Phoenix’s fork made a soft clink as he set it on the table beside his plate. He took a long drink from his glass, finishing off the last of his milk before setting it back down as well. He did his best to suppress a wince of pain as he did so. His entire body still ached so much from his workouts with Bryce.

“Thanks, Rubi.” He smiled kindly at his stepmother as the dull ache continued. “That was great.”

On the other side of the table, he saw his father’s brow furrow almost instantly. “Are you feeling okay?” Erik asked his eldest son. “You barely touched your food.”

Phoenix shrugged. “Just not that hungry, I guess… But they really were great, Rubi. Promise.” He assured her.

There were very few things Phoenix would ever consider anywhere near the level of his Opa’s cooking. But Rubi’s blueberry pancakes were one of them. And, truth be told, he could have easily devoured the whole plate right then and there.

But you weren’t supposed to eat very much when you were trying to work out, right? Wouldn’t that like, defeat the whole purpose?

“Don’t worry about Phoenix, Mama.” Jasper addressed his mother before she’d even had a chance to reply. “He’s just on some kind of diet or whatever.”

Phoenix gave his brother’s leg a sharp kick under the table. “Shut up.” He hissed through clenched teeth. He’d already told Jasper he didn’t want to make a big deal about it in front of their parents.

As he’d feared, both adults exchanged a look. “Diet?” Rubi asked uncertainly.

Erik shook his head, looking almost amused. “You can’t be serious, buddy. I mean…” He gestured vaguely in Phoenix’s direction.

“It’s not a diet.” He insisted, still irritated at his brother. “I’m just trying to like, eat a little healthier, I guess? Like, I’ve been going to the gym with Bryce and stuff.” He shrugged. “I was actually gonna ask if you could give me a ride over there after breakfast…” Ugh. It felt so awkward asking now. Thanks, Jasper.

He watched his parents exchange yet another glance. Why did they have to keep doing that?

“Sure.” Erik spoke at last. “We don’t mind… But, uh… The gym, huh?”

Phoenix’s reply was much more defensive than he’d intended. “Yeah, the gym. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all. It’s just a little unexpected.” His father explained gently. “It’s great you wanna be healthier. I just never really thought that was something you were into…” Erik glanced toward his wife for a moment.

Rubi bit her lip uncertainly. “Phoenix, honey… This doesn’t have to do with Hallie, does it?”

In an instant, his cheeks were on fire. Beside him, he watched Jasper’s lips curl into a smirk. Phoenix gave him yet another kick in the shin before he could say anything.

“No.” He replied firmly, ignoring his brother’s wince of pain. “It doesn’t, okay?” Phoenix pushed his chair back from the table as he spoke. He tried his best to keep his voice calm. “So you’ll take me then?”

Rubi and Erik both nodded, their expressions impossible to read. “Just let us know when you wanna head over, okay?” His father asked at last.

Phoenix nodded, his irritation finally dying away. “Thanks, Papa.”

———————————————–

The large metal machine seemed to loom before him. Had it always looked so damn intimidating? It had all seemed so easy when he had Bryce there with him… Well, easy in theory. It was a little trickier once you added actual weights into the picture.

Alright… Phoenix told himself firmly. You can do this.

He’d gone to the gym with Bryce four times that week. He was practically a pro already! He’d be fine!

His eyes scanned the room as he finally took a seat at the huge weight machine. Even though it was a Saturday, he was surprised to find a few familiar faces he recognized from his trips earlier in the week.

As usual, none of them seemed very interested in looking back. But that was okay. One of these days, they would.

Phoenix reached up above his head, placing his arms against the padded panels. A slow, deep breath passed his lips as he closed his eyes, and tried to bring his arms together.

He winced sharply in pain as a burning ache ripped through his muscles. “Ah!” He lowered his arms quickly, eager to dispel the sharp pain. Shit… It never hurt this much before!

He’d been so sore all week. Maybe he’d been pushing himself too hard? Was five days in a row too much? But Bryce always seemed to manage it just fine… So why couldn’t he?

Maybe I should just try the treadmill… That would probably be easier, right? As long as he didn’t trip like he did the first time, anyway…

As Phoenix made his way to the nearest treadmill, he was pleasantly surprised to discover not one, but two girls jogging along at his side.

One was a girl he recognized from his science class. The other he’d only ever seen at the gym. They both had long dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. He felt his heart rate beginning to rise already, and it had nothing to do with exercise.

Phoenix mentally shook himself. Come on, dude. Just suck it up and say hi!

It was nearly five minutes before he worked up the courage to do so. He decided to take a chance on the girl to his right… It was too risky to try talking to someone from school. What if he made a total ass of himself? Then, there’d be no escape…

“Uh… Hi.” He gave the girl a smile, trying his best to not break his stride. Thankfully, the dull ache in his legs was much easier to deal with than the pain from before.

She returned the gesture somewhat uncomfortably. “Hey.” He could feel her eyes on him, sizing him up. Did she like what she saw?

“Great workout, huh?” Phoenix nodded down toward their feet. “I mean, the treadmills here are like… really nice.”

The girl just shrugged, her smile beginning to fade. “Sure, I guess?”

Shit, I suck at this. But at least she was talking to him? That was better than ignoring him, right?

“I think I’ve seen you around before… “ He continued. “You, um… You come here a lot, right?”

This time, she didn’t even look over at him. “Yup.”

“Cool. Uh, me too.” Phoenix smiled nervously. “I’m like, so into working out, y’know? It’s like, the best.” Oh my God what the fuck am I saying?

“Uh-huh…” She muttered. “Well, it was, um… nice talking to you.”

Phoenix’s heart sank as she watched her turn off the treadmill. He reached forward quickly to turn off his as well. The conveyor belt stopped suddenly, almost sending him flying. But Phoenix kept his footing.

“You too.” He said, stepping off his treadmill to stand beside her. “Maybe I’ll see you around again sometime?”

“Yeah, maybe.” The girl gave him an awkward nod, then began walking toward the locker rooms.

“My name’s Phoenix, by the way.” He added quickly, calling after her. “Phoenix Rosebrook.”

It was as though he’d flipped some sort of switch in her mind. She turned around to face him, and her eyes lit up instantly. For the first time since they’d begun talking, she seemed genuinely interested in something he’d said.

“Rosebrook?” She repeated almost breathlessly as she walked back toward him.

Phoenix smiled. His mother still published books under her maiden name… This girl was probably a fan. “Yeah.” He replied. “My Mama –”

“Like… Tobias Rosebrook?!”

His eyes widened. That definitely hadn’t been what he was expecting. “Oh! Um, yeah. He was like my great-great grandfather or something?” Why the heck was she so interested in someone who’d been dead for so long?

“Oh my God!” She squealed. “He was one of the greatest football players of all time! He’s such an inspiration…” The girl practically swooned.

Phoenix shrugged. “Yeah, I guess he was pretty good!”

“‘Pretty good’? Seriously?” She asked with a bright, musical laugh.

You idiot! This is your chance! “I – I mean, he was amazing! He inspires me too. Every day.” Phoenix tried his best to sound casual. “I’m so grateful to be related to him, y’know? Like, wow. What a legend.” Oh God, please believe me. Please believe me…

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” For the first time, the girl’s smile seemed genuine. “I mean, ‘I’m related to one of the greatest football players ever’ is probably what I’d lead with if I were you.” She teased. “That’s so awesome!”

“I just didn’t wanna like, brag or anything.” He replied with a small, forced laugh. “It’s a lot of pressure, I guess. Lots to live up to. But I’m trying my best.”

“Oh, so you play too?!”

“Y-yeah, a little.” Phoenix had never touched a football in his entire life.

“Awesome!”

He hesitated a moment before replying. This is it. A small voice in the back of his mind seemed to whisper. Go in for the kill! “Um, y’know, we still have a bunch of his old trophies and stuff at my house. If you ever wanted to come over and check them out or something?”

She bounced excitedly up and down for a moment. “Oh my God, really?!”

“Of course!”

In an instant, the girl had her cellphone in her hands. “What’s your number?” She asked excitedly. “I’ll add it to my phone.”

Phoenix was so stunned, it took him a moment to remember any of the digits. A girl was asking HIM for his number?! Holy shit… At last, he managed to remember his phone number. He repeated it twice for good measure.

“Perfect! I’ll text you so you have mine too.” She smiled sweetly at him. “I’m Amna, by the way. Amna Bhatt.”

Phoenix nearly lost himself in her beautiful brown eyes. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Amna.” He replied softly.

She giggled. “Nice to meet you too, Felix.” With one last smile, Amna headed off toward the locker rooms at last.

“It’s… It’s Phoenix.” He muttered softly, knowing she could not hear.

But he wasn’t about to let some kind of silly mix-up bother him… It had worked! It actually worked!

Phoenix pulled his phone from his pocket, his fingers practically shaking.