Keegan : Push Ups

The Willowbrook campus glittered under the blazing sun, more enchanting than ever. Without students bustling through the corridors and pathways, it felt like a deserted castle gathering. Only the sleek gymnasium reminded us it was 2015.

The academy houses everything from elementary school to university, becoming a familiar haven for me after years spent amidst its sprawling campus.

It's not just a school, it's a second home for all of us.

Spanning 8,000,000 square meters and accommodating 60,000 students alongside faculty, the academy is a vast landscape traversed by an old open-air train. Truth be told, I rarely use it. My days mostly revolve around the gym.

Sports facilities gleamed with hues of purple, symbolizing the current champions-the ambitious.

Throughout the year, the three factions clashed in grand tournaments, supposedly fostering unity among students, as the principal liked to claim.

Hurriedly stashing my belongings in my locker, adjusting my red armband.

The school labels us malicious, brute, and other ridiculous names-were meant to define us. The sense of belonging to a group was thrilling when first stepping into Willowbrook, but over the years, I learned to ignore these colors.

The scent of sweat drifted from the training room door, lights bouncing off the purple mats, stirring memories of the Creed Center before summer break—where students chatted in the stands and snacked while teams warmed up.

As the coach signaled me to join the others, a hand pinched my back.

"So, soaked up the sun that break ?" Maxen greeted.

"Good morning too, Maxen."

"You could've warned me you'd be late. I could've hung out with my girl longer."

"Which one? Lina or Ryley?"

Maxen nudged me, while keeping an eye on the coach.

"Drop the Ryley talk."

I burst into laughter, earning a dark look from Maxen.

"She dumped radioactive metals in the Red's dorm water, and we all had spasms for a week!"

"A week? More like a month! That crazy girl-never going near the Greens again unless it's in that ring."

"Except if his name is Valen"

Maxence grabbed my neck, forcing me to look across the gym.

"Look at this fool, always spilling his life story. The coach will get him, and thanks to him, we'll end up doing more push-ups than anyone else."

"Maxen! Keegan! Valen! Middle, now!"

Maxen sighed while halting abruptly. Valen rolled his eyes so long that the coach threw a pen at him, only to see it rebound off his classmate 's head. His laugh filled the gym, boldly.

"Think you'll find those five hundred push-ups amusing, Braconis ?"

"Coach!" Maxen groaned. "I wasn't laughing!"

"I said run, not talk. When you learn the difference, we'll move on to two hundred push-ups."

Valen adjusted his green bandana, keeping blond hair from falling into his eyes.

"We're here to fight, not run, Coach!" he shouted, mock-boxing our trainer.

"Six hundred push-ups!"

Maxen grabbed Valen by the collar, yelling at him.

"Shut that mouth for good, or else I'll-"

"Let's finish these push-ups quickly, we'll miss the whole training," I said, planting my hands on the floor.

Valen chuckled, slipping out of his brother's grip.

"Don't look so glum! You're boring as heck when you get like this. I can't even imagine your life without me!"

"Oh, what a dream..."

Maxen gritted his teeth, forcing Valen to the ground. Time flew, and only after hitting five hundred push-ups did my arms start to tire.

Maxen finished first, while Valen had already been lying on the ground for minutes, muttering complaints.

"Get up! You haven't even hit a hundred!"

"Keegan... your words are harsher than the coach's punishments."

"What did you do that summer break , besides playing video games and eating ice cream?"

"Yeah, yeah... I ate ice cream," he grumbled, flipping me the bird.

When I reached six hundred, Valen was still playing dead. I nudged him when he pointed the cage at the back of the gym.

"Zander's never around when we need him! While he's off having fun, we're here suffering! Talk about champion..."

"Forget Zularen and finish your push-ups, you definitely won't beat us at the next tournament."

Valen pushed me, running towards the exit. But the door swung open violently, revealing the coach's face. Seeing Valen, he raised an eyebrow and dragged him back on the mat.

"Thousand push-ups!"