Page 24 of Between the Blue
I took probably a hundred different photos and hated them all, so I made it my mission over the weekend to find something that worked.
From following one of my classmates who specializes in food photography to her favorite spots to try out my skills at that, to taking some cityscape and nature shots around Austin, to evendesperately attempting to take some pictures of another one of my classmate’s cats, I’ve come up completely blank.
I haven’t managed to find a single shot that I would be proud to present for Mr. Hartmann’s assignment tomorrow.
I thought this weekend was just a fluke for me, and that surely I would wake up Monday fraught with inspiration and enthusiasm. But, frustratingly, that was not the case.
James’s usual cold shoulder that morning did nothing to motivate me further. And Mr. Hartmann’s class that afternoon didn’t help either, other than to remind me of my impending deadline.
Now, it’s Tuesday. And I’m staring at myself in the locker room mirror with irritation as I pull my hair into a ponytail.
Come on, Addie. There has to be something.
I mentally sort through all of the photos I’ve taken the last few days, questioning if maybe the photos of my classmate’s tabby cat could actually be secret works of art if I were to give them a second glance, but I know they’re not.
I keep trying to think of anything else I could possibly photograph, but my mind just always goes to the same thing.
Lace and flowers. Frills and pleats. Natural colors and design elements. Beauty and poise. Femininity and freedom.
Something out of my comfort zone.
I blow out a breath, slamming my locker closed before heading into the weight room.
I can do this.
I can do anything.
I glance up, seeing James crossing in front of my path as he walks out of the men’s locker room.
Despite my stress this morning, the show must continue.
“Good morning, James,” I say, plastering a grin on my face.
His eyes snap in my direction, and I give him a friendly wave.
He rolls his eyes, continuing on his way.
And I can check that off on my to-do list for today.
Luckily, I won’t see too much of him the rest of this morning.
I finally–very begrudgingly– decided to switch up my gym schedule.
I’ve always done legs on Tuesdays, but after dealing with Jamesalsodoing legs for three Tuesdays now, I finally gave in for my sanity and decided to swap my Tuesday leg routine with my Thursday chest and shoulders one.
This way, we won’t be fighting over machines any more. This isn’t me backing down from him. Just me trying to make my life a little easier and making sure I get out of here on time.
I only have so much energy. I have to choose wisely where to spend it.
I make my way over to the chest press machine, setting my towel down on the seat before walking over to the water fountain to fill my water bottle.
Once it’s full, I screw the cap back, taking a sip from it as I walk back to my machine, but my feet skid to a stop as I spot James.
And I see him using the second chest press machine right next to mine.
My brows pull together.
That’s…odd.
