Boot Camp

08: Old Version

Four days have passed since I first arrived.

The workouts have gotten more grueling, and they're taking a toll on my mental and physical health. I convince myself I can keep going, but that voice chanting "Haha, you suck!" tends to overpower it most of the time.

I sigh as I pick up my phone, going through missed notifications. A FaceTime call pops up, and I realize it's Poppy on the line.

I click accept and her face appears on the screen, her normally bright eyes drooping slightly at the corners and a dull purple sheen hanging beneath them.

"Whitney!" she exclaims once she sees me, waving at me through the camera. "I'm happy you answered. I've been dying to talk to you!"

"Hey, Poppy!" I respond with a smile. "What's going on? Is it the wedding?"

She nods slowly, rubbing her forehead with her hand. "Levi's parents came," she blurts. From her anxious tone, it doesn't sound good.

"Oh my—what happened?"

She sighs and runs a hand through her blondish hair. "Let's just say our mom and Levi's mom... don't like each other. At all. You know, as if I needed more problems with Mom."

"Like how bad?" I ask.

"Like insulting each other every time they are in sight of each other?"

"Yikes." I cringe at the mental picture. "What about Levi's dad?"

"Oh Dave? He and Dad act like long lost friends. Dad showed him the golf course at the country club, and they've spent every afternoon there."

"Well, that's good," I respond. But that isn't much of a surprise since Dad has always preferred the country club over spending time at home.

"Yeah, but I'm so anxious about all the planning. I don't know how to calm down."

"Hey, hey," I say, "it's still only June. I'm sure they'll be able to reach a compromise soon."

"God, I hope. Levi's mom is one stubborn ass bitch sometimes."

"Poppy," I sat. "Why are you diving so quickly into the idea of a wedding? Don't you think it's a bit soon?"

"I mean, we've been together for four years, so I don't see why a wedding is that unrealistic," she replies, adjusting her position on her bed. "And I mean, Nana married Grandpa after, like, four months, so this can't be that bad."

"Yeah, but that was like 1960, Poppy."

"What's the difference?" she jokes, waving her hand against the air. I forgot she even had this weird sense of humor, but it makes me smile like a dork. "I just don't wanna be one of those couples that are like forty and still dating, you know? I'm ready to tie the knot, so you bet I'm gonna do it. Mom can't get in the way of every fucking thing I do."

"I admire your determination, to be honest. I can hardly motivate myself to get out of bed here sometimes."

"Speaking of that, how is everything? Is the camp meeting your expectations?"

I sigh, stretching out my sore legs. "It's exhausting. And my trainer...he's not exactly the sympathetic type."

"Ooh," she muses, coming closer to the camera. "Is he hot?" She makes a weird, sexy face, and I gag at her.

"Hotness isn't everything, but to answer your question, very."

"Details, Whitney, this could be your second relationship!" she replies with a mischievous smirk.