Perfect 10.0 (Part 2)

3 Weeks Left of School

"Can you believe he had the nerve to do that? I mean, send me to the gym every day just ‘cuz he feels like it." Isabel said into her cell.
"Well," said Gracie, Isabel’s best friend, "I do believe he had a reason for it. I mean you did cut classes."
"Jesus, Grace, whose side are you on? You know why I cut class."
"Um, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble Bell, but just because you’re bored don’t mean you cut. Plus, because you cut you missed that huge test and got a big fat zero."
Right, the zero. She was doing pretty well in the class so she wasn’t worried about failing. "Yeah, I forgot about that. Well, that doesn’t’ mean anything. I’m still passing." All well, Isabel thought, that still doesn’t give him the reason to send her to the gym.
"So who is this guy that gave you the note?" Gracie asked, knowing full well who had given it to Isabel. She just wanted her to say it out loud.
"Oh," said Isabel, "Just the new kid. I dunno why you’re making such a big fuss over it. It was just from my dad."

"Uh huh," Yup, Gracie was definitely having fun listening to Isabel, who was getting embarrassed. "You mean the really hot Mexican?"
"Yeah," Isabel was playing with her curtains, opening and closing them. "But he’s Latino, not Mexican. And even if he is hot, I still can’t date him."
"You can date any freakin’ boy at our school, Bell. Hell some of the girls probably want to make out with you. Not that I’m saying you’re lesbian or anything."
Gracie had a real dirty mouth when she didn’t watch what she was saying. Isabel’s language wasn’t too pretty either, but it didn’t matter, it was just part of her personality. "Gracie, we won’t be dating ‘cuz if we do everyone would freak. Except for maybe you."
"I don’t care, just as long as you hook me up with one of his friends. The one in my Bio class is pretty drop dead sexy."

"You know what Gracie? I’m never going to see this guy again so don’t get any ideas." Well except for 3rd period art, and 5th period math.
Isabel was in her room listening to music. Isabel wasn’t a picky listener; really anything that was on the radio was fine.
"You know what Isabel? If I have anything to do with it, you’ll see him every goddamn day, just so that I can get to know his friend. "
"Jeez, you don’t have to be like that Grace. Plus, did I not just say that I can’t date him?!"
"Come on…he’s hot, you know it; he’s got a great body, you know that too. Plus he’s gorgeous, as in, Hollister model."

"I gotta go Gracie. Its past eleven and I have to go to the friggin’ gym tomorrow at eight so I’m going to go to sleep. Plus, I don’t need to hear anymore about Adulio. Night."
Isabel hung up the phone with a click and shoved it into the waist of her PJ’s. She walked into the bathroom that was across the hallway. She had to make sure that she put on her face cream, acne cream (not that she had any), and some other cream that she put on.
As she walked back into her room she passed the picture. Without really caring if anyone noticed, she gave her father the middle finger.
"Someone’s a little pissy." said Tiff who was walking back from the bathroom. "I know you don’t like him; none of us do, but that doesn’t mean you have to flip him off."
"He’s sending me back to the gym Tiff. I don’t want to go back there, even if Coach isn’t there anymore. He ruined gymnastics for me. It’ll never be the same." Isabel felt a tear run down her cheek and she wiped at it quick, hoping her sister hadn’t noticed. But Tiffany notices everything. She wrapped her arms around her little sister and let her cry.

I waved to her through the window. "Come down!" I mouthed to her. I saw her hang up her cell and glare at me though the glass. I just smiled lazily up at her; she looked down and stuck her tongue out at me like we were in kindergarten. She disappeared from the window so I’m guessing that she’s coming down to me. I lean against the stop sign that was at the end of her road. My hands look like idiots just at my sides so I hold one up to my mouth and act like I’m smokin’ a cigarette. I wait a minute, and when she doesn’t come down I wonder if she isn’t going to show. But at just that moment, she steps outside.
And damn, does she look like hot in that leo. Of course she has to cover up her legs with sweats, though it is sorta cold right now. She looks confused because she can’t find me, so I call out to her. Her head swings towards me and she jogs a little to get here faster.
"Adulio, did he really send you out here to escort me to the gym? I know how to get there by myself."

"Oh, bebé, I know that. But you father asked me to walk to your house and pick you up." I start walking to the gym. She looks at me like I’m crazy. "What? Why you lookin’ at me like that?"
"Are you seriously walking right now? If you’re going to get me up at 7:30 then you’re gonna do things my way. The smart way."
She definitely turns me on. "And tell me senorita, what is the right way?"
She starts running and I stop walking all together. "There’s no way in hell that I’m running all the way to the gym Isabella. You’re friggin’ crazy; why would you do that?"
Again she looks at me with that look. "So our muscles are warmed up for stretching, and my dad won’t make us warm up again if he sees that we’re sweatin’. I’ve learned a few things about my father when I was going here before."

I have to stop myself from moaning. "Have you ever actually run all the way there? It’s like a 3 mile run, I can’t do that." She cut me off with a laugh. Great, now she’s laughing at me.
"Yes it’s a three mile run Adulio, and if you can’t run that, I’m aloud to tell everyone that you were beat by a girl." she says with her amazing accent, "Plus, we’re only jogging. It’s too freaking early to run. And if we walk we won’t get there in time."
"Chica, at least I’d have been beat by a beautiful girl. Not some loser." That comment earns me a slap to my head. "Hey Isabel," I wait for her to look my way, "You’re going to take off those sweats right? ‘Cuz if you don’t I’m going to." She starts to run full out and soon I lose sight of her as she goes around a corner.
I was lost in my thoughts when she suddenly jumps out from behind a tree near the street. I jump because I wasn’t expecting it. She turns around so she’s running backwards and starts laughing hard.

"You jumped, like three feet in the air Adulio."
I blush, "I did not, and you just surprised me a little bit. If I had seen you then I wouldn’t have done anything."
"No shit, really? Now we really have to move though, its 7:45 and it takes 20 minutes for me to jog from here, so we have to run. Sorry."
I look at her with my puppy dog eyes. "Can’t we just be late? Would your father really be mad?"
"Um," She looks at me and shakes her head a little, "Yeah, we’d be dead. You’d be fired, and I’d be doing double time. Let’s go." She turns around and picks up the pace. I follow along right behind. I have a nasty cramp in my side, but I wasn’t about to complain.

When we get there she turns to me and smiles.
"Welcome to my hell away from home." She says, "You probably don’t want to come in, but I’ll tell my dad that you dropped me off." She waves good bye and walks into the gym, I follow her.
"You don’t think you can get rid of me that easy, do you? Isabella, meet your personal trainer. Gold medal junior Olympist all around and gold on floor the last year that I competed at every competition I went to. Your dad asked me to train you, or more like, make sure you actually work out." As I was talking I saw her eyes get wider and wider, and then her face was a complete mask of shock.
"No. You have to be fuckin’ kidding me. I have to be with you all day, every day. And you’re going to train me? Adulio, this isn’t going to work out at all. I’ve had bad experiences with trainers here, and I can’t have another guy trainer. I can’t have another trainer, period. I don’t give a damn what my father says."

She looks at me like I’m a monster. "Well," I said, "I’m getting paid for this, and I’m going to do what I have to do to get money for my pocket. So I suggest we go inside and start stretching before your father sees us out here not doin’ anything." I walk in and shake my head. This is going to be hard, it’s obvious that Isabel doesn’t like going to the gym. I know she can still flip, I’ve seen her do it in her yard when I walk by. She has great form, but she’s not telling me something and I’m going to find out what it is.

As I walk in, I look at what Adulio is wearing. For the first time I realize that he’s wearing warm up pants and a muscle shirt. Perfect gymnastics clothes, dammit, he was serious. I can’t believe that my father would ask him to help me. I have to admit that I was surprised that he used to be a gymnast. He obviously quit, because any olympist would be able to run a three mile run, no problem.
I couldn’t help but think of stretching. If he insists on partner stretches I dunno if I’ll be able to stay away from him. He’s like a magnet for me. I’m pulled towards him, but I’m afraid that if I get too close, I won’t be able to get away again. But I’m not allowed to get too close because I can’t go out with him.

Gymnastics is like an addictive drug. You know it does bad things to you, messes with your brain, so you quit. But you find yourself sneaking in quick passes, a few moves on the grass. You’re watching TV and look down to realize you’re stretching. You tell yourself that you can live without it, but you can’t; you’re addicted. I’m addicted; I might say that I’m done with gym. But I’m not; no matter how many jackass coaches I get, I’m still going to do gym. It’s just that I can do it on my own, and I don’t need anyone to help me.
"Come on Isabel. We gotta stretch. And stretch like you mean it or I’ll help you." Well, I’m already here, so I might as well have some fun with him.

"How do you know that I wouldn’t like that better? But I think for now I’m good with my own stretching." I slid down to a full right leg split and hold it for awhile. I look over at Adulio and I can tell that he hasn’t stretched in awhile. He’s off the ground completely and can’t seem to get any further down. "Maybe I should be the one helpin’ you stretch Adulio. Looks like you need it." I get out of my right leg split and slid down into my left leg split, and hold it again as Adulio winces as he gets out of his right leg split. I laugh a little at the face he makes as he gets closer to the ground in his left leg split.
"Wow you can get further in that one. Can you do this?" In my split I lay down, hold my leg and do a side roll (also known as a split roll). As I come back up Adulio says,
"Stop it Isabel, I haven’t stretched in a year, give me a break."
"Nope, no way that’s happening." I get out of my split and go down into a center split. Again, I get all the way down and hold it. I look over at Adulio and see him sitting down with his legs crossed.

"What are you doing Mr. Olympian? Not even going to try?" He responded by glaring at me.
"I don’t feel like having my balls split open, thank you very much." He stretches his legs out in front of himself and does a pike. This, amazingly, he can get completely flat
"Oh wow, lookie here. You still have some flexibility in you. Why’s that?"
"It’s the one stretch that doesn’t hurt a guy, Isabel. You girls have it easy."
"No, not really. We have all the guys looking at our boobs and butt like they’re some type of candy. Plus, in gym, when we get stretched on our stomach, it hurts our breasts ‘cuz you have a friggin’ person sitting on your back. So, you might want to re-think what you just said."
"You know what," he said as he sat up, "I’m done stretching, let’s get started."

He started me out easy, tested out what I could handle. First it was cartwheels, then walk-overs (front and back), and round offs. After he was satisfied with what I could do, he started running tumbling. Round off back handspring, round off back tuck, round off back handspring tuck. After I did my round off back handspring tuck, I walked back to him.
"What next, coach?" I said waiting to hear him ask me to start twisting, finally.
"We’re going to go onto beam now." He looked at my face as it fell. "I’m not going to have you twist on your first day back to the gym. Plus, I know you can still twist, I’ve seen you do it on your yard. But we’re going on beam now." I was impressed. But I wanted to twist, so I ran back out to the floor and looked at him.
"I swear Isabel if you…" I started running.