Take Me Down

1

One more.

I lifted my chin up to the bar, my muscles contracting as I pulled my weight up, then slowly released myself down. Letting go of the bar, I dropped to the ground, landing on my feet as the excess chalk dust fell from my hands.

300 hundred pull-ups were enough for today. It was part of my regular routine, but today I added an extra fifty to build up more muscle instead of just maintaining.

Shaking my head from side to side, my dark hair fell to my neck as I pulled my ponytail free. A clear line of sweat trailed down my forehead after the intense workout. 

There was something about the gym that gave me a feeling of comfort every time I walked through the front door. It was a step away from reality, a place to just workout and escape it all. To be normal.

The light grey walls enclosed a large space about the size of a football field. Weights were lined against a mirrored wall along the west side of the building. Windows lined the north side of the building, letting in lots of natural light. Various machines lined the middle of the gym. The building used to be a clothing warehouse until the owners purchased it. The only additions to the facility were the tanning rooms and change rooms with showers. No other walls were added, making the space feel open and bright.

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and made my way through the dividing row of treadmills in the center, heading towards the showers. 

The women's change room greeted me with warm-toned peach walls as I sat down on a wooden bench that stretched three-quarters of the length of the room. The walls were lined with orange and red lockers, marble sinks and well-used showers at the far end. I pulled off my black and white Nike shoes along with the socks underneath and stripped out of my workout clothes. There wasn't anyone else in here, but I could have cared less if there was. I was comfortable in my body and didn't care what others thought of me. It had taken me a long time to get to that point of comfort in my own skin, but I had finally achieved it and was living for myself instead of the opinions of others.

Throwing open my locker, I grabbed my hair and body products out of my black gym bag and walked down to the row of showers. I went to the very last one on the left, the one that was the least used in the entire gym. Each shower saw approximately sixty to eighty people a day, whereas this one maybe got a max of ten.

I turned it on and stood just outside of the shower, giving the water enough time to heat up before stepping in. Putting my products down on the metal hanging rack, I stepped into the shower, letting the warm water aesthetically splash onto my skin.

Shampoo, conditioner, and a coconut-scented body scrub later, I walked out of the shower wrapped in a white fluffy towel provided by the gym. The towel fell onto the bench as I quickly lathered a thin layer of lotion all over my body and changed back into my everyday clothes. The trusty pair of dark Capri jeans had been with me for three years. There was a slight rip in the left pant leg, but I couldn't retire them just yet. The pants hugged my hips perfectly, and the local clothing store didn't carry this style anymore.

However, the light grey shirt was a new edition, along with the slightly-used pair of black Toms sandals. These were both found at the local thrift store for a steal of a deal. Considering I didn't pay for them.

I grabbed my bag, shoving the used gym clothes inside, and headed out of the changing room to the front doors of the gym.

Just past the reception area was a bin to drop used towels in. I elegantly threw mine in, hearing a light thud as it landed on top of the other towels inside.

My phone buzzed, reminding me that it was time to leave. As I yanked my gym bag strap higher onto my shoulder, I texted Avery.

There were no notifications on the lock screen, as to be expected. There was only one real person I talked to these days. I had no social accounts on any apps, no games; I needed nothing else aside from texting.