Shortly after her last lecture, it started to rain. The wind kept steady, but the endless drizzle showered across the university amid a darkened opaque skyline. Lightning could be felt in the distance, each strike carrying an abundance of static discharge.
Keri stood at the doorway of the science buildings and watched the storm pass with mild interest. Ever since she was young, Keri had a fascination with storms, often studying cloud buildups, hoping to see a funnel cloud take root. She once heard about bands of collective adventurers who hunted the most violent storms, simply to observe their chaotic brilliance and capture them on film. She wondered how they could accomplish that, traveling the world between the cities? How did they avoid the soulless?
She scanned the mixing clouds, spying on them intently as if hoping to discover a secret they held. Nothing came of it. If it wasn't for what glanced the corner of her eye, she probably would've remained fixated on the rain for hours until it finally stopped. She turned her gaze and saw someone she recognized but hadn't had the luxury to meet. She knew his name; it was hard for her to forget.
Zachary Hughs, A tall slender sophomore with golden hair and a studded jaw. He was laughing with a small band of what must have been his brothers. He was the new up and coming quarterback for the House of Contact. She knew it was him; she saw him on ads for the college games, but never met in person.
He was gorgeous! Her eyes practically glued on to him as he walked past her. He was tall, slim, and burned with confidence. His wavy hair seemed to glow, although it was probably just her imagination. Keri never met someone she wanted to say hello to so badly. She watched as they walked outside, and through the rain… Towards the workout center.
Keri looked inside her school bag, where she kept a spare set of workout clothes. She brought it just in case there was time to workup a sweat. She felt the garter digging into her stomach, and remembered that she couldn't take it off. She wondered if she could still make it work? Her eyes darted toward the workout center, it was only a block away.
She still hadn't decided whether to follow Zachary, when there was a commotion behind her. It was enough to make her turn around and look. Behind her, just past the crowd, Keri saw what looked like another young woman stripping the pants of someone…
It was another Rachelle, and not just any Rachelle, but Sena Fuller.
Sena was a fellow pawn just like her, and on behalf of a senior standing nearby, she was about to provide a brand of sexual pleasure to the random stranger. Keri swallowed as she bore witness to another day in the life of a Rachelle pawn. To her surprise Sena didn't seem phased, in fact, she was even exchanging words with the guy! It was almost as if…she was enjoying herself. Her hand unbuttoned her white shirt, exposing her cream colored flesh. Sena's thick ginger hair blossomed past her shoulders, and rested against her soft breasts.
Keri Pryde didn't want to stick around to watch, or catch the notice of the senior sister. If the senior Rachelle knew there were two pawns to play with… Well, Keri perished the thought.
Keri turned around, and walked away as non-discrete as possible. Thankfully the gym building only a short jog away. By the time she arrived, Keri was coated in water, her chestnut hair was matted, and covered her eyes.
Once inside she looked around, the workout center had a plethora of options available. Private facilities for recreational sports, tracks, lifting equipment, not to mention a large pool. It had two floors, but she rarely visited the second, because it only featured a running track that ran along the outline of the building.
Unlike the gym back home, this one actually had separate locker and shower rooms. It was a luxury she greatly enjoyed. She hoped it would be empty, and gave a breathe of relief to find it so.
She took note of what Julie had commanded her, to wear a skirt and keep the lingerie on. She removed her blouse and threw on a tank top. Of course it was easy to tell she was wearing something very lewd underneath, but at least she couldn't show off all her goods this way. Julie ruined her day, but she wasn't going to ruin her workout. And maybe, just maybe, she would catch a glimpse of Zachary while she was here…
What's the worst that can happen? Keri wondered to herself. Maybe Zach would notice? Maybe she wanted him to notice her? Her cheeks were blushing just thinking about him!
Once she felt comfortable enough, Keri made her way to the fitness area. Her eyes immediately spied on the bench press and peck fly machines, but then she thought better of it. She didn't want to position herself in a way that would allow it easy to see up her skirt. She resigned herself to the large row of dumbbells arrayed on the forward wall. She looked around but didn't see Zach. Keri scanned the room briefly, not trying to catch anyone's attention, but couldn't find that handsome man anywhere. Maybe I was mistaken, or maybe he went to the pool area instead?
Regardless, she picked up a pair of twenty-five pound dumbbells, and worked on her biceps and triceps. She decided she would do at least five sets, before moving to something else. Of course several jocks noticed her, some couldn't keep their eyes off her. There were a few winks here, a couple show off flexes there, and Keri couldn't deny that she liked the attention. It was actually kind of flattering.
She never had so many guys vying for her attention before. By the time she completed her third set, Keri already had four guys fawning over her. Keri had no way of knowing which fraternity house they belonged to, but they each tried to earn her affection in some way. The only one that almost succeeded, stressing almost, was the rather bulky athlete who wanted to challenge her to an arm wrestling match. Surprisingly he actually knew her by name, apparently, he had seen her boxing match online!
He even addressed her as Vixin, and then flirted with her by saying how much hotter she was in person. The invisible wall around her caved in, and she decided that, somehow, she liked him.
His name was Brutus Abernathy, and he would become her first male friend on campus, possibly the first since… Johnathan.
Brutus was a darker skinned sophomore, with a barrel shaped body that was mostly muscle. He could've been a football player, but didn't seem to enjoy the sport. She imagined he would probably have a portly face if he didn't workout, as of now it was a strong oval shape with dull cheekbones and a pudgy nose. He had a small dark beard that grew down his neck, but his charming disposition, and barrel laugh, caught her whimsically by surprise.
"I can't believe I'm talking to the 'Vixen' in the flesh, you were a killer in the ring! Even though it was only one match, you were a fucking killer! I can't believe you gave it up." He obviously had no idea about her present day circumstances.
"I'm just impressed anyone knows me at all!" She crossed her arms, hoping to keep his eyes to her face. "But you have me at a disadvantage, you are?"
He laughed realizing how awkward he was, one hand instantly went to rub the back of his neck.
"Sorry, my bad, Brutus! My name is Brutus, but you can call me Brute… All my friends call me Brute. Or at least my brothers do." He seemed suddenly embarrassed.
Keri returned the smile without realizing it, he was kinda cute in his own way when he was embarrassed. "Good to meet-cha Brute." She exposed her lower tier slang, hoping to make him laugh again. "And if it matters, I don't think you look like a Brute. Brutus is a pretty cool boxing name though."
He seemed pleased with that. "Really? Well maybe you could show me some of your moves? There's an active petition on campus to start a boxing club! Maybe we can participate as a team! Your speed and my awesome strength, how could we lose?"
Keri considered that with mild interest. He didn't know it, but she had some unpleasant scars that would disband that hope. But, she could show him a few moves, she could do that much. Keri pretended she didn't notice his wondering eyes prying down her shirt, and felt a surge of excitement, knowing he was attracted to her. She was learning that she liked receiving such attention, it was a strange revelation.
She nodded to him, and pointed to a a pair of thirty five pounders. "Would you mind being a spotter? I need to work on my shoulders." She could have offered to return the favor, but knew he was getting something out of it on its own.
She sat on the bench, careful to not expose herself, while Brutus eagerly stood behind her. He kept a small distance, but needed to lean in, in order to help her keep her arms steady.
Strict shoulder presses required steady hands, firm grips, and calculated movements. After the first few reps, her arms were shaking, and Brutus used his hands to help guide them without providing any additional effort. She could smell his cologne, it stung her senses, so he definitely needed to use less of it.
His body exuded strength as he towered over her, providing motivation as she felt her muscles burn. Her shoulders were locking out faster with each repetition, and she studied her technique with the mirror in front of her.
Brutus was hiding his inner excitement as he leaned in a little too closely. His hands glided from her elbows to her triceps. Just as she felt like she couldn't keep up the reps, her arms collapsed, and she leaned back. His hands clutched her sides, just below the armpits, and his fingers pressed against the edges of her bra. Keri could feel his palms pressing into her abdomen, and interestingly, he was reluctant to release his grip.
She looked up at him. "Am I distracting you?" She teased.
With that, he let go, suddenly realizing his mistake, and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, my bad." His ridiculous smile barely disguised the grin.
Keri let go of the dumbbells, letting them impact the floor with a thud. She stretched her arms, and looked to the side. There he was, Zach was strolling into the main room with a large ball in one hand, and a couple of brothers trailing behind him. She immediately looked away, which felt kinda weird. She never felt so shy before.
"Hey could you do me a favor?" She stood up from the bench, and turned around to face Brutus.
"Sure," he seemed to recompose himself.
"Do you mind putting these back? I need to clean up, but it was great meeting you."
"It was my pleasure, and hey, maybe you could give me your number? So we could spare sometime? Or if you ever need a spotter?"
Keri's new phone was very sparse for contacts. She put her fingers to her chin as if pondering his request. To which Brutus quickly responded, in a not so confident way. "Or I mean, if if you want to. I'm sure you have better things to do than teach some upstart like me. Sorry if I'm pressing." He stammered.
So this is what it's like to tease, and then hang them out to dry? Keri wondered what had came over her, and sighed. One look at his pleading eyes made it impossible to dismiss him. "Ok, but just one thing."
"Sure, name it!" It amused her how surprised and relieved he sounded.
"Don't apologize, it's not very attractive. And I would really like it if you spotted me again, maybe tomorrow?" She handed him a small note after penning her number to it.
He eagerly accepted it.
Whatever storm of chaos was going on in his head, Brutus seemed to regroup fairly quickly, but definitely not decisively. "Sure, absolutely! Just, um… Yeah same time, same place?"
Keri looked at the clock on the wall and agreed with a wink. "See you tomorrow, Brutus."
She looked back, once halfway across the room, and noticed he was grinning like a five year old on Christmas. What am I doing? She never did anything like that before. Maybe Julie put a magic spell, or something, on the underwear.
Keri couldn't shower, but luckily, she hadn't worked up that much of a sweat. She returned to the locker room to put on the top she had on earlier. Her shoulders were numb, and she liked that feeling. It was the feeling of accomplishment after doing something physical. But, of course, had she not had to wear this ridiculous outfit, she would have pushed herself much harder, and far longer.
It was impossible for her to process what had just happened, so instead, she focused on trying to catch up to Zach. Maybe I can run into him outside? But only if I hurry?