How It All Began

I'd never intended to become a personal trainer but after working alongside my high school friends for years, I fell into it. I'd made friends with a few football players and once they realized I wasn't interested in dating them, they took me under their wing and decided I needed to be better prepared to defend myself against "the evil men". Rocky, Jay and the other members of their group were sweet once you got past their kind of annoying idiosyncrasies. The story however, really begins a few years after high school. I'd just finished college and was still working as personal trainer for several guys. They were an impressive bunch and I'd gotten close to them, even developed a kind of friendish relationship with them. I had my life planned out. My boyfriend, Mitch, and I had been dating for 2 years and I just knew he would be popping the question any day. I had total confidence in the strength of our relationship, right up until I came home early and found him in bed with the girl next door. The ensuing fight was loud and I was so disgusted by the end of it, I couldn't stay. I stormed out in a cloud of righteous anger.

It wasn't until I was settled in at my best friend, Karen's, house that I realized I failed to grab any of my stuff. Not willing to talk to the cheating bastard I now called an ex, I sent him a text.

Sang: I want my stuff.

Mitch: Please come home and talk to me

Sang: I repeat I want my stuff

Mitch: I'll give your stuff but we need to talk first.

Sang: There's nothing to talk about. You cheated on me. Deal breaker. Box up my stuff and leave it outside

Mitch: Come on babe, don't be unreasonable. Let's talk. then you can collect whatever you need.

I threw my phone onto the couch next me, pissed I'd bothered to leave my key behind.

"He's being an asshole, isn't he?" Karen asked, walking into the room just in time for my little fit of temper.

"I was stupid enough to leave my key and he refuses to give me my stuff unless I talk to him."

"You know, we told you he was dick." Karen speared me with her you-should-listen-to-your-friends look I'd come to know so well over the years. She did have a point. Karen, Rocky, Jay, even my high school ex Mike tried to tell me dating Mitch was a bad idea. They'd all warned me off but he'd seemed so sweet and nice and commited. Plus he was premed. I curled into a ball on the couch, cursing myself for my poor taste in men. Or maybe it was just my own naivety.

"Don't you have a session with that body builder tomorrow?" Karen's random question jogged me out of my self bashing.

"Crap." I snatched up my phone again."I nearly forgot about Nathan. I can't deal with him tomorrow." I began typing out an email to him.

"Honey, why don't you cancel the rest of the week? You just got your heart broken. You deserve to wallow a bit." Karen plopped next to me and wrapped me in a hug. Maybe she was right. It hadn't really hit me yet but I'd really believed Mitch and I were forever. When the reality finally hit, I'd be a mess.

"Okay." I agreed and adjusted my email, making sure to CC all my clients that week.

Hi, I apologize for the late notice on this but I'm taking a week off. I need a bit of personal time. That bastard boyfriend of mine has been cheating on me and I broke it off. Stupid jerk won't give me my stuff unless I go talk to him, which will never happen, so I have to figure out a way to fetch it. Thanks for understanding.

Sang

I hit send before I realized how incredibly personal I'd gotten in that short email. Karen watched over my shoulder and I sighed again.

"Well, now they'll all know what a loser I am." even I could hear the defeat in my voice.

Karen shook her head. "Come on, this calls for ice cream."

"and rom-com?" I asked.

"of course." she replied. Good. I planned to lose myself in a good break up wallow for the rest of the week.