Ch. 34: Compromises

-Bennett-

So, when do you want to start?

I kept drifting back to Mason's text while gathering my thoughts, careful not to touch the screen. He had sent it four hours prior, soon after dropping me back off at home. And honestly, I still didn't know how to reply.

I'd opted not to.

It was decidedly the coward's copout. And it was bound to bite me in the ass eventually, especially if I caught sight of him at the gym later today and he brought it up. But that was a problem for future me, really. Someone else entirely, if we were being technical. And I was all about minding my business.

I had assured him that I was still interested when he brought up training me back at his car, but that was when he was right in front of me and all I could do was dumbly nod in agreement. If anything, I wish he would've asked for a specific starting point right then and there instead of leaving it for later.

Because now that I'd failed to gather my bearings, I was at a standstill. How the hell was I meant to explain that I technically didn't need his help? Or did I just play dumb and pretend to learn the motions I'd long become accustomed to? How long could I even keep that up?

There were regulars at that gym that I'd given advice to, so it was only a matter of time until someone caught on and exposed me for the fraud I was. Really, it was probably best to fess up.

I noticed the time and sighed. I hadn't slept much, but I still had classes today.

---

"You do have to reply eventually," Eve mentioned warily as we sat at a bench between classes, at least no longer cursing my father out for taking my phone away for so long. Apparently, I'd missed her breaking up, then getting back together, and then breaking up once more with her girlfriend. Or, uhm, ex.

It was probably for the best, though, lest I talked shit about her ex during the brief period of time when they were on good terms. That was the kind of misunderstandings that caused unnecessary drama. And I was not always the best at discerning timing in cases like that, so it was almost a gift.

Somehow, while making me listen to all the voicemails she'd spammed while going through said debacle, which I had seemingly just fully overlooked once I did get my phone back, she'd snooped enough to find the awaiting text message from Mason as well.

Once forced to explain myself, I revealed a vague version of events, sighing when she immediately urged me to send a message back. Solidifying a plan was integral here, as she put it. Apparently, I was at least meant to suggest that he pick if I couldn't come up with a reasonable answer. Not just ghost him.

Ugh.

"I know," I replied, groaning under my breath. "I will, I will. I just need... time to think about what to say."

"He'll think you're ignoring him," she warned, quirking an eyebrow. "Is that what you want?"

"And what if it is?" I muttered, leaning against her shoulder.

"Is it?"

I shrugged.

Eve sighed, shaking her head. "Do I need to step in?"

"No. No way. Not even as a joke, Eve."

Surprisingly, I didn't stop her as she continued snooping through my phone. I didn't have anything too incriminating on there anyways, especially when I was always at risk of having it snatched up by my dad. Thank God for private browsers.

"I have to go to my next class soon," I pointed out, yawning as she tapped away. "You better not be doing anything weird."

"Going through your nudes," she mentioned sarcastically before giggling to herself. "Ooh, nice ass."

I chuckled, nudging her. "You know damn well I wouldn't."

"Boo, boring."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't change my lock screen picture again," I replied, recalling the time she'd changed it for a selfie of herself and I had to explain myself when Dad incidentally looked through my phone that afternoon.

I still cringed when I remembered having to explain to him that she was just a friend, watching the momentary satisfaction draining from his eyes in real-time.

Fucking embarrassing.

And I wasn't concerned. Well, not until she flashed me a shit-eating grin. She handed me the phone back quite confidently, as if she'd just saved my life. "There. You're welcome."

I snorted but nodded my head. "Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks. But what for?"

"You'll see."

I frowned at her before glancing down at my phone. And sure enough, I could see the brand-new messages between Mason and... not me, but also me. My eyes widened as I realized she'd gone ahead and scheduled for us to start training later today, which was coincidentally right in the middle of my shift.

"Eve," I hissed while snatching the phone from her, my hands shaking a bit as I tried to think of what to do. "Dude, I work today!"

"Y-you work today?" she repeated, realizing the issue. "Oh. Oh no."

I grumbled while rubbing my temple. Mason had tried to bring this up and offer to start after my classes, yet sweet, beloved Eve had gone ahead and doubled down by claiming I didn't have a shift today. And then she'd doubled down again— or tripled down, perhaps—when he inquired about it for a second time.

So, he'd just gone along with it.

"Eve. I work every weekday. I've told you this before," I scolded, trying to wrap my head around this. How the hell was I supposed to suddenly go back on this when she'd made it seem like I was certain without a shadow of a doubt.

She winced.

"I-I thought he misremembered," she explained, flashing a weak, apologetic smile. Then, she huddled close to stare at the screen with me, not even offering to fix her own mess. "Uh, m-maybe you can tell him you got the dates mixed up?"

I grumbled. "No, that's so embarrassing."

Eve sighed. "Dude... then what? You can't be at two places at once."

I frowned, closing my eyes. "If I get hit by a bus—"

"Bennett," Eve groaned, cringing as she patted my shoulder. "I'll probably regret this, but I—I have an idea."

---

I sighed worriedly, stepping out of the bus with Eve in tow. I'd definitely tried to shake her off once we went our separate ways for our next class. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, since she was right there when I headed to the bus stop that'd take me to the gym. And sure, I contemplated getting on my knees and begging her to please not follow me, but I could see the determination in her eyes. And honestly, I'd probably never hear the end of it if I didn't let her make this up to me.

Of course, that didn't mean she didn't regret it the moment we arrived.

Because, really, my beloved friend was a complainer at heart. Not that I blamed her, really. Without being used to it, it had to be daunting to step foot into a gym, let alone such a big one. There were so many people around and most of the time it all felt like it was moving too quickly. Or like everyone else knew something you didn't... could flow through the system better.

But she'd be fine.

"Don't blame me if you get bored half-way through my first class," I warned her, flashing a small smile. "It is kind of nice to hang out with you, though."

Eve huffed, shaking her head. "I told you, I'm here to cover your shift."

I rolled my eyes, suppressing a smile. At least she was trying to fix things. Unfortunately, there was no way this was allowed. Having Jonah cover my shift was one thing, but she didn't even work here. And she also didn't really like kids in general, so I was slightly worried about how they might get along in my absence.

"I—I don't know about this Eve."

Eve scoffed. "What's the worst that could happen? They escort me out of the premises?"

I sighed. "They could fire me."

Eve winced. "Oh."

Technically, there was nothing in our guidelines stating that I wasn't allowed to get my shift covered by someone who wasn't already employed here. There also wasn't anything specifying that it was alright to do, though; so, it was all very touch-and-go.

"But... probably not, right?" I asked nervously, debating whether the risk was even worth it. I did want to see him, but getting fired would be... quite catastrophic.

She cringed, seemingly equally as unsure all of a sudden.

Truth be told, my first choice would have been Jonah, just like last time. Except, when I'd texted him about it, he'd apologized and explained he wasn't even working today due to some school commitments. As we got closer to the end of the term, some of us typically took at least some days off when necessary. Jonah more than the rest of us, but that was mostly because he got nervous and crammed to hell and back before any final.

And as much as I wanted to pretend things were alright between Riley and I, there was simply no way I was going to walk up to her and ask her for a favor so soon after what happened on Friday. Hell, I still couldn't muster up the courage to chat with her in general.

So, that technically only left Eve, since I wasn't very close to any of my other co-workers. Who, despite swearing never to step foot in a gym, had begrudgingly tagged along out of her own free will. She was trying her hardest to be pessimistic about this, but I could see her glancing around curiously, clearly at least somewhat intrigued by the prospect of snooping around my workplace.

Eve crinkled her nose. "God, it smells like sweaty people in here."

I chuckled while walking with her to the main counter, only to falter as I realized Marissa was checking people in today. I cleared my throat before presenting my card, forcing a polite smile. "I'll be using one of my 'plus one' passes today," I explained while gently nudging my friend. "Thanks."

Marissa darted her eyes between us, narrowing her eyes in bewilderment before sighing to herself. "Well, that's a surprise."

"Huh?" I asked, awkwardly holding out my arm as she took her sweet time debating whether or not to scan the damn card at all.

Damn it.

"Didn't know you had friends," she merely explained, so casually that I almost didn't process the insult at first.

Of course, Eve heard it loud and clear.

She leaned forward on the counter with a wide smile on her face, her eyes glimmering with a sheer thrill that sent a shiver down my spine. Like a hunter locking its with its feeble, unsuspecting prey. Oh god.

"Hey, have you ever wondered how much pressure a human skull can withstand before it cracks?" Eve asked eerily calmly, tapping her fingertips against the hard surface.

Marissa stared back, sneering in displeasure. "What the fuck?"

"Would you like to find out?" Eve asked, narrowing her eyes.

I tried to hold her back, releasing a loud, fake laugh to try and distract the people in line behind us. "S-she's just joking!"

"Are you threatening me?" Marissa accused in a shrill voice, likely beside herself that someone dared to defy her. "I—I'll call security!"

"Apologize before I smack the hell out of you with that keyboard," Eve whispered right up against her face, not showing even a glimpse of remorse. "And get you fired for good measure."

"Eve!" I scolded, but there was no getting through to her. "I—I'll deal with her!"

"Put a muzzle on her," Marissa muttered.

I jumped up to reach over the counter and forced my card against the scanner, flashing Marissa a sheepish smile before yanking Eve along into the gym. The last thing I needed was for Eve to get us both banned from this damn establishment.

"I can't take you anywhere," I hissed while pulling her along, fighting the urge to grin as she waved back at a shell-shocked Marissa.

"See you later, bestie! We'll have a nice chat then!" she announced like an omen. And Marissa, thankfully, had the awareness to seem at least somewhat concerned for her safety. Yeah, well, hopefully she'd be gone by the time the classes were over.

"Freak."

Sigh.

I yelped while holding Eve back as she turned right back around, instantly reacting to the response. "What did you say?" she called out rather loudly.

"Nothing. She said nothing," I whispered while grabbing her by the waist and physically carrying her away. "Are you trying to get us kicked out?"

"Oh, I'm not the one who is going to get kicked!" Eve argued while swinging her legs.

I had the fleeting thought that hell, maybe this is what Marissa deserved. But then I thought about how I'd most definitely get fired if they had a physical confrontation, so I tightened my grip on Eve for good measure.

"Behave!" I grumbled, breathing out heavily. God, I was getting lightheaded just from this.

"Yeah, heel!" Marissa called out before turning to a flustered gym member who was darting his eyes between us, clearly contemplating calling the cops.

"I'll be back! And you don't want to know what I'll do with that mouse, you little—"

I covered her mouth, sighing in disbelief while dragging her into the staff's locker room. She wasn't supposed to be in here, but some distance would be good.

"Eve, are you forreal?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. I held onto her arm while settling down on one of the benches, panting quietly. "She's already reported me once, dude!"

She rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breath. "That's the bitch that always bothers you, right?"

"N-no..."

"She is," Riley butt in while walking over from somewhere in the back of the locker room, settling down beside me. "Though, she does kind of terrorize everyone here..."

Oh god, not her too.

"Huh..." Eve muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Kinda figured."

"You beat her ass, right?" Riley asked, like it was a given.

"No. Bennett didn't let me," Eve explained before pointing towards the door. "Bennett, let me go. Now I'm doing it for this pretty girl too."

Riley had the nerve to laugh while I single-handedly held Eve back, saving her from herself. Fucking hell, I should've just gotten run over by a bus like I wanted to.

"You should let her," she added, utterly unhelpfully.

I narrowed my eyes, scoffing while clinging to Eve's waist like a koala, locking my feet under one of the bench legs to keep me from getting dragged along with her. "Yeah, I'd rather not see Eve go to prison over Marissa of all people, thanks."

Eve finally settled down, joining me on the bench. "So, what's the plan?" she asked.

And of course, Riley interjected once more. "I am."

I frowned. "Huh?"

Riley just rolled her eyes. "You really think Jonah didn't let me know what was going on?"

Ah.

"You're already working," I tried to counter, but Riley and Eve were already walking off to my class, not even giving me a second glance. "Hey!"

"You can thank me by buying us dinner!" Riley just announced before they headed out.

I just really hoped they didn't double-team Marissa while there were witnesses around.

---

A/N: Thank you for reading.