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[15:45]
"Lift with your whole body, get it right here so you can turn that into results out there," Coach Thompson bellowed at a group of players who were squatting barbell loaded with weights. Each of them had trainers at the side watching their forms to make sure they would do it wrong and hurt themselves.
"They told me you have a canon for an arm, is that right?" He shouted at the figure of Jace who had his legs locked onto the pedals of a bench as he caught a medicine ball from a trainer and lowered himself backwards to perform a crunch.
"No Coach it's much stronger," he shouted back as his upper body continued moving down and up in a steady motion disregarding the burn he was feeling. Beads of sweat already laced his face and trickled into his eyes but he did not care and simply continued.
"I see you've got Jokes, another rep for everyone courtesy of Mr. Funny Man," He shouted instantly eliciting loud groans from everyone in the gym, but he did not care as he eyed Jace. "Let's build a core strong enough to match that arm,"
"Jackson, you better not drop that plank, otherwise we're going back from the top," He exclaimed as he locked onto another target/victim, causing every player to suddenly plead with the guy to power through.
Jace gritted his teeth as he powered through another set, his abs burning fiercely with each controlled movement. Around him, he could hear a chorus of complaints mixed with grunts of exertion, but he stayed quiet, locked into his rhythm. If Coach Johnson wanted him to do reps of 15, he would do 30, the last thing he was afraid of was hard work.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the session ended. Jace dropped the medicine ball onto the mat beside him, his chest heaving as sweat poured down his forehead. He felt exhausted but invigorated, his muscles tingling with a satisfying ache. As he caught his breath, Isaiah walked over, looking equally drained as he chugged down a water bottle.
"Yo, are they always so on edge? It feels like they are trying to upgrade a player character as quickly as possible without any VC," Jace asked as they walked to the Yoga floor, where they would go through their cool-down Isaiah as they down routine.
"Naw they lowkey tripping," He responded with a shrug of the shoulder. "They're acting like someone chucked them, or they walked in on their mother getting the business."
"Hahaha, don't know about you but it feels like so many people have it out for me," Jace commented as he glanced at Austin, who was glaring his way just as they walked past.
"Naw bro you can't fault him you did make out with his girl last night, bold move Rookie," Isaiah commented with a sly smile as he slung an arm around his neck.
"Who is his girl?" he asked as he laid out a yoga mat, somehow not remembering the appearance of the girl, but he had a suspicion she was the one he dumped on Alex in the morning.
"What do you mean who? It's Emily from last night," He almost exclaimed but managed to keep his words low, not attracting the attention from those around him. "You even took us to your dorm for the afterparty, only for the two of you to pass out."
Jace didn't care for his extra comment as the moment he said the girl's name, her appearance appeared vividly in his mind. Like a drunken dam that had been blocking his memories of Emily, it all came back to him in the form of images. Her thin yet shapely athletic frame letting one know that she does not skip a day of glute day, or like Isaiah said, rides her horses.
What he remembered the most, though, was her green eyes that looked much brighter than his, reminding him of Cat woman. The fact that he started to remember some of their conversation, causing his imagination to wonder as he remembered the sound of her velvety voice that was just unfair with those green eyes. "Yeah bro I'm going to hop into the bucket early,"
---
[18:20]
"I'm home," Jace exclaimed the moment he entered room 411 as he threw his duffel bag into his still open closet. He walked into the room with heavy breath, trying his best to ignore his strained muscles.
Looking around the room, which now looked tidy compared to the chaos of the morning, he breathed a deep sigh. From the looks of it, Alex must have gone out to get dinner or something, not that he minded as he took the chance to lie in his bed. He could still smell the faint scent of jasmine that reminded him of Emily's legs wrapped around his waist.
"Well shit," he muttered to himself as he realised that he had been played more than he thought he had in the morning. The only silver lining was the fact they didn't actually have sex last night, as she had said something about getting back at her boyfriend, causing his drunken self to gain some clarity.
That is something to be celebrated as it's not easy for a man especially drunk and horny man to stop himself from engaging in a wrestling session with the opposite sex. It was almost like in that drunken haze he managed to gain some post/pre nut clarity. Though what good it would do him he didn't know as the damage had already been done, he had made out with a teammate's girl.
The fact that he didn't like them doesn't matter much as he broke the code and was likely to catch some backlash. "If I meant it, this would have been a savage move to play to unsettle my opponent," He commented to no one in particular as he imagined that this is how Pac must have felt when recording Hit Em Up.
---
[18:45, Central Cafe, UCLA]
Central Cafe buzzed with the relaxed energy of athletes finally off the clock. The summer training schedule was brutal, but at least it came with the benefit of the campus being mostly empty, giving the remaining students free reign over the best hangout spots.
Alexandra Jacobs, or Alex as she has been called all her life, sat nestled into one of the deep couches near the corner, her legs tucked under her as she nursed a smoothie. Despite the air conditioning, she could still feel the lingering heat from practice on her skin. Her hair was damp from the post-practice shower, her oversized UCLA Soccer tee hanging comfortably over her leggings.
She was physically exhausted, but mentally she was hyped after surviving her first day in her dream school. It was everything she dreamt it being and more, from the old buildings to the relaxed vibes most have. Best of all, the weather was warm, not like the freezing summers of Minnesota she had survived growing up.
"I swear, if Coach tells us to 'find the rhythm of the game' one more time, I might actually lose my mind," Riley groaned, dramatically slumping into the seat beside Alex, neon shorts that went up to her thighs making her easy to spot even in the dim lighting. "I swear that Geezer thinks he is Pep or Klopp,"
Sasha, who was busy stirring her iced coffee, smirked. "Oh, Sush Riley, you just don't like all the running. And besides, isn't that just soccer-speak for 'stop playing like shit'?"
Mia chuckled, setting her phone down. "Nah, that's 'find the tempo of the game.' Different levels of coaching frustration."
Alex laughed along with them, though in truth, she was still processing everything from their first official training session. The intensity had been no joke. It wasn't just the physical grind—she had expected that. It was the professionalism that threw her for a loop, everything was structured down to her bathroom break, and that was only the first day.
"I know I'm still adjusting, but I felt like I didn't do anything right today. Well, other than nutmegging Sasha." Alex admitted, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"Hey, you got lucky with that one, I underestimated what you're made of, trust me, I know better now," Sasha shot back, simultaneously tossing one of her French fries at Alex.
"Sounds like a challenge to me," Riley chimed in with an excited smile, looking as if she expected the two to get a ball and play one on one right now.
"You be quiet," Mia quickly interjected, not leaving a chance for her friend to make her stray thoughts a reality. "Go on, Alex, we're here to listen and support each other.
Alexandra nodded at her words before voicing what was on her mind. "Back home, I was just playing against whatever local club teams had the guts to drive an hour into farm country."
Before she could continue, Sasha arched a brow. "Wait, so when you said you grew up on a farm, you meant, like… an actual farm?"
"Well, more like a cattle Ranch, imagine cowboys in the snow and snowmobiles," She quickly clarified with a fond smile as a happy memory of her home popped into her mind.
"Oh so you are the Pig girl staying in Jace's room?!"
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To Be Continued...