𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐭

No Pain, No Gain

Cross sprinted down the field at full speed. When he reached ten meters he cut a sharp turn before running back to the next cone twenty meters away. Half way through the workout, his speed decreased, causing him to break out into a light jog. They had been out there for two hours practicing and running drills. Warm ups and weight lifting in the gym came before that. Now, His father had him running suicides on one of the hottest days of the week. He was currently on his fourth lap and had six more to go. He was drained. Besides a few short water breaks here and there, they had been going non-stop. Cross felt like his legs were on fire. His body had told him to give up a long time ago. He would have if it had not been for his dad, who was putting in work right next to him. 

"Let's go. Hustle... hustle" Marcus yelled over his shoulder as he jetted down the field. "If your legs are getting tired let your heart carry you the rest of the way. No pain no, no gain, baby"

Cross gritted his teeth as he raced towards the next cone, gradually increasing his speed along the way. Sweat leaked from his face threatening to burn his eyes as he started on lap number eight. His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't even try wiping them away. Instead he allowed them to fall, mixing in with his sweat. Earlier that day, he had sat on the sidelines watching his team play yet another game that he couldn't be a part of. Due to his suspension, Cross had to watch his team from the stands like a spectator. He wasn't even allowed to practice with them because of his situation with Travis. Well, that and the fact that he still hadn't apologized. It had him feeling a way. He was missing them like crazy.

The timer went off, snapping Cross from his thoughts. Immediately he stopped in his tracks, placing his hands on top of his head to allow more air into his lungs. He was tired and everything ached. It felt like he had been hit by an eighteen wheeler. Marcus being the pro athlete that he is, had finished his already laps beforehand. He walked over and handed Cross a towel and a water bottle. Cross took a few sips before pouring what was left on top of his head. He enjoyed the feeling of the ice cold water as it seeped through his curly hair and eventually made its way down the sides of his face. Next he grabbed the towel and draped it across his shoulders, dabbing away the remains of sweat.

" Not bad, kid." Marcus smiled "That was alright for your first day working out with ya pops but we got a lot of work to do, especially if you wanna make a good impression with your team"

Cross sighed, focusing his attention on the ground.

" You alright?" Marcus asked

" Yeah, I just don't understand why I'm being punished for all of this. I mean first mom, then you, and now I can't even practice with the team. This aint fair"

" Ok, it seems like you're having a hard time so let me help you figure this out. One, you deserve the punishment ya mama gave you because you shouldn't have been cursing with your bad ass. Two, It ain't the end of the world. You wont die without that damn video game. Three, I told you I'll speak to your coach. So, relax and let me handle it 'iight?"

Cross nodded his head.

" Anything else?" Marcus questioned.

Cross brought his hand to his chin as if he was thinking hard. "Just one more thing"

Marcus sighed " What is it?"

" I ain't bad"

" What?" Marcus asked as he looked at Cross amusingly.

" Dad, you just called me bad. I don't think I am" Cross said jokingly.

Marcus to holler with laughter. " Yeah, whatever. Only a bad ass kid would say some shit like that"

They both laughed as they made their way back inside the gym. They ended up spending twenty minutes in the sauna to prepare their bodies for cold therapy afterwards. Cross hated this part. He despises everything about cold plunges. In fact whenever his coach had the team do it, he would try anything he could think of to not participate. After the hard core workout they'd just done , Cross knew that it was needed or he'd be paying for it in the morning.

" I know you don't like doing cold plunges so I have a bet for you. I'm willing to give you a hundred dollars for every minute that you can stay in the water." Marcus said

" A hundred dollars?" Cross's eyes lit up with excitement " Wait dad I got a better one. If I stay longer than three minutes, I get my game back, plus the money."

" Boy, look at chu' always on a hustle. I guess I can't hold it against you for trying." Marcus said, shaking his head from left to right. "Can't believe I'm allowing this. Your mama is gonna kick my ass"

Together they filled the tub up with ice then waited for the water to reach its desired temperature. After about ten minutes or so, Marcus used a thermometer to check the temp. It was reading at thirty six degrees fahrenheit. So, it wasn't enough to cause any real damage but the water was cold as fuck. Cross removed his shirt and slowly eased inside. His breath caught in his throat as an immediate feeling of discomfort took over his entire lower body, causing him to tense up. His first thought was to jump out and forget the whole thing but he wanted the money. He wasn't a broke kid. His parents always laced him with dough but he could always use more. So far it had only been thirty seconds and he had already thought about quitting twice.

" There you go, son. lock in." Marcus encouraged as he stood on the outside of the tub, clutching the stop watch. He knew he had to keep talking to distract him or he could start hyperventilating.

Cross felt like he was being pricked with thousands of tiny needles. Knowing that the timer wouldn't start until he was fully submerged, Cross kept going until his butt touched the bottom. The water was now up to his chin. Like the good times theme song he was trying to keep his head above water quite literally. A loud growl escaped his throat as he tried his best to focus on his breathing. Marcus's eyes bounced back and forth between the timer and his son. The goal was to try and reach three minutes. So far it has been a minute and fifteen seconds. He was off to a good start.

" Mind over matter," Marcus chanted.

Cross couldn't take it any longer. He shot up out of the water and quickly jumped out of the tub. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself, trying to warm up. It did nothing. He was still shivering his ass off. One minute and sixty seconds was all he was able to give. He hoped his dad would be happy with that. No, he had to be because he wasn't doing that again.

" Good shit, son. I'm proud of you." Marcus said as he clapped his hands loudly. Cross stood there in silence. He was a bit disappointed that he didn't stay in longer so that he could get his game.

"You earned a hundred dollars but for the effort I'll throw in another one because I know that was tough for you."

" How about some lunch too because I'm starving," Cross added, before making his way towards the showers. Marcus shook his head as a smile appeared. His son always reminded him of how he used to be growing up.