Story Time-
This story takes place late at night in a High School. This is thrown together so read at your own risk.
My team had a miserably long practice before nationals on Thursday night. When I say “miserably” I’m talking- crying, yelling, throwing up, girls passing out. Coach nearly had a heart attack from how our routine looked. She also got mad because we didn’t make it to the trash can in time. (She lost her voice the next day from screaming, no joke).
I like to stay at the gym late sometimes after class, whenever we practice outside of our studio. They let me use the speakers and just tell me to lock up when I’m done. (Can you say I live in a small town without saying I live in a small town!?) It’s therapy. I’ll work on my audition routines, al second technique, and then just lay there in the middle of the gym floor and think. I’ll bring my laptop and write sometimes. It’s nice when my dad is asleep before I get home. I take my time.
I don’t have the best home life at the moment. I took “those” posts down because I don’t want to shame my family.
I thought I was by myself so I did what I usually do. I set up all my stuff in the girl’s locker room and I sang along to my shower playlist. I actually prefer showering here. Don’t tell mom, she’d cry.
I froze in fear.
I heard my water bottle drop off a bench in the other room. There were footsteps and then the door shutting. If I could have, I would have just melted down the drain. I dressed as quickly as humanly possible, like record time. I walked into the gym to find this guy sitting on the floor trying to use my muscle roller… what in the world.
“How does this work? Are you supposed to like, lay on it?” He said starting to roll his back on top of it, scrunching his face in pain.
“Hey!!” I shouted at him.
“Hey!” He said calmly.
“When did you get here? Were you in the girl’s locker room?” I said wanting to die as I stood there thinking over all the songs I was just screaming moments ago. My hair soaking the back of my shirt, the conditioner only half washed out.
“A while ago,” he said.
…
“Long enough to understand your taste in music,” he said proudly.
“You walked in the girl’s locker room?” I asked nervously.
“I did for a minute, don’t worry I’m a gentleman.” He said looking at me.
“Your name is ____ right, you dance for Coach K? And you do school online… not here, right?”
“I could get you suspended for walking into the girl’s locker room. This is the mid-west. They don’t care if you think you’re a girl.” I said.
“Thank you? I was just curious who was here, that’s all.” He said smiling.
I quickly turned back to the locker room.
“Don’t you want to know my name?” he said.
I contemplated, “Nope, I got to go. You’re a creep.” I said walking.
“Wait your rollers.” He tried rolling them to me.
Obviously they don’t roll straight so he had to get up and walk across the gym to retrieve them. I stood there in awkward silence.
“I’m the one locking up the school and I’m not leaving yet.”
“I should be honest, I already know you actually, or know of you. I’ve noticed you around.” He said.
“Oh!?” I said probably too sassy. “So you’re stalking me? That’s why you’re here so late?”
“I’m…homeless,” he said looking at the floor.
I didn’t know what to say, I suddenly felt really bad for this kid.
“I hate the shelter. My parents died, my grandma does drugs and my grandpa tried to lock me in the basement. I have no siblings, no Aunts or Uncles. I have nobody.”
He looked down at me. His eyes started to pool.
I stood there looking at him with probably a pretty pitiful expression, then I started noticing things about him. His shoes were nicer than mine and his hair was long, wavy and messy, but clean and shiny. His skin was clear like he can afford a good cleanser and his teeth were straight purls.
“I’m just kidding,” he said and chuckled.
“What a horrible joke!” I exclaimed. “I was about to go buy you dinner, find somewhere for you to sleep, and call my Pastor to figure out what to do with you!!”
“That would be very kind of you actually,” he said picking up my bag and nodding to the lockers. “I’ll get the rest of your stuff if you’ll let me in there.”
We went separate ways once we got to the parking lot. “See you around,” he said.
Maybe he just moved here? I’ve never seen him in my life.
He’s funny, I’ll give him that.
What did I learn? Lock the girl’s locker room!!
Goodnight blog friends. -E