Echoes

Echoes of the Past

"Where's Hope?" Derrick's angry voice carried past the thumping bass of the gym's sound system and cut through the driving beat of the electronic workout mix in Claudia's earbuds. He stomped across the weight room and stood next to her, chest out, fists balled up.

She finished her reps of curls and pretended to not hear Derrick as he repeated his question. Then she lowered the free weights to the padded floor, brushed stray blonde strands from her sweat-beaded face, and popped an earbud out. "Sorry, middle of a set. You were saying something?"

Derrick hissed through gritted teeth. "Where is Hope?"

Claudia shrugged and checked her timer for when to start the next set. "She bailed on me this morning. I'm not her keeper." With a smirk she added, "I thought you were her boyfriend. Shouldn't you know better than me?""

Derrick grumbled something and sent a text on his phone. Judging by the one-sided conversation Claudia saw on the screen, Hope had been ignoring him for some time. Good, Claudia thought, replaced the earbud, and picked up the weights.

"Hey," Derrick said. "Hey!"

"Do you mind? I'm trying to work out here. I already answered your question."

"If you see Hope, tell her to call me."

"I won't do any such thing. I'm not your secretary."

"Come on," Derrick said. "Hook a bro up."

"You screwed up, bro. You figure out how to fix it. Frankly, I don't care if you pull that off or not."

"Look, I need to get a hold of her, Claudia. That bitch sent me a text the other day saying she wants her money back for the repairs to the 'Vette."

"I have an idea," Claudia said between curls. "Pay her."

"Durr," Derrick mocked, "I wish I'd thought of that. Dumbass, I don't have the money any more--I used it to fix the damage."

Claudia dropped the weights and took a deep breath, then turned to face Derrick. "Seriously not my problem. And I don't know who you think you are, but just because we've seen each other at the gym from time to time, we're not bros or friends. Don't come at me with insults and a pissy attitude--especially not if you're asking for help."

"Whatever," Derrick said and brushed her off. "You need to chill the hell out."

He laid a hand on Claudia's shoulder and she recoiled, fists up. "Dude, you already proved you got a problem keeping your hands to yourself. I am not the person you want to shove around. I'll beat you like you do your women."

A few other athletes rose and moved toward the pair, ready to intervene if needed. Derrick loomed over Claudia, an amused smile on his face. "Big talk, 'Clawz.' Watch your mouth, or you're gonna have to back that up."

"Watch your ass," Claudia shot back, "or I'm gonna have to smack it up."

Claudia could see the overtaxed motor smoking in Derrick's brain as he sized up his allies and hers. He seemed to back down, dropping the tension in his shoulders, taking a step back, laughing it off. "Everybody chill," he said, hands raised. "Just relax, no big deal. Someone's time of the month, that's all."