Flooring It - Taylor Broadway (tools of titans ebook .TXT) 📗

It was only 1:30, I wasn’t supposed to leave until 6. Normally I love staying at the gym all day, but today just wasn’t my day. I have blisters all over my hands, I’m going home to an empty 6 bedroom house and I just probably lost the little control I had with my floor routine. It wasn’t a good day for me at all.
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For the last four and a half hours at the gym I moved from spot to spot. I did the beam; I just did mounts and dismounts. I did the floor; I just did some aerials and supermans. I barely got back on the bars, my hands still burn from popping the blisters. I helped Amanda and then some of the other little girls. I worked out; actually I ran two miles on the treadmill. I thought about lifting but I didn’t feel like it. I went back to the beam; I ate a granola bar, worked off the granola bar on the treadmill. It felt like forever while I waited for time to pass. It took forever for Jerry to tell everyone the gym was closing.
I was so bored that I went and laid in the foam pit. I closed my eyes for what seemed like two seconds to rest for just a little bit.
“Watch out,” someone hollered making me jolt start up.
I nearly punched Mitchell when I saw him standing above the foam pit. He stuck his hand out for me and I grabbed it. He yanked me out of the pit, it felt like he ripped my arm out of its socket.
“Let’s go sleeping beauty,” he laughed, “it’s time to go.”
“Uh,” I groaned.
“I would carry you but that would be to conspicuous, don’t you think?”
“Not right now I don’t.”
“You really just took a nap in the foam pit,” he laughed as he half dragged me to the locker room.
“Shut up I did not,” I was slurring words together.
I felt so groggy all of the sudden. I didn’t really feel tired before, but I guess I took a nap. Now I can barely move I’m so tired.
“Let’s get you ready to leave,” Mitchell started to open my locker.
Mitchell grabbed my bag for me and then he grabbed his. He practically did carry me out to his car and he buckled my seatbelt for me. His car was so comfortable; it is a 2009 Cadillac GTS with leather seats that heat up. Tell me that’s not heaven for someone who just became mysteriously tired.
I had a 30 minute ride home with Mitchell, which I’ve been having everyday for the past 6 months that Mitchell has had his license. Normally we were super chatty, and flirty. Today was different, I was surprisingly tired and he kept quiet. The radio stayed like background music and over that I could hear his breathing. It was really peaceful to me.
“Thanks,” I muttered as he pulled up my driveway.
“For?”
“Being quiet and dealing with my weird mood.”
“Well I’m just kissing ass right now, and hopefully you’ll nap and be all bubbly later,” he had a wicked grin on his face.
I sat up in the chair, “Why don’t you come in now?”
Mitchell raised his eyebrows and I winked at him. He smiled at me but he shook his head.
“Can’t babe, dad will be expecting me,” he frowned.
“When will you come over,” I pouted.
“Eight maybe, I have to make an excuse to leave.”
“What if I called your dad and told him I was scared,” I winked.
“That might work, but it won’t get me here any faster.”
I frowned and crossed my arms on my chest.
“Don’t be such a princess,” he laughed, “I’ll be here all night.”
Mitchell leaned in and kissed my forehead.
“I guess,” I was still pouting.
“Come on,” he said as he leaned in closer.
I kissed him lightly, I went to pull away from him put he put his hand on the back of my head and held me there. He held me there for what felt like forever, just kissing me.
“Would your dad seriously be mad if you were like 10 minutes late,” I asked when he finally let me go.
“I already am late,” he kissed me one more time.
I shook my head and laughed to myself. I opened the car door and stepped out, I flung my bag over my shoulder and started to shut the door.
“Wait,” Mitchell reached back into the car.
“What,” I raised an eyebrow.
Mitchell handed me a small draw string bag. I shook my head at him and opened it knowing what was inside.
“I believe you wanted those earlier,” he said as I laughed at what was in the bag.
“I really could’ve used this,” I lifted up one of my palms revealing the nasty blisters.
“Sorry,” he pouted.
“Bye,” I shut the door and laughed as he pulled out of the driveway.
Inside the draw string bag was my lime green set of grips for the bar. He’d taken them a week ago from my locker after I drunk the last sip of his Gatorade. I didn’t think it was a very fair trade because he could’ve just gotten a drink from the water fountain, but now I have nasty blisters all over my hands.
I could barely open the front door thanks to Mitchell. It didn’t feel like home when I walked in. To me home was at Jerry’s house with Mitchell and Cory, the youngest son, and Jerry’s wife Danielle. Here is just a big empty house, full of empty, expensive things. The only somewhat homely thing here to me is my room, of course.
My room is in the basement, even though we have a five-bedroom house. I rather be down there, a large space all to myself. When I was eight my dad turned the basement into a mini gym. There is a set of uneven bars, a beam, a mini trampoline and a small foam pit. (The basement is huge, it’s the length of the whole house.) He didn’t mind that I wanted to move downstairs after he added that, he let me decorate it and everything. Basically he uses the whole upstairs and I use the whole basement. I sleep, play and eat down there. No there isn’t a kitchen, but there is a dumbwaiter that my dinner is usually put on. I’m like Cinderella, except I don’t have two ugly stepsisters, I don’t have a step mom, I don’t have to cook or clean, the only thing I have in common with Cinderella is that I’m practically locked down in that basement.
My dad and I never spend time together. When I go to talk to him he is usually on the phone or working, so he always tells me to go downstairs. I didn’t have a problem with that when I was little, I had a mini gym downstairs to keep me occupied. But now that I’m 15 I don’t just want to sit downstairs all day, but that is what ends up happening.
I could barely walk to my room I was so tired. When I finally got down to my room I nearly fell on my bed. The bright orange walls I had couldn’t even keep my eyes open. I didn’t want to take a nap though, if I napped now then I would fall asleep earlier. I picked up the stereo remote off my nightstand and turned on the stereo hoping that if I turned it up loud enough I would stay awake. It didn’t help much. I stood up off my bed and walked into my bathroom. I was a big ball of dried up sweat, I needed a shower and hopefully that would keep me awake.
I let the extremely hot water burn me when I first got in. Then when the water didn’t sting anymore I took the soap and scrubbed. I washed my hair thoroughly and shaved my legs. When I was done with that I didn’t feel like getting out. I was definitely awake now, but I was relaxed with the water on me. I finally did get out though.
I pulled on some soffee shorts and a tank top and plopped down on my bed. The radio was still on so I listened to the station that was playing. After like three songs I decided to comb out my hair. My hair is naturally straight and I love it. It doesn’t frizz or dry out. It’s also full of volume, the perfect kind of hair and I have it. I combed out my hair and put it in a sloppy side ponytail.
After that I realized that I was hungry. I walked upstairs to the kitchen and sighed. The kitchen was big with nothing good in it. We had celery, I hate that vegetable, we also had a bunch of weird Chinese dishes left overs from my dad’s late nights. We didn’t have peanut butter or anything like that, we didn’t have what I was craving. I was craving chocolate and sweets. It was a weird craving that probably meant that I was about to start my period unfortunately.
I walked back downstairs to my phone and looked to see what time it was.It is only 7:30 right now. There was nothing to do, I was in a big empty house with nothing to do. I am used to that though, a big empty house. Even though my dad is normally there, it still feels empty. All the stuff that is here to do, the gym, the TV’s and the movies, pool, I have stuff to do. I just have to do everything alone.
I decided that I would go swimming. I got my favorite bikini on, it’s orange with a silver star on the butt, and grabbed a towel. Even at 7:30 the sun was still out and somewhat bright. I sat on the edge of the pool at first and stared out at the mountains. If there is one thing about this house that I love besides my room is it’s location. The house is set up against a wall of mountains; the beauty of living in Tennessee is that a lot of times you’re up against or on mountains. In the case of my house, the mountains set as a beautiful backdrop, when my mom designed it that is how she wanted it. Well before, she left.
My mom left when I was three and a half. I don’t quite remember the day or time, I just remember how old I was when she stopped showing up. I don’t know why she left, as far as I remember her and my dad were happy, their life seemed perfect. She was rich, living in her favorite place, had a loving husband and daughter, she had everything people would want. But I guess it wasn’t enough because she left and hasn’t ever came back. I thought once I became famous and got on TV she would see what she was missing and come back. It’s not like I seriously want or need her, I don’t need a mom, I have Danielle. I just want to see why a woman with everything left it, I think it’s kind of stupid.
“What are you doing out here,” a familiar voice said from the house.
I jumped up immediately and turned around to see Mitchell.
“Don’t scare me like that, geez.”
“Well excuse me,” he put his hands in the air.
“How