Gym is for training

The sound of rubber hitting wood was heard echoing through the empty gymnasium as a lone figure tried to bounce a basketball with one hand, while holding himself up with the other. Coach Crauss tossed the sphere for the twelfth time toward the small metal ring, desperately trying to get the ball to go into the hoop. Finally succeeding, he grabbed the ball and threw it to the other side of the court where it landed, rather noisily, in the ball pen. Wanting to get some exercise before his first day as a "group teacher", he walked, on his hands, over to the middle of the court where a rope hang from the ceiling. Going hand over hand, he reached the roof in a matter of seconds. Having had the gym remodeled to his liking, Crauss swung from the metal beams he had installed a few days before. Reaching a wall, he turned around and made his way towards the opposite wall. After repeating this about five times, he got bored and climbed back down the rope so as to greet his class on the floor rather than just dropping down onto them. Taking a seat on the bottom row of bleachers, he tapped his fingers on the seat, impatiently waiting for someone or something to happen to make the dull loneliness go away.

Mumbling to himself he recalled what he said to his witch girlfriend before he called it quits.

“I try to talk to you, but I don't know what to say. I am afraid you don't want me to say anything. So I don't. But inside of me there are words waiting to come out.And tell you how I feel-like how I miss you. And how I love you despite my broken heart.And how I need you in my life. And especially how much I want you.But those words may forver stay in my heart-locked inside.Sometimes I wonder if there are words locked inside you too... but I'll never know.” (Author Unknown)

“Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count.” Dr. Robert Anthony

A young Smoker with black skin, ebony hair with fire highlights and vivid emerald eyes stepped into the gym. He held a cold sharp gaze that he was known for if you knew him; the kind of casual gaze that naturally looked like he was glaring, especially with those angry-looking eyebrows. He had a cherry flavored lollipop coiled around his tongue rather than inside his mouth. He wasn't wearing any gym class uniform, only his normal get-up of a grey t-shirt, black vest, brown belt, green cargo pants with four large pockets and brown army-looking boots that had dry crusts of dirt all over them including the lower parts of his pants. Even his vest looked a little dusty with dirt, perhaps a sign he had been outside doing some rather energetic activity recently. But most of all, he reeked of kerosene, especially his breath if you dared to smell it. If you knew better, you'd know this kid spelled trouble.

"Present" Ray merely said with a voice that was rather gruff for his age before taking a seat on the bleachers nearby. He continued to fiddle with that lollipop coiled by his smoker tongue, not even giving his new gym teacher so much as a glance.

Peering over his left shoulder at the first of his tolerable students, Crauss looked the smoker up and down before scoffing. "You really expect your slim figure to succeed in my class? Let's hope the next student is more to my liking. Class doesn't even start or another half an hour." Getting up and walking around his gym, his eyes narrowed as he noticed the nauseating scent of kerosene. "You been drinking gasoline boy?" A venomous sting could be heard in his voice as he spoke to his only student, getting irritated at having to babysit these younger infected who wouldn't last a day in his shoes.

Climbing his way towards the boy, he held himself up with one hand as he nearly punched the smoker getting the sucker out of his mouth. "And we dont eat in my class. We aren't children anymore, so you don't need this pacifier. Now then: unless you are going to actually work without mommy holding your hand, go home. I don't have time for sissy boys who waste my time."

Ray didn't give any gesture of acknowledgement when the teacher commented about his physic and breath as if he didn't even hear it, simply ignoring him. It wasn't until the bulky coach roughly snatched his red sucker away that the smoker boy flinched and looked up at the huge form with an icy "glare".

"On the contrary," Ray began in a surprisingly formal yet gruff tone.

"The earliest class session for your assigned curriculum begins shortly within a few minutes, consequently my arrival is thus exceptionally punctual, sir." The smoker then sat back with arms crossed over his chest, pulling his tongue back into his mouth and looked away bored. (I love Ray's fancy talk, lol)

"And, its correct identification is 'Kerosene', not 'gasoline', sir". He finally said as a finishing statement.