32

How My Training Began

I hear an alarm clock going off. Great. Lindsay has to go to school and I get to stay in my bed. The alarm just wouldn't stop! It makes me listen to the song. Weird. Lindsay is usually woken up by gentle sounds, like wind or jingles, but the song playing is pure metallic rock. All of a sudden I realize it is mine. I open my eyes seeing that my phone is not on the nightstand, but it's on the dresser. K smile as I remember how I used to do that when I was still in high school to make me get up. Slowly I get up and turn the alarm off. I change into a pair of black leggings and into a T-shirt over which I pull the blue sports jacket I had no idea I have.

"Chris, the alarm!" exclaims Lindsay as she opens the door of my room. She's obviously just gotten out of her bed since she still had on a piece of cucumber she usually sleeps with. I don't know why, she just do. "What has happened and where is Chris?!" she exclaims like she just saw the weirdest thing possible.

"Calm down, Linds," I tell her bonding my hair together in a ponytail. "I just have something to do with Chuck."

"Chuck?" she looks at me like I went completely crazy. "Why?"

"Because I..." I start when I remember the contract I signed yesterday and it clearly stated our deal should remain a secret and if I told Lindsay, it wouldn't stay that way for too long. "Because I need to accommodate the bike to Chris' physical structure."

"Why?"

I realise she's not going to quit. "Because if the exoskeleton of the bike is accommodated to his body structure, he can place his limbs closer to the bike thus reducing the wind resistance."

I can see she is trying to process what I just said, but at the end she gives up. "Whatever. Go and have fun," she turns on her heels walking out of my room.

I smirk walking out of the room and out of the apartment. Chuck is insane. The sun has barely risen and the morning for surrounds me as I walk to the park which is only s couple of blocks away from mine. I can see Chuck waiting for me. I walk over to him and greet him. He only smiled sarcastically at me. "Look who finally decided to show up," he says.

"I'm not used to getting up this early," I say crossing my arms over my chest.

"Then try to get used to it!" says Chuck looking at me like he wanted to rip my very soul out. "You know where the statue of the buss is?"

I nod.

"Ten laps."

"What?" I ask in shock. "That's like what? The other end of the park?!"

"Yeah, you better start running."

"I'm not running."

"You will have a lot of benefits is you do this properly. You are not Rose who has nothing to lose. Get you lazy ass running!" I realise he was right. I sigh and take off my sports jacket and turn around when he stops me. "The time you're walking doesn't count."

I roll my eyes and start running. I manage to run three laps before I run out of breath. So I decide to walk. I am sure Chuck won't be able to notice since I am pretty far from him, but I was wrong. As soon as I run past him, he tells me to run half of a round extra. Somehow I manage to get through with it and collapse onto the ground catching my breath as soon as he tells me to stop. "Why?" I manage to get out.

"We need to work on your physical strength."

"I'm on a motorbike! I am driving it for which I don't need any physical strength."

"Oh, Swift, you have no idea, do you?" he says with a clear mocking in his voice. "Let's go eat." I thought he is offering me water, but he splashes it into my face. "You are in really shape."