Page 77 of Bewitch

“I’m done crying,” I say coolly.

“Sure you are. Let’s see you in action.” He gives me five pounders. “Chest press. Slower. Slower! Slow all the way down. You can go fast on the way up if you want, but slower on the way down.”

I go slow down and then up. By the third rep, I can already feel what he’s talking about. A little bit of weight feels like a ton when you go this slowly, but I manage six reps.

“Good. A minute break and then again. You better do six reps again.”

“Or else?” I ask.

“Or else you’re going to have to do this with your entire body instead of just various chest moves. Your entire body will be on fire.”

“I’ll need an ice bath after then,” I say. “Do you think you could arrange that? Maybe join me?”

“I wouldn’t join you if you were the last girl on Earth.”

“I’m not a girl, so…”

He side-eyes me and rolls his eyes. “Minute’s up.”

It’s unbearably difficult to get through the six reps, but I manage, and I offer him a breathless grin.

“Did it,” I say, so damn proud of myself for showing him.

“Another break and then six more.

I groan.

“I want you to be able to get into the routine of three sets, six to eight reps. Find what weight you can handle. If you can do all three sets with perfect form for eight reps each, then you bump up the weight.”

“All at this slow-as-hell pace?”

“Ideally. It’ll be the faster way for you to build muscle.”

“Why do I want to do that fast?”

“Why not?” he challenges. “Or do you not trust me all of a sudden?”

“Should I trust you?

“You’re paying me to train you. If you don’t trust me, you shouldn’t be listening to me.”

“I—”

“Go.”

I grit my teeth. After the third rep, my arms just refuse to go back up, and I struggle, holding them in place, not wanting to drip them.

“Push through. Dig deep.

“I’m trying!”

“Losers don’t ever win. They fail. They fail, and they certainly don’t get fucked.”

“Or they get fucked up the ass,” I mumble.

“Is that what you want?”

Hoping this serves as a giant middle finger, I somehow am able to push out one more rep, but that’s all I have in me.

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