Press Play by Eric Devine

Author:Eric Devine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Running Press
Published: 2014-09-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

if the length of a day had a weight to it, I’m sure it would be over 300 pounds. Because I can feel it pressing on me, and it’s almost enough to keep me rooted in place. Almost.

My parents are up, watching the news, still drinking coffee. “Saturday workout?” Dad asks.

“Uh huh.” It’s difficult to hold a conversation while eating a banana. And kind of embarrassing.

“Really, the school’s open for that?”

“No, we’re going to Quinn’s dad’s place.”

Mom sets down her coffee. “You mean Peak Fitness?”

“Yup.” I look out the window, hoping Q will be early. I slept like shit last night, kept having dreams about people breaking my limbs. Which were undoubtedly brought on by Ella’s incident and our trip with her to the hospital. I’m going to pass out later, but now I want out of here.

“What’s that cost, Greg? A membership? Because I’m not sure we have the extra cash. That place is expensive.”

We didn’t talk about money, but I have the sense that it’s not an issue. “Dad, he’s the owner’s son, training the two of us. It’s like good publicity. You know?”

He looks at Mom, who raises her eyebrows. “Well, all right. Have fun.”

“Yeah. Fun.” I throw away the peel, and Quinn’s horn sounds from outside. “See you later.”

“Good luck,” Mom calls at my back.

Ollie’s in the backseat, so I climb in shotgun. “Morning.” I turn back to Oliver. “You could have ridden up here.”

He shrugs. “That’s your seat, not mine.”

Quinn pulls away. At the first light, he finally speaks. “All right, so just stay with me, and we’ll see how this goes. Dad’s not fully on board with what we’re doing.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“He doesn’t understand why we have to train here and not at school.”

“What did you tell him?” Ollie asks.

“Renovation. He told me that was bullshit. That schools only renovate in the summer.”

“He’s right.” I shift and my shorts feel loose around the waist. There’s a first.

“I know. That’s why I want you to just stick with me, do what I say. We need to look like we have our shit together.”

Peak Fitness is big and beautiful. There are two levels, one with machines and free weights and studios for cardio kickboxing and Zumba and whatever else hot chicks in tight pants do. I’ve seen the commercials. Then there’s an entire cardio deck on the second floor. Treadmills, ellipticals, StairMasters, and mountain climbers. There’s another separate area in the back completely devoted to spinning. Watching the people up there, pounding and gliding, makes me feel as if they’re powering the place with the exertion. And Q’s dad is just the kind of guy who would harness that free energy.

He looks us over from behind the front counter, biceps encased in his ultratight polo shirt, not a detectable speck of flab on him. His chiseled cheeks underscore his penetrating eyes, and I have to look away. It’s as if he can see beneath my clothes, can calculate the amount of fat I have and just how unacceptable it is.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.