#064. ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇꜱᴄᴀᴘᴇ║college au║

[griim]

‘Damn, am I that bad at conversation skills?’

The silence made this interaction weird. Why was talking to other students so hard? Gemma did not understand, though she assumed it was because they were all as ‘scared’ as she was. Glancing around the gym, she bit her lip, thinking. Maybe she should go and do a different workout. It was not common for people to be here at night, so maybe he assumed the same, that he would be alone and could work out freely. Not having someone annoy him.

“It’s okay, I think you and I thought the same thing. Come late at night so no one would bother you, huh?” Laughing, Gemma walked passed and turned around, “most of the time it's overwhelming here. Some of the people make the weirdest noises. I mean, come on, it's bad enough we are all stuck in this hot box, let alone hear you grunt. Right?” Maybe this was not the best way to start a conversation, complaining, but it was the truth.

Shit. I didn’t even introduce myself before ranting, damn it. “My name's Gemma, by the way. Sorry about ranting. Normally people don’t come here at night, or at least that I’ve seen. So I figured you and I had a similar thought.” Though he could just be busy, that was something that happened, especially in college.

“You know, you have a point. The school might be setting themselves up for a lawsuit if that thing comes crashing down and hits someone.” The woman smiled before hitting the standing bag a little.

@devilisln

Panic.

Thankfully Stick's training helped with these little moments. So many references to things he should be able to see, but he could feel them. He must have been standing in a walking path. She was a few feet away, to the front, so he could probably duck to the left and it wouldn't be too awkward.

"Ah, sorry," Matt replied as he moved. He grinned in her direction sheepishly when she went on. Matt really had no idea what repair the equipment was in and had never even considered it. Although now that she mentioned it, Matt considered the chain bolting it to the ceiling did creak from time to time.

He was pleasantly surprised that she didn't seem to notice anything amiss with him. Usually there was a stutter or skipped heart beat, but nothing from her. Maybe she wasn't an eye contact kind of person. Well, in any case, it was nice to have a relatively normal interaction with someone while his eyes were on full display.

"I suppose I've never noticed really noticed. Guess they're still punchable enough for it not to matter."

[griim]

The woman, for a moment, stayed silent, trying to figure out the right words to say. He was someone special to her, and to know he thought this way worried her. "I know that life has been shit for both of us. But that doesn't mean you always have to do things the hard way. Fight like hell. Yeah, of course, but if you choose to do that, let me help you. Please. I can keep up. Not everything in the world has to rest on your shoulders alone."

@devilisln

"If there's a hard way, it's gotta be mine."

lyrics starter for @griim

[griim]

Late nights were what called to Gemma. It was how she operated. You could take Gemma off the streets but could not take it out of Gemma. Even though it had been years since she lived on the streets, nights were still hard on her. Hypervigilant, even when there was no danger. And, while she tried to be friendly to other students, it seemed to fall flat. Gemma did not have nearly anything in common with people. So instead, she took to fighting. It gave her something to focus on, gave her something to use when words failed. ‘Come on, Gemma. You can do this.’ She had been too focused on her workout to realize someone else was in the gym.

Failing one more time, she let out a frustrated growl, before walking over and grabbing her towel and water. Glancing at her phone, she checked the time. She had lost track of time and surroundings. Noticing a man at the bag, she hoped he did not need to get where she was, though he did not seem interested in coming over. So at least they could have their sides of the gym, right? Wrong. Gemma needed to get over near where he was. She figured change up what she was doing and come back to this when she cleared her mind.

‘Go on. He isn’t going to hurt you. He’s not like the people on the streets. And, if he is, you can fight. You know how.’

Picking up her towel, phone, and water, Gemma made her way across the gym. Clearing her throat, she smiled a little, “Hi, don’t mean to interrupt. But I need to get past you.” Gemma pointed at the free-standing heavy bag, “I kinda gave up on what I was doing back there.” Laughing, she eyed the man, “They also need to get a new bag. This thing looks like it's on its last leg, doesn’t it?” Gemma had not made eye contact with him, not something she did when talking with people, at least on the first meeting.

@devilisln

He almost didn't noticed her. It was roughly an hour or so before closing. Matt usually came to the campus fitness centre at such a ridiculous hour. He was a night owl anyway between his blindness and hypersenses. The idea of being among a morning or afternoon crowd was less than ideal. The clang of weights, the humidity of sweaty bodies elevating the temperature of the room, and the relentless pounding of the heart rates of the people engaged in intense cardio workouts was entirely too distracting. Especially when he was hitting the heavy.

Matt took a moment to breathe, steadying the swaying heavy bag. Would she acknowledge him? Would it be rude if he didn't? He closed his eyes and sighed, wishing he hadn't left his glasses in the locker room, along with his towel and a pair of sweat pants to change into after he was done. While he had more or less gotten over the insecurity he'd felt about the damage the chemicals had left behind, it tended to unnerve most people. Foggy chalked it up to it being easy to forget he was blind.

In the end he decided to just carry on. Even though she didn't, he had long since noticed that women became anxious when alone with a strange man. Granted, most of them relaxed around him once they realized he was disabled, but he didn't have his cane now or any other outward indication aside from eyes. He'd leave it up to her, and maybe cut his workout a little short for the sake of giving her some privacy.

semi plotted starter for @griim