Delicate Pulse | Violentine

Stop Staring

(tw: vom*t)

Sophie is a nice person and all but there was one crucial detail she forgot to bring up earlier.

"I thought Clementine would like to spend some time with us," explains Sophie while Minerva, Violet and I gawk at one another in astoundment.

I can't catch a break, can I?

Minerva is the first one to snap out of shock. "It's no big deal. What about you, Clem? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The way she says my name is awful, she might as well have thrown a drink at me. I shake it off and force a smile.

"Sorry, I thought...I wasn't aware that it was a group activity," I admit. "It's totally okay though, I don't mind," I swiftly add.

She scrutinises me, completely unconvinced. Violet has kept her head down the entire time.

"I'm glad to see everyone so excited!" asserts Sophie, leading the way.

"At least we can rely on Soph to throw a surprise birthday party, hey?" I hear Minnie say under her breath to Violet as they leave me behind. I contemplate running the other direction and finding Louis or Brody but I've committed to this shit so I might as well give it a shot.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The session is being held in the gym. I've already spent some time here during P.E this week, it isn't as spacious or embellished as the one at my old school. However, considering it was once an outdoor shed in its lifetime, it's pretty impressive that they were able to convert it this way.

There are mats scattered around about two metres apart. Minerva and Violet claim a pair in the front while Sophie and I were forced to reserve spots that were further away. I did not complain about it at all.

A couple of kids are asked to remove themselves due to poor grades or behaviour. Sophie mentions the rule was implemented because one time these two boys came in and set off a stink bomb, they had to sound the alarms and evacuate.

I raise an eyebrow. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Dismissing kids who might need this the most?"

Sophie rolls her neck. "Sure but I would honestly rather that than my clothes reeking. I will literally cry if it happens again."

"By the way, I'm fully aware of stretching before exercising but isn't yoga all about stretching in the first place?" I specify.

Sophie pauses for a second. "I guess. Still, you don't want to end up stuck in the splits, do you?"

She has a point.

The gym teacher struts her way in, dressed up like this is a hardcore gymnastic class and she means business. She has the outfit, the leotard and leggings get-go. I'm thankful the leotard isn't overlapping the pants, I probably would have dipped if it was. That would be fucking weird.

She rambles on about safety procedures and then conducts the session. She says some ambiguous things like pushing your energy upwards, releasing your toxins and keeping your focus on your core because that's where the magic is. I just go along with it, not that I have a choice anyway.

I'm practically copying Sophie the entire time. It's not because I'm horrendous, I'm actually doing pretty well for a beginner, passing the minimal. It's just that she excels at it, she's able to reach her toes with a strong, prestigious frame. She'll correct me personally if I am positioned at the wrong angle or if my feet are turned too far out. It is rather nit-picky but she means well and I take it with a grain of salt. It could just be her nature of paying attention to the details like with art and stuff. Her creative technique is better than anything I could ever pursue.