Chapter 7 Roan #2
Emma sat up, staring at Reese. “How are you not dead?”
“Dancers train hard,” Reese said. “This is different, but not harder.”
“Reese, you’re legit,” Marcus said, still on his back.
Cody was watching Reese with obvious respect. “You did real push-ups the whole time.”
“Sure did,” Reese said, flicking her fingers through her ponytail. Sassy. That was the Reese that came out when she was having fun.
Roan loved it.
“That’s …” Cody paused. “That’s tough, Reese.”
Reese laughed. “Thanks. You were pretty tough yourself. Isn’t it fun to move your body?”
“Yeah. It was. I need to do it more.” Cody glanced toward the window. “I feel like myself in here.”
“Fun is not the word I was thinking,” Emma said, still on the floor, but she was grinning.
“All right,” Roan said. “Cool down time. Everyone up. I know you don’t want to move, but, trust me, you’ll feel better tomorrow if you stretch now.”
He led them through basic stretches—quads, hamstrings, shoulders. When they finished, everyone looked exhausted but not miserable. Even Emma was smiling. Cody’s posture was looser, less defensive.
“So that’s what I can offer you,” Roan said. “Questions?”
“Yeah,” Emma said. “Does it get easier?”
“Yes and no. You’ll get stronger, so these movements will feel easier. But then we’ll make the workouts harder. That’s how you keep improving.”
“Great,” Emma said. “I can’t wait.”
Everyone laughed. Even Cody..
“When do we come back?” Marcus asked.
“Monday. Same time. We’ll be at the dance studio tomorrow.”
“I’m so excited,” Emma said immediately, suddenly more energetic.
“Me too,” Marcus said.
Julia nodded. “Yeah. I’ll try it. Even though I’m going to look like a beach ball with legs.”
“No you don’t,” Emma said, sounding loyal. “You look great.”
“What about you, Cody?” Marcus asked. “You’re not going to make me go without you, are you?”
All three of them looked at Cody.
“I’m not dancing,” Cody said flatly. “But I’ll come and watch.”
“Your choice,” Reese said. “Either way, it’ll be a blast.”
She grabbed her bag from the bench. “I need to get next door and get ready for my next class. Good work today, everyone. Seriously. You all did great.”
“Thanks for working out with us,” Emma said.
“Yeah, thanks,” Marcus added.
Reese waved and headed for the door. As she passed Roan, she said quietly, “That was fun. See you tomorrow?”
“See you tomorrow.”
Then she was gone, the door swinging shut behind her.
Emma, Marcus, and Julia gathered their things, chattering about how sore they were going to be tomorrow. They thanked Roan, confirmed they’d be at dance tomorrow, and headed out together as if they’d been friends forever.
Cody stayed behind.
He walked over to the heavy bag hanging in the corner and pushed it lightly, watching it swing.
“You did great today,” Roan said, coming to stand next to him.
“It’s the only thing I’m good at.”
“That’s how I felt when I was your age,” Roan said. “I couldn’t wait to get out of school and play sports.”
Cody was quiet for a moment. “Reese is pretty hardcore. Super pretty too.”
“Yeah. She is.”
“Like, I thought dancers were just delicate or whatever. But she’s strong.”
“Dancers are athletes. Most people don’t realize that.” Roan crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. “She’s pretty great in every way. Always was.”
“Emma thinks you guys used to date when you were in high school.”
“How did she know that?” Roan asked, surprised.
“I don’t know. Girls always know stuff.”
Roan nodded. “That’s the truth.”
“You still like her?”
Roan sat on one of his benches, taking a sip of water from his own bottle before answering. “You really want to know?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Okay, but this is just between you and me.”
“Totally,” Cody said.
“We were together from the time we were fifteen years old until I moved out to California. I left without saying goodbye. Ghosted her for our prom.”
“Dude, why would you do that?”
Roan told him the whole story, including his grief over his mother, his breakdown during the English test, not showing up to take Reese to their prom, his tunnel vision that told him to take the escape route. Cody listened without comment, his sensitive eyes seeming to take it all in.
When Roan finished, Cody nodded his head, a knowing expression on his face. “So you basically sabotaged the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Yep. Exactly right.”
“I totally get it,” Cody said. “I do the same. Since Mom died.” A wave of obvious pain and grief overtook the boy’s face before he arranged his features back into the blank expression he had mastered so well.
“I’ve felt bad about it. All these years. Haunted, to be honest.” Roan wrapped his hands around his water bottle. “She deserved so much better than what I did. I’m grateful I finally had a chance to tell her how sorry I am.”
“What’s up with the two of you working together to save the lost kids?” Cody asked.
“You’re not lost. You guys just need some people in your corner. Grace Hayes came up with the idea. Do you know her?”
“Yeah, she’s a real do-gooder, as my dad used to say.”
Roan chuckled, nodding his head. “The classic do-gooder. I guess she figured we had something to offer you kids.”
“Either that or she’s pushing you back together. Playing matchmaker.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Roan said. “But that ship’s sailed. There’s no way Reese would ever entertain the idea of letting me back into her life. Not in that way anyway.”
“I’ve seen her looking at you. In that way girls do when they really like you.”
Roan wanted to ask for details but held himself back. This was not about him. This was about Cody. “You want to try the rope?”
“Now?”
“Just to see where you are,” Roan said. “Gives you a baseline. No pressure. Just see how far you can get.”
“Okay.” Cody walked over to the rope, looking up at the bell. He grabbed it with both hands, testing his grip.
“Remember what I showed you. Feet grip the rope between them, like a clamp. Then pull with your hands while you push with your legs. It’s a full body movement.”
Cody nodded. He gripped the rope, positioned his feet, and started climbing. His long arms were an advantage, giving him good reach. He pulled himself up, feet working to grip the rope. Five feet. Eight feet. Ten feet.
Then he stalled. His arms started shaking. He hung there for a moment, breathing hard, then slowly descended, dropping the last few feet to the mat.
“Halfway,” Roan said. “That’s really good for a first attempt. Most people can’t get that far.”
Cody was breathing hard, staring up at the bell. “I want to ring it. Bad.”
“You will. We’ll work on grip strength, upper body, technique. Give it a few weeks.”
“How long did it take you?”
“Couple weeks. But I had a coach pushing me every day.”
Cody flexed his hands, looking at the rope like it had personally offended him. “I’m going to ring that bell.”
“I know you will.” Roan clapped him on the shoulder. “Now you’ve got a concrete goal. Something to work toward. A mentor of mine used to tell me that the first step to reaching your goals is to know what they are.”
“Yeah. Cool.” Cody glanced in the direction of Reese’s studio. “Since Reese came to your class—you should go to hers. With us. Tomorrow.”
“You think?”
“Yeah. I mean, she did your thing. You should do hers.” Cody’s expression was carefully neutral. “Fair’s fair.”
Roan studied him. The kid was testing him. Seeing if Roan was all talk or if he’d actually follow through on something uncomfortable. Or was he matchmaking like his Aunt Grace? Either way, he couldn’t say no.
“You’re right,” Roan said. “That’s fair.”
“Cool.” Cody hesitated. “If you go … I’ll go. And if you dance, I’ll dance.”
“Deal,” Roan said. “I’ll do it, even if I look like an idiot.”
Cody raised one shoulder. “I mean, how hard can it be?”
Roan laughed. “You know you just doomed us.”
Cody chuckled, shaking his head. “Probably.”
“We’ll suffer together.”
“Yeah.” Cody hesitated. “I hate doing stuff I’m bad at.”
“Most people do.”
“But Reese and the girls are cool. They won’t mock us, right?”
“No way. That’s not the point of all this,” Roan said. “We’re having fun. Waking up our bodies and our minds. Exercise is the key to so many things.”
“Yeah. I forgot how much I missed working out hard like that.” Cody brushed hair away from his still sweaty forehead.
“You’re welcome here any time, okay? I’m hoping to get more people in, but right now I’m still getting the word out.”
“You need any help?” Cody asked, looking down at the floor. “Because I don’t have much else going on. I could clean for you. Or whatever you needed.”
Roan could hardly believe his ears. This kid was making himself vulnerable.
Asking for work. He swallowed a lump in his throat.
“Actually, yeah. I could use some help. You want to stick around for my next class? I’m doing a complimentary one for anyone who wanted to come by.
I’m trying to get people in here and hooked. ”
“Sure, yeah. Can I work out with them?”
“If you’re up for it, I’d love to have you.”
“I mean, I wouldn’t mind learning how to become a trainer,” Cody said, sounding like it was just a passing thought.
Roan knew better. This kid was putting himself out there. It was exactly what Grace had hoped for.
“I think you’d be great at it.” He didn’t want to commit with too much enthusiasm and scare the kid off. What did the kids call it? Thirsty. Right. He didn’t want to be too thirsty. “If you’re interested, do some research online. Get more familiar with the exercises and concepts.”
“Did that last night. I’m kind of obsessed.”
Roan couldn’t help but smile. “Well, okay, then. Let’s get some protein in us before the class starts. I’ll make you a smoothie in the back office. I’ve got protein powder and some bananas. I can tell you more about what it takes to become a certified trainer.”
Cody’s eyes lit up. “My mom used to make me a smoothie for breakfast. She put peanut butter in them.”
“I just happen to have some peanut butter.” He gestured toward the office. “Come on. I’m starving.”
Cody followed him, smiling slightly, shoulders relaxed. Progress. Good old exercise had come through for Roan once again. His old friend never let him down.