Expressions

"A celebrity, are you?"

Judah groaned, frustrated as Michael's constant taunting/teasing began to wear on him. Not to mention the heat in the gym, and where had he hit his head when he decided to take up kikckboxing?

"Come on, Lil Boy! You can do better than that."

Judah grumbled uninteligibly under his breath.

"What was that?"

Judah just glared at him and kept alternating between puching amd kicking the stupid bag that seemed to make fun of him as it danced wildly around. Heck, I don't even know what I said! I'm that mad, alright? Who the heck has their friend as their trainer?

But he said nothing out loud, as usual.

"Mmm...nothing, as usual." Michael patted him on the back.

"Okay! That's it for today. I can be your friend again." He continued contentedly.

"Aren't you supposed to go easier on me because we're friends?"

"Oh no! I'm supposed to be harder on you. Hey, the cameras don't complain, now do they?

Judah turned away. "I need to get new friends."

Michael laughed. "I don't hear you complaining about me being your trainer when ya get all those compliments about your, I quote 'chiseled physique as well as an angelic face'."

Judah blushed. "She was like 60!"

Michale laughed again. "Yeah, and that interview probably won an award for Most Awkward."

Judah changed the subject. "I didn't look bad before this whole workout thing."

"You were lean and cute," Michael articulated as though he spoke to a child. "Now you're 'chiseled and manly.'"

Judah chose to ignore the jab at that painful interview. "I was a swimmer."

"But I wasn't your trainer."

He wagged his finger at Judah smiling and flashing his dimples. "Ooooo... I rhymed! Did ya see that?"

Judah rolled his eyes and picked up his bag to go.

"Keep rollin your eyes like that, and they're bound to fall out, Tough Guy."

Judah, as usual, said nothing. And Michael just followed him, talking as usual. They'd been friends since they were both 12, shortly after Judah's parents' tragic passing.

Judah had become more reserved, but when he'd met the charmingly talkative, Michael Chambers.

They'd met Michael's first day at Judah's school, and had hit it off, somehow, from the moment Michael had said,

"So... You don't talk much, do you?"

Michael smiled as he followed his friend out the door. Though Judah would never admit it, Michael knew how much Judah loved to sing. So what if he didn't do much talking, he just did it all through his singing.

"I can't wait for your album to come out."

Judah slowed so they could walk together. The gym wasn't but two blocks away from Judah's home, so they'd just walk and get some fresh air.

"Yeah. Me too."

"So you're just doing covers of songs?"

Judah nodded.

"Nothing of your own?"

Judah shook his head. "Nah... I'm not ready for that yet."

Michael nodded slowly. "So these covers you'll be doing will be like your expressions or something?"

Judah stopped walking and looked at him, puzzled. "Expressions? Expressions of what?"

Michael shrugged. "You know how you always use a song to express yourself?" Judah shook his head no. "You know like when you sing 'You Make Me Happy' to your sister when you do something she doesn't like and..."

"You're right!" Judah cut him off suddenly. "That's a great name!"

Now it was Michael's turn to be puzzled. "What is...?"

"Expressions." Judah smiled, a rare REAL smile. "That's what I'm gonna call my album."