A Beautiful Life

Boom boom boom boom!! [Venga Boys]

Early September 1999

Richford University

Her core tightened, waves of addictive pain coursing through her abdomen. Her fists buried in her black pigtails, each hand clutching a velvet scrunchy. With every sit-up, the ache felt so good, granting strength and control. The pain promised balance and power, radiating with each crunch and exhale.

The pressure on her feet was firm, held down by the weight of lean arms, pressing on the toes of her Skechers. Whenever she lifted her back off the mat, she was met with a handsome face, his brows knit together in concentration, the blue of his eyes shimmering as if he was trying to avoid her gaze whenever she met his.

"How many so far?"

Her question came out quick and breathy, and he faltered, adjusting his knees folded under him, and she came up at least another three times before he answered her.

"About a hundred, I think? Sorry, I lost count a few times."

A hot breath seared her nostrils, though she retained her momentum, tightening the muscles in her neck to push herself up, her eyes capturing his in a sharp glare. "What the fuck, Andrew, you're supposed to be counting. It's not that hard."

She caught a glimpse of him rolling his eyes, and she felt the weight on her feet lessen. "You could be counting, too, you know. I mean, this is your workout, Sakura."

The longer she repeated this motion, the more aware she became of her body and everything that touched it, the dig of the spaghetti strap of her tank top, the tug of the waistband of her sweatpants below her hips. She felt every drop of sweat glisten on her abdomen and forehead, a cooling warmth on her skin. Her exhales muffled against her ears, but she could hear Andrew's voice clearly.

"How've your first week of classes been?"

A grunt grumbled in her throat. Now he started a conversation, and no one was counting. With a loud huff, Sakura landed on the floor, crossing her arms over her chest. Suddenly she became aware of the noise around them, the radio playing in the background, the sound of weights and treadmills and other students conversing.

"Same dance classes, same bitches. Different year," she said, looking towards the ceiling as she became entranced by a broken fluorescent light. "What about you?"

Repositioning himself, he pressed his weight on her toes, leaning his body forward as he rested his arms on her knees. She noticed the sleeve of his tank top draping over his shoulder, and he smiled at her, his gaze meeting hers as she blushed furiously. Strands of blonde hair fell in front of his eyes, and he caught her stare. She held her chest as if to flatten her breasts, suddenly very aware of herself and their proximity, how she could feel his weight on top of her, the brush of his hand against her pant leg.

"Class has been alright," he finally spoke, now crossing his arms over her knees and resting his chin on her. "I have a lot of homework already, though."

He watched her for a moment before adding, "Are you and Tyler going to be competing together again this year?

Sakura readjusted herself, cradling her head with her palms and straightening her back. But she remained on the ground, stalling from beginning another set of sit-ups.

"Yea, we're going to start rehearsing tonight."

With a huff, she lifted her upper body, completing one crunch. But she held herself there, noticing how he fumbled his lips at their closeness, and she smiled at him before lowering her body and bringing herself up again, her reps slower and more controlled.