Lia
The gym smells like rubber mats, sweat, and eucalyptus from the cheap air freshener near the front desk. Machines churn. Someone grunts in the weight section. Pop music blares through the speakers, bass reverberating through the gym. I grip the handles of the elliptical tighter, feet moving on autopilot. Sweat clings to the back of my neck. My ponytail is already damp. I keep moving. Keep telling myself this is the right thing. So why do I feel like I’m falling apart?
Jenna glances over from the treadmill beside me. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I lie.
“Liar,” she mutters with a breathless laugh.
I manage a smile, but it slips too fast. Sutton’s off in the corner doing reps with the five-pound weights, focused and steady, like always. The three of us decided to come straight here after scho
