I rolled over in bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I had to be in the gym in an hour to meet Jet. He had asked me to meet him there to do some more self-defense training. I wasn't entirely sure he even thought I needed it anymore; I guessed he just enjoyed teaching me. I didn't mind though; I was really starting to enjoy it myself. It made me feel tough, and I had never felt tough before. It was nice to feel strong and capable, even if I never got the chance to use my new skills.
I left the bathroom and went to the kitchen to get some fruit. I didn't like feeling too full before a workout, because it made me feel lazy and nauseous. This way, I would have something for energy, and still be able to accomplish what I needed to.
Julie was already in the kitchen, and she turned to smile at me when I came in the room.
“Hey, girl, want a cup of tea?”
“I would love to, but I don't have time. I'm meeting Jet at the gym.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Two days in a row? Wow, lucky him.”
I laughed. “Oh, be quiet. I didn't even know I would be seeing him last night. It was hardly a date. I was terrified the entire time. It doesn't exactly scream romance.”
“Scream ...” she chuckled.
I laughed too. “I'm just grabbing some fruit. I will see you later.”
“Hey, maybe we can have some dinner together later.”
“Sure, I would love that. Pasta though, I have been craving pasta for days.”
Julie nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
I hurried out the door and down the stairs. When I reached outside, it was nice to see that the sun was shining bright. We didn't get that many sunny days now that fall had arrived; we had to enjoy them while we could before winter hit.
I walked briskly as I made my way to the campus. I loved long, crisp walks; they made for refreshing exercise, and woke me right up. Once on campus I made my way into the gym. I was smiling as I looked around for Jet. When I saw him sitting beside a gorgeous and ridiculously fit girl, my smile disappeared. They were whispering and laughing together, and the sight of them turned my stomach. They looked intensely intimate, like new lovers, and I almost felt like walking out of the gym and skipping the training. I didn't know how to feel about what I had seen, and what was worse was that I didn't know why I felt so jealous. I wanted us to remain just friends, didn't I? And yet, there I was, losing my mind over the fact that he was sitting beside another girl. But she was so pretty?way too pretty?far prettier than I. I didn't know what to do, but I felt stupid standing there staring at them.
How did a girl get that fit? She must be in the gym round the clock, and never eat a bowl of ice cream. Was that any way to live? I wondered if I could give up ice cream if it meant looking as hot as she did.
Jet looked up, and saw me staring at him like an idiot. He smiled and waved at me, so there was certainly no way I could walk out of the gym at that point. The girl looked up to see who he was waving at, and she smiled at me as well, but that I didn't think that it was the warmest of smiles. I felt like I was being assessed, and that I failed to impress her.
“Hey, Natalie, I'm glad you came. This is Katie.”
Katie stood up and approached me, holding her hand out. I shook her hand and noticed how firm her grip was.
“Hi Katie; it's nice to meet you. How is it that you know Jet?”
“Oh, Jet and I go way back, don't we, Jet?” She winked at him, and he laughed. She slapped his ass in the same way football players do to each other. I was shocked to see how playful the two of them were together.
“I know Katie through MMA. She's one of my female teammates.”
I looked at her. “You're a fighter as well?”
“Yes, I am.” She grinned proudly.
“Katie is a pro for sure. She hasn't lost one fight yet. She's an awesome fighter, and one of the best in her weight class.”
I just nodded, unsure of how I felt about Katie. Did the two have more than MMA history together, or were they just really, really close buddies?
“Anyway, I invited Katie to train with us today. She will give you some idea what it's like to work with a woman, and what women need to know to protect themselves.”
Oh God, I had to train with that girl? He really should have asked me if it was okay, because the last thing I wanted was to have to play around with a girl who put her hands on Jet whenever she felt like it.
“Cool, sounds great,” I said, but I didn't mean it.
“Great, let's get started. I'm going to show you some basic grappling techniques, and then we will do some pad work.”
We walked over to the mats, where Jet grabbed one of the grappling dummies. “Okay, ladies, I'm going to show you the four points of grappling. Katie, of course, is a veteran with these techniques, but she is also going to help me teach them to you.”