-Bennett-

Class was hell, in all honesty. I kept wincing as I paced across the middle court, trying my best to instruct the children despite the jabs of pain that shot up my leg with every step. I couldn't help but glance up at the clock every so often, mourning the slowness of time itself.

There was no escaping it.

It was thirty minutes into my first class when I heard the main doors swing open. I was tiredly leaning against the wall as I watched Riley barging in and determinedly crossing the court, bearing a determined expression. She was also carrying one of the foldable chairs from the break room under her arm, which she impatiently presented to me.

"Oh... hey, what's up?" I asked, astonished to see Riley approaching me at all. After what happened the day prior, I'd expected her to avoid me altogether.

"You. Sit."

"Huh?"

She snapped open the grey metal chair and set it down beside me, stubbornly patting the cushioned seat whilst narrowing her eyes in defiance. "I can't believe you didn't call off... you stubborn asshole."

"The—the kids," I blurted out, glancing around to find them busily playing in small clusters around the room, some of them using jump ropes, while others tried to practice dribbling basketballs. I'd been planning to be more helpful, more organized, but my mind continued to drift in multiple directions at once. So, I'd settled for a "free day" where they focused on the activities they preferred.

"They're not even paying attention," she retorted before releasing a heavy sigh. "Also, about yesterday..."

"It's alright, Riley," I assured her, a momentary wave of relief flooding through me once I finally managed to settle down on the chair. "Thanks."

"Thank that tall ass dude for letting me know you were being reckless again," Riley explained before signaling towards the door. "I need to go, though. I'm supposed to take over the front desk soon."

"Oh, okay," I replied as she rushed out the door, blinking back in confusion. Huh? Tall ass dude?

I shook the thought away in favor of focusing back on the class.

It wasn't as difficult as I'd imagined explaining to the kids that I'd be sitting for the rest of class. Most of the kids just nodded in agreement and then carried on with their activities. I'd been a bit nervous that some of the parents may complain, but only three had even stuck around today, and they were all in varying states of distracted. Two were busily scrolling on their phones, and the third was reading a book.

---

"Really?" I muttered under my breath, surprised to find Mason sitting on the same bench where I'd left him four hours prior... before I ran off like a coward. Or limped off, to be more precise. He was scowling at his phone, his eyebrows furrowed into a deep glare.

A twisted part of me had hoped that Mason would be so worn out from working out that he would just... bail on me. But no suck luck.

I darted my eyes between Mason, who was scrolling through his phone, and the entrance to the staff's locker room, which was across the lobby. I considered my options carefully, inhaling a long, shaky breath to try and calm the gnawing, fluttery feeling that had taken hold and found a home in the pit of my stomach.

I just stood there, watching him in slight disbelief. Even though he said he would, it just didn't make any sense that he had. It didn't, damn it. Why was he going through all this trouble? Was it guilt? Pity? I couldn't fathom his intentions, at least not while solely focusing on feasible motives.

And now, more than ever, I desperately wanted to grasp onto something logical.

Anything realistic. Anything malleable. Anything I could actually envision and materialize and hold in my nervous hands, providing me with some semblance of control over the situation. Anything that wouldn't fill me with such weak, wide-eyed hope... just to vanish as the vicious, crushing weight of reality ascended once more.

But perhaps not now, as I stood under the unavoidable glow of the bright, white fluorescent lights of the gym's lobby.

So when?

And it wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him, either. Because, frankly, I couldn't help but feel such childish eagerness brewing at the mere sight of him. If I was anybody else, I would've inevitably read too deep into his actions. And immediately deluded myself. So yeah, I did want to walk over, but I also couldn't think of how to reintroduce myself without—

"Hey, Bennett," Mason called out as he caught sight of me, lowering his phone and jogging up to me. "How was your shift?"

My heart raced a bit at the way the frown faded off his face the moment our eyes met, eagerly replaced by a small smile. I searched Mason's surprisingly welcoming expression with a newfound resolution, still trying to find even an inkling of exploitable uncertainty across his sharp, beautiful features. Looking for any out, really. But looking for darkness in his bright, blue eyes was like grasping at goddamn straws; my body tensed up in anticipation, but I still came up expectedly empty-handed.

There had to be something, though. It just... I couldn't comprehend my sudden fixation with finding a fuel capable of validating my growing desire to flee. So that I could finally burn down this bridge he was trying to build between us. There was nothing but the initial, foreign restlessness. His glowing smile seemed earnest, but the ache in my chest remained.

I was getting so caught up, far too quickly. Far too easily.

"You're not straining yourself too much, are you?" Mason asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"No, I'm okay. I'm fine, really," I replied, sounding ironically uncertain. I received a doubtful expression in return, Mason rolled his eyes in disbelief as he helped me over to the bench.

"Are you?"

I hesitantly sat down on the cool, metal bench, a bit more self-conscious now that I didn't have my backpack to hide behind. I felt a bit lightheaded, but I couldn't decipher whether it was due to tiredness or our sudden proximity as he plopped down right beside me.

"You're not thinking about actually working out today, right?" Mason asked suddenly, furrowing his eyebrows when I nodded my head. "C'mon, just let me drive you home; you need to take it easy until your ankle heals."

"I'm working on arms today, so..." I drifted off, hoping that sort of lie would be enough to dissuade him. In all honesty, I had no real plan.

Usually, I adhered to some carefully thought-out schedule. Being meticulous kept me sane, grounded in a way that soothed me down to the core. But recently, I found myself just wasting time and avoiding even my own thoughts whenever I was at the gym.

As it happened every few months, it was getting harder to do most things once again; the frustrating cycle was reaching its ugliest, most exhausting phase, which was utterly devoid of any motivation. I never knew what would set it off, in all honesty. But during those weeks where I could barely drag myself out of bed or shower, everything felt a hundred times harder... and utterly meaningless.

I was at the mercy of my own whims.

For most of the afternoon, I'd mulled over what to do once my classes were over. It made the most sense to head into the break room and work on some homework. Yet, there was that issue regarding my missing laptop.

I didn't really know the rest of the staff well enough to ask any of them for such a big favor. There was Jonah, perhaps, but I hadn't even seen him since I'd stormed out on him the day prior. And so... I didn't have many nearby options at my disposal.

"Bennett?" Mason called out, leaning closer. "Hey. You drifted off."

My eyes widened as I nervously leaned away. "Y—yeah, sorry. I'm just a bit tired."

"You know what would help with that?" he asked sarcastically. "Rest."

I suppressed a smile, rolling my eyes back at him. "I already missed arms last week. I don't want to miss it again."

Mason huffed in clear disapproval, gently shaking his head before leaning closer. "Do you mind if I join you, then?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. He cracked a small, sheepish smile. "You can show me your routine."

And of course, there was also Mason, who I hadn't accounted for at all. Hell, about four short hours ago, I thought he wanted me fired. Yet, here he was.

Still, I couldn't ignore the sneaking suspicion that Mason was trying to supervise me, which had to be out of some weird, misplaced sense of obligation; he probably assumed I'd drop one of the weights on my head if left to my own devices. Or just flat-out drop dead.

"If that's alright, of course," he added a bit nervously, and I noticed I wasn't replying again.

"Uh, well..." I glanced towards the main weight room, my eyes widening at the realization that he meant right now. Like, he wanted to go this very second, when it was still overflowing with the harsh clanks of metal and the boisterous voices of people and...

Shit, shit, shit.

I opened my mouth to reply, only to catch sight of Jonah as he sauntered over to us, proudly wearing a wide, stubborn grin. "Benny!" he called out before narrowing his eyes. There was an abrupt hesitation to his step, but it wasn't enough to fully deter him. "Did you trip down the stairs again? You're all bruised up," he pointed out while reaching out to touch my face.

I froze, watching in bewilderment as Mason suddenly gripped Jonah's wrist, keeping his outstretched arm at bay. "It's you again," Mason pointed out, his voice ironically casual despite his tight grip.

"Oh, and Benny's friend is here too! Hello, big guy," Jonah greeted, flashing a friendly smile even as he forcefully yanked his hand away. "Uhm, am I interrupting something?"

"Yes, we're—"

"No—" I cut Mason off, flashing an apologetic smile when he turned to frown at me instead. I pointedly peered up at Jonah, signaling towards the staff's locker room with my eyes. I was somewhat worried he wasn't getting the hint, but then, thankfully, Jonah's eyes widened in realization.

"Can we—Jonah, we should probably talk, right?" I asked, rather nervous despite both of their nonchalant composures.

I knew I was bailing on Mason, but... ugh. It wasn't like I had any other options if I wanted to get my assignments done by tonight. There was no way I was getting my electronics back from my father any time soon... if they were even functional anymore; the last time he'd taken my phone, I'd found it shattered against the driveway a few nights later.

Jonah grinned eagerly. "Sure, Benny Boy."

"Oh, I'll just—"

"I'm sorry," I muttered to Mason, whose frown had turned into an outright scowl as he sized Jonah up. "I have some things to deal with right now. But I'll see you around, okay?"

Mason huffed under his breath, pondering to himself for a few painful, drawn-out moments... before nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, I get it," Mason offered, hesitantly getting up. And then he was coaxing a brown paper bag into my hands, which I hadn't even realized he was holding until that very moment. "Make sure you eat, okay?"

I grumbled under my breath.

"Bennett."

I nodded compliantly while taking the paper bag from him. "I will, I will."

"Good," he replied, nodding his head in quiet approval. "I'll see you around."

"Right... and thanks."

I stared at Mason's retreating figure, ignoring the sudden impulse to call out to him. The paper bag was warm in my hands. And as I peered down at it, I noticed the logo from the deli shop down the street decorating the borders of the paper.

---

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please consider voting and commenting; I appreciate it immensely.