Beep. Beep. Beep. 5am already? I roll over and silence my alarm clock. No hitting snooze today, I’m three weeks out from wrestling season and my shape could definitely improve. I’m not fat, but my abs have softened and my biceps are looser than I’d like. But three weeks of cardio, weights, and a good old diet will fix me up perfectly. I rub my eyes and sit up. Charlie, my lovable little devil of a cat, lays at my feet. I can feel him, at peace, not a care in the world. As he stirs his mood changes. He stands up, attacking my toes that are still under the soft covers of my bed. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruSdMQqjKD
“Ouch, hey” 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQv2MoZrzH
He doesn’t acknowledge me at all and jumps off the bed and into the floor, bored of his little game. I stretch out my arms, still sore from yesterday’s gym excursion. Today Tuesday, legs, thank the lord above. Any girl who lifts, understands the relief of a leg day. It’s our easiest muscle to build, and maintain. Plus who doesn’t like a good firm butt. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eHQ94iyNQ
Swinging my gym bag over my shoulder I slip on a pair of flip flops and head out the out of my room, down the hall, and out the front door. The drive to my gym is a quick one, especially at 5:15 in the morning. The streets are quiet, with a few cars trickling by here and there. I arrive at the gym and park next to my workout partner, and best friend, Lee, who always beats me everywhere. I can tell her 5:15 and she’ll show up at 5. But at least she’s never late. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0ndhVRHim
“What’s up Skip? How’d you sleep?” 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNns6MwEBbQ
She asks me, using my nickname given to me our freshman year wrestling season. It started as “Skipper,”which was shortened to “Skippy,” and then to “Skip.” I’m not sure her family even remembers my real name sometimes.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONRiq0Dotu
“I hate mornings. But you make it better... Don” her infamous nickname given the same year, because our older teammate decided she reminded him of a trucker he met named Don. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWzCxHympT
“Aww, you flatter me,” she rolls her eyes, “leg day right?”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiDRZd3mzV
“Yup” 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2khQFcoKqQ
“Sweet”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPz6Zz8Koj1
“Yeah lets get going, I need the stretch” I wince, my dumb shoulders. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1ot8u8vjH
“Are you doing ok? You shouldn’t push too hard,” Lee says. I can feel the genuine worry in her. I haven’t had a break since I got sick. Five weeks in bed with a serious case of mono feeling like I might actually die. I lost all my muscle and had dropped weight so fast, it was scary. Once I could manage to eat again, I had to gain my weight back, and I couldn’t do that fast enough with my normal diet of meal shakes and salads. Because of this, I’ve been pushing hard to get back into top notch shape, before the new season starts. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEUkSr1eVi
“Yeah I’m fine let’s just go.”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREk7eGJIKf
We walk into the gym, check into the front and head up to the weight room. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2HPBJO9mp
Two hours of hard work later, we are down in the locker room getting ready for school. This is my favorite part of everyday. This girl has been my best friend since the beginning of freshman year. We formed the first ever girls wrestling team at our school, which only consisted oh the two of us. We have both been through hell and back these last couple of years, but together we’ve worked through all the bullshit and come out even better than we went in. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost her. After getting ready for the day we drive to the close-by grocery store. Lee buys a bagel and a ice tea, I snag a Red Bull and an apple. There are two kinds of people, I guess. With that we part ways. Her to her new school, running start at the community college, and me right back to the same stuck up and privileged private high school that I will never fit in at. My family doesn’t pay tuition, three of us: two of my brothers and I, have scholarships and “are lucky to be accepted for free.” My other three siblings got the easy way out, and stayed in public school. This year has been really tough without Lee. We compliment eachothers’ personalities perfectly. She’s gentle and sweet but still tough as nails, and me? Well I’m not so gentle or sweet, but when we are together we balance the others extremes out with our own. The drive to school is a short one, but feels like an eternity. Hopefully this week goes better than the last.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
