talking to someone slightly less familiar, but as Mia drew closer, she recognised the other guy as Ty Yazzie. Mia had never really spent much time around Ty, the closest probably being described as 'casual proximity'. Thus, everything she knew about him stemmed from the rumour mill, and thus, she really knew very little about him. Lots of different opinions from lots of different people, ranging from one extreme to another. Whatever! It was personal experiences that counted the most.
As soon as she was close enough to the pair, Mia dismounted. She removed her earphones, letting all and sundry hear a few seconds of Porter Robinson's "Lionhearted", before she pressed pause on her iPod and removed her water bottle from its holster on the bike.
"Hey guys! What's happening? Nice outfit by the way, Oskar!"
Mia flashed a cheerful grin, before taking a swig of water.
Mia had gone through enough 'gorgeous days' to last a lifetime.
It was yet another scorching hot day in Kingsman. Any other person on earth would probably be spamming their Facebook and Twitter feeds with just how nice out it looked, and sure, Mia could appreciate the aesthetic aspect of it, and how nice it was to just sit outside and chill. It made swimming even greater than it normally was, too.
But for any other form of exercise, it might as well be classified as torture. Jogging in this heat was like going running with a backpack full of rocks strapped to you. It got easier the more you did it, sure, but you'd probably get pretty good at sleeping on a bed of nails if you did it enough, and there were easier ways of freakin' sleeping.
Okay, maybe Mia was over exaggerating a little bit. The fact remained, however, that she was getting a little tired of the weather. If it was just a little cooler, it'd be pretty much perfect, but nope, the sun refused to take a nap for even just a day. Hopefully one of the sports colleges she was considering would be located somewhere in a more temperate climate. Like... Alaska. Or something.
Ugh. Mia mentally berated herself as she sped along as many side paths as possible. She'd decided to go with a change of pace, and go cycling today; she hadn't done so for a good while. Course, she had made this plan somehow forgetting that the reason for that was because her BMX was currently getting repaired, but that had only momentarily stopped her. She had 'borrowed' David's bike for the day; surely he wouldn't be too annoyed, right? His annoyance would be nothing compared to her mom's wrath if she discovered Mia had been cycling without a helmet, anyways.
She had been enjoying the ride, feeling the wind rush past her and whip through her hair, the world tinted sapphire through her sunglasses, but thinking about what she was going to do after school always put a damper on things. She knew she was going to have to actually put her mind to it and make a decision soon, but it felt like no matter what she chose, she was going to be disappointing somebody. And what if she ended up completely regretting her decision, whatever that may be, in the years to come?
So Mia was welcome for the distraction as she turned into Sumac Park, and instantly caught sight of Oskar Pearce; even through her sunglasses, it was hard to miss her fellow cheerleader. They didn't get to talk all too often outside of cheerleading, thanks to Mia's schedule, so it would be good to spend some more time with him. Mia changed track and lowered her speed, heading towards her friend.
Oskar was already talking to someone slightly less familiar, but as Mia drew closer, she recognised the other guy as Ty Yazzie. Mia had never really spent much time around Ty, the closest probably being described as 'casual proximity'. Thus, everything she knew about him stemmed from the rumour mill, and thus, she really knew very little about him. Lots of different opinions from lots of different people, ranging from one extreme to another. Whatever! It was personal experiences that counted the most.
As soon as she was close enough to the pair, Mia dismounted. She removed her earphones, letting all and sundry hear a few seconds of Porter Robinson's "Lionhearted", before she pressed pause on her iPod and removed her water bottle from its holster on the bike.
"Hey guys! What's happening? Nice outfit by the way, Oskar!"
Mia flashed a cheerful grin, before taking a swig of water.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
When he'd left the house that morning, Oskar hadn't really expected anything too spectacular to make its way into his life. He hadn't expected to see anybody, as grateful for the company as he would've been – and that expectation had been shattered. He hadn't expected to break his record for crunches – 'have low expectations and you'll never be disappointed', as his dad always said – and that expectation had too, been shattered. But something he hadn't even considered was that someone, a boy he barely even knew, would be able to worm his way under his skin in a manner no one else had ever managed to do. And with only a handful of casual, idle words of conversation at that.
"Yeah, yeah I do."
A simple response to a simple question – Ty asking for affirmation about his feelings over being out of the house – but one that held so much weight behind it. The second the string of words left his lips, Oskar began inwardly chiding himself for letting that much slip out, letting down that curtain he thought he'd trained himself to maintain with such deftness.
Home. If there was a single place in the world Oskar wished he could leave for 'awhile', it was his home. Pretty ironic, in his eyes. The one place he was supposed to feel safe and assured, and it did the worst job of it. Oskar really only thought deeply about such things in moments when there was little to distract him from his inner thoughts. He'd never had such a rush of emotion cascade through him without something disastrous to open the floodgates. To think that a simple question like that could cause such a reaction was a troubling one indeed.
He kept his smile up, in the hope none of the internal cracks would show, and didn't even have time to try and pass everything off by replying to Ty's follow up question when a beacon of light came jogging into his life in the form of Mia Rose.
The second Mia entered the scene, the small chip in the wall that Ty had managed to carve out was instantly refilled, boundless enthusiasm practically exuding from his entire body as he offered her an energetic wave. She was one of his favourite members of the cheerleading squad; one that he never felt too anxious or nervous around and an absolute bundle of positivity. Just what he needed right now.
"Hey kween! Aww, thanks! You look defs rad too! How've you beeeeen?"
"Yeah, yeah I do."
A simple response to a simple question – Ty asking for affirmation about his feelings over being out of the house – but one that held so much weight behind it. The second the string of words left his lips, Oskar began inwardly chiding himself for letting that much slip out, letting down that curtain he thought he'd trained himself to maintain with such deftness.
Home. If there was a single place in the world Oskar wished he could leave for 'awhile', it was his home. Pretty ironic, in his eyes. The one place he was supposed to feel safe and assured, and it did the worst job of it. Oskar really only thought deeply about such things in moments when there was little to distract him from his inner thoughts. He'd never had such a rush of emotion cascade through him without something disastrous to open the floodgates. To think that a simple question like that could cause such a reaction was a troubling one indeed.
He kept his smile up, in the hope none of the internal cracks would show, and didn't even have time to try and pass everything off by replying to Ty's follow up question when a beacon of light came jogging into his life in the form of Mia Rose.
The second Mia entered the scene, the small chip in the wall that Ty had managed to carve out was instantly refilled, boundless enthusiasm practically exuding from his entire body as he offered her an energetic wave. She was one of his favourite members of the cheerleading squad; one that he never felt too anxious or nervous around and an absolute bundle of positivity. Just what he needed right now.
"Hey kween! Aww, thanks! You look defs rad too! How've you beeeeen?"
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Emprexx Plush
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Now this left him in a real awkward position. Chit chat with one bouncy kid he barely knew, he could probably handle. Throwing in another one, with the two of them feeding into each other like this, and he was all out of depth. Casual talk just wasn't his thing when all his ducks were in a row, let alone when he was all scattered. He should probably bounce and just let these two have their fun.
That'd be the easy way out, though. These folks were at least trying to be nice to him, as far as he could tell, so they didn't seem too bothered by him sticking around for the moment. Was he really worried about ruining their good time, or was that just an easy excuse to fuck off and not bother with other people so he could stew in his bad mood?
Damn. It felt a hell of a lot like the second one, as much as he hated to admit it.
He forced himself to return Mia's smile and give her a loose wave. "Hey, Mia. Not much, just keepin' fit for competition." Mia was on the swim team, if he was remembering right, so she was probably hanging around for a similar reason. He'd ask her how she was doing, but Oskar seemed to have that handled, and nobody wanted to hear his non-opinions on fashion and shit.
That'd be the easy way out, though. These folks were at least trying to be nice to him, as far as he could tell, so they didn't seem too bothered by him sticking around for the moment. Was he really worried about ruining their good time, or was that just an easy excuse to fuck off and not bother with other people so he could stew in his bad mood?
Damn. It felt a hell of a lot like the second one, as much as he hated to admit it.
He forced himself to return Mia's smile and give her a loose wave. "Hey, Mia. Not much, just keepin' fit for competition." Mia was on the swim team, if he was remembering right, so she was probably hanging around for a similar reason. He'd ask her how she was doing, but Oskar seemed to have that handled, and nobody wanted to hear his non-opinions on fashion and shit.
Mia stretched her arms out above her head before rolling her shoulders back a couple of times. It was always good to stretch out before and after any form of exercise, both for how it felt and how useful the cooldown was for her. It was also always good to see that both guys seemed to be in positive spirits.
Well, Oskar mostly. But at least Ty seemed to be slightly less dour than he normally looked. So that was good!
Mia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then her brow, before putting her water bottle back in its holster on her bike. Then she turned back to face Oskar and Ty, still smiling.
"I've been good, can't really complain! I was planning on heading to the skate park, but my BMX is kinda, y'know, busted at the moment." Mia shrugged. "Collisions, crashes. It happens!"
She conveniently left out the part where she was freaking out about her impending future more and more with every passing day, where every time she made a 'final decision' she thought of a million drawbacks and changed her mind, and where every time she put that decision off, the worry grew yet more stronger. Oskar and Ty didn't need to hear about that, and she didn't want to remind herself of it.
So, in the depths of her mind it stayed.
"So what competition are you practicing for, Ty?"
Well, Oskar mostly. But at least Ty seemed to be slightly less dour than he normally looked. So that was good!
Mia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then her brow, before putting her water bottle back in its holster on her bike. Then she turned back to face Oskar and Ty, still smiling.
"I've been good, can't really complain! I was planning on heading to the skate park, but my BMX is kinda, y'know, busted at the moment." Mia shrugged. "Collisions, crashes. It happens!"
She conveniently left out the part where she was freaking out about her impending future more and more with every passing day, where every time she made a 'final decision' she thought of a million drawbacks and changed her mind, and where every time she put that decision off, the worry grew yet more stronger. Oskar and Ty didn't need to hear about that, and she didn't want to remind herself of it.
So, in the depths of her mind it stayed.
"So what competition are you practicing for, Ty?"
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
"Aww, Mia!" Oskar pouted his lip and gently crossed his arms as his friend described how her BMX had taken damage from one-too-many collisions. As much as he knew Mia was a relentlessly resilient girl and would likely bounce back from any injuries she might sustain while on the biking circuit, it still worried him. Vehicular accidents were a sore spot for him; it's what had made him uneasy about learning to ride a bike. His father had offered to teach him a year or so ago, out of a pang of guilt for not doing so when Oskar was younger. But he'd refused. Walking to and from school suited him well enough, and the lone bicycle the Pearce family owned belonged to his mother. The thought of scratching it up from being too careless was one almost unbearable to entertain.
"I know you're the best biker out there, but take care, alright?" He finished, folding down into a child's pose to cool down somewhat while the duo continued to speak. Ty mentioned an upcoming competition he was practicing for, and when Mia inquired as to its specifics, Oskar couldn't help but pipe up with a question he'd always wanted to ask, but hadn't really ever had a good throughline to do so.
"Wrestlin' stuff, right? I wish I could get into stuff like that. I'm so lil', though. I don't think I could ever take anyone down. Do you guys have an open audience, or is it super restricted?"
As he spoke, Oskar pulled himself out of child's pose and lay down on his back, stretching to let the tension in his muscles unwind. After a moment's thought, he impulsively peeled his singlet off, gently tossing it to the side and exposing his trim chest. He didn't want to stew in his own sweat for much longer, and with the sun beating down on the park even more ferociously than usual, maybe he'd finally manage to acquire something of a tan. And he didn't need to worry about the others' reactions too much – Mia had seen him shirtless plenty of times, and wrestling was brimming with shirtless guys; he doubted Ty would care.
"It's so hot, isn't it?" He said, fiddling with the end of his ponytail. "When I left the house this morning it was so cold, I thought I'd need a jacket too. And now I'm regretting not wearing short shorts!"
"I know you're the best biker out there, but take care, alright?" He finished, folding down into a child's pose to cool down somewhat while the duo continued to speak. Ty mentioned an upcoming competition he was practicing for, and when Mia inquired as to its specifics, Oskar couldn't help but pipe up with a question he'd always wanted to ask, but hadn't really ever had a good throughline to do so.
"Wrestlin' stuff, right? I wish I could get into stuff like that. I'm so lil', though. I don't think I could ever take anyone down. Do you guys have an open audience, or is it super restricted?"
As he spoke, Oskar pulled himself out of child's pose and lay down on his back, stretching to let the tension in his muscles unwind. After a moment's thought, he impulsively peeled his singlet off, gently tossing it to the side and exposing his trim chest. He didn't want to stew in his own sweat for much longer, and with the sun beating down on the park even more ferociously than usual, maybe he'd finally manage to acquire something of a tan. And he didn't need to worry about the others' reactions too much – Mia had seen him shirtless plenty of times, and wrestling was brimming with shirtless guys; he doubted Ty would care.
"It's so hot, isn't it?" He said, fiddling with the end of his ponytail. "When I left the house this morning it was so cold, I thought I'd need a jacket too. And now I'm regretting not wearing short shorts!"