Chapter 10 No.10

The entire room was empty, with only soft cushions on the floor as rugs. Fewer people were in the room compared to the ground floor, and they all seemed to be busy with their businesses. Some moved in acrobatic fashions, some did his regular pushup, only this time with a heavy weight attached to his neck and another on his back. Then there was this one who seemed to be meditating, staying transfixed in a single position, refusing to move an inch from where he stood... Upside down.

"Oh, you're here Roxanne. Did you say the name before entering?" A voice came from behind her.

She smiled as she heard his voice, one she would recognize anywhere. It was her coach. She turned back and saw him with a towel around his neck, with some gear he carried on his hand, and a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Hey coach. Yeah, I did. Really wish you'd stop making me do that." She said with a soft laugh as she shook her head.

"Never! Not until you realise the profoundness and beauty of it" He said with a wide grin.

"So... Never then?" She replied dryly, raising one of her eyebrows.

"Yep. Never" He smiled.

Her coach was a man in his early forties. He had sand brown hair and a spectacular muscular build. He looked surprisingly youthful compared to his actual age. An exercise gourmet, but not one so needlessly and overly obsessive with it. Though Roxanne had to admit, sometimes his passion was a little over the top.

Roxanne remembered when she first arrived at the gym. She had just recently moved into town and felt bored just staying home after school. With nothing to do, and a lot to think about, she needed something to distract her from the thoughts which weighed her down.

After school one day, she decided to pass a different route home, trying to waste as much of her time as possible. She went through unfamiliar streets and somehow ended up at the 'PASSION OF LIFE GYM'.

Roxanne could still remember how she initially found the name absurd and walked past it, but then came back and stared hard at the name, before finally deciding to give it a try.

Something most people didn't know about Roxanne was that she wasn't just your average high school girl, who was interested in boys and makeup. Ever since she was young, she had a never ending passion for one particular thing... Sports!

Growing up, her father trained her in various kinds of sports and was in charge of her exercise and daily routine. Even from childhood, she possessed freakish stamina and strength which seemed to even amaze her parents. She trained everyday and honed her skills thanks to her father.

However, when he died four years ago, she stopped training and doing exercise altogether. The effects didn't really show on her body since she still had a healthy lifestyle, but the more time passed, the more she itched for the stimulation that only sports give.

Nearly a year after her father died, she came across the gym she currently used. Her initial goal when she saw the gym was just to go in and just do a few rounds, but... She ended up doing more than that.

Roxanne would have just finished her set and gone home for the day, not even nearing the place again, but she ended up being a regular instead. And it was all thanks to the man standing in front of her.

"You arrived earlier than expected, I'm not done setting up yet" He said to her.

"What can I say? I guess I got a bit excited" She smiled widely.

Coach was a man she highly respected and loved, as close to a father to her as anyone can get. After observing her do some sets in the gym, he approached her and talked with her.

Of course, she was cautious around him initially, but some time after they started talking, she really felt a strong connection with him. Perhaps in a way, he reminded her of her father, who used to personally train her before he passed away. She left the gym that day with a smile on her face.

The next day, before she knew what was going on, she found herself there again, and the day after that, then the one after that day... Until she became a regular.

"Go get changed first" Coach said to her.

"After that you'll be helping me set these up, then we can start" He told her, referring to some tools he kept on the ground and more of them at the corner by the wall.

"Aye aye. Let's do this!" She said, removing her sweater as she walked toward the changing room.