It was Saturday. The day was hot and full of life, a perfect day for eating ice cream or going out with a friend…But that didn’t make this day easy for me.

  “I can’t…continue…”

  “Just thirty more…”

  Sometimes I had the opportunity to see Aisha’s arms or legs, and I always get a little jealous about her good shape. That’s why I wanted to try her training routine. Of course, she agreed, so we started in her room

  At first we did some stretches so I wouldn't get hurt. That part was easy and a little funny. In case anyone was wondering, I’m more flexible than Aisha. After

  that we started the first exercise, I thought it would be easy, but I changed my mind when she said something…not funny.

  “We’re gonna start with one hundred push-ups.”

  Yes, Aisha is in good shape. But I didn't know she followed a superhero workout routine, I thought she was very consistent. I'm not weak, but my body isn't made for doing seventy push-ups.

  “Aisha…”

  “Yes?”

  “Can we do something easier…?”

  “This is easy…”

  “For you…”

  Probably Aisha was so used to this that she forgot how difficult it is for a starter, and I was paying for that. When the hundredth push-up was finished, I stopped moving for a while.

  “This is…too much…”

  “The next will be one-hundred squats.”

  “Can’t we do something that doesn’t imply doing one-hundred anything?”

  “Well…We can just run.”

  “Great…”

  “Just let me bring something.”

  When Aisha left the room, I hugged the floor as if it were the most comfortable pillow, that's how I felt after experiencing something so intense.

  “Hmm…”

  I knew I couldn’t let Aisha destroy me that way and escape without consequences, so I stood up and walked over to her desk.

  “Consider this my revenge.”

  With a pencil that she left on the desk I drew a little flower in it. That way she will waste about two seconds cleaning. Yes, it's a very inoffensive revenge, but she deserves at least a little penalty for torturing me.

  “I’m back.”

  “Welcome back.”

  When Aisha approached, she quickly noticed that I was close to her desk, so she approached to know what was happening, and that way she noticed the flower. I thought she would be bothered or at least would have some bad reaction. But she was thinking something different.

  “Hmm…”

  “Aisha?”

  Without saying anything she took another pencil and started drawing. I didn’t knew what to wait for, so I just waited to see what the result was. What she did was a little stickman grabbing the flower.

  “What is that?”

  “I thought you wanted more details in your draw.”

  “...This didn’t bother you?”

  “Why? It's a desk. Some draws wouldn’t break it.”

  “I guess you’re right…”

  “I brought a towel so you can-”

  “Gimme a sec.”

  Ignoring what she was saying, I took the pencil again and drew a sun in a corner.

  “Now it looks more natural.”

  “...That’s not true.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Aisha took her pencil again and this time drew more flowers and grass.

  “The art teacher explained this to us. One flower isn’t natural, a flower field is better.”

  “...Then it's still incomplete.”

  I started drawing again and Aisha did it at the same time. At some point we started to use some color pencils, and before we noticed it, her desk was a flower field with various stickmans and some trees.

  “Now seems more natural…”

  “Hehe, it's perfect.”

  “You did good flowers.”

  “Drawing bad circles is easier than other things…”

  “You also used good colors.”

  “Hehehe, thanks.”

  “...What were we doing before this?”

  “Something about a towel.”

  “...Right.”

  Aisha took the towel and carefully started to clean my sweat. She wasn’t rough, but I preferred to do that by myself.

  "Can you give me the towel?”

  “I’m bothering you?”

  “No…but…”

  “...”

  I couldn’t continue when Aisha stared at me without blinking. Even when she doesn’t have big expressions, it's really obvious when she wants something. Not because she expresses it, but because she gets a little weird.

  “...”

  “...”

  “...Fine, you can keep doing it”

  Aisha continued doing that without saying anything. I guess she likes helping…

  “Done…”

  “Good, how many kilometers are we gonna run?”

  “Ten.”

  “...Of course…”

  “That was the idea, but we spent too much time drawing. Are you okay with only six?”

  “Yes.”

  I felt relieved when she said that. That’s why I get out of her room with motivation. Obviously Aisha was behind me when we left her house.

  “I think I can manage this.”

  “Great…”

  “Do you have some reason for having a routine like this?”

  “I’m supposed to live a long life.”

  “How many years do you wanna live?”

  “I don’t know…sixty?”

  “That’s below any life span.”

  “How many years would be a long life?”

  “I think there are cases of people who live 120 years.”

  “I could manage that…”

  “...Let’s reach the ninety’s first…”

  Running and talking was tiring, but we managed it with a calm pace…It still hurt, but not that much.

  “Some goal in mind…?”

  “Well…I know!”

  “Yes?”

  “A pastry shop I found some days ago.”

  “Do you want to ruin your entire excercise?"

  “They have honey cookies, I want honey cookies.”

  “Does it taste good?”

  “It's the best flavor”

  “I thought people preferred chocolate.”

  “Bad taste.”

  I changed our course a bit, now with the pastry shop as our destination. Aisha followed me, staying by my side. The shop wasn't exactly close, so we continued talking.

  “You consider yourself in good shape?”

  “No…”

  “Why?”

  “The theater club people is better.”

  “Using others people as examples of good shape usually ends bad.”

  “I guess you’re right…”

  “So…They’re really in good shape?”

  “One time the leader tried a jump from the roof.”

  “I see...Wait, what?”

  “They stopped him before he could do it, but everyone agreed he could. He had ropes, so it wasn't a risky sport anyway.”

  “That’s totally a risky sport!”

  I knew that my school could have some weird people. But that was a little excessive.

  “The theatre club shows always have quality…”

  “I can see that. How many rules do they break?”

  “A lot but only during the hard practices.”

  “I don’t wanna be there…”

  “Maybe with this exercise routine you can be like them.”

  “I’m not a monster.”

  We suddenly stopped when we reached the pastry shop. Sure, those were less than six kilometers. But I would continue after eating, so TECHNICALLY I'm doing the routine.

  “Here we are!”

  “Is it okay eating during an exercise routine?”

  “You never did it?”

  “No…”

  “Then let’s just say that the answer is ‘yes.’”

  “...We’re already here…”

  After avoiding Aisha’s questioning, I entered with her. The place smelled like a recently baked bread and some other things that probably were used to give flavor or just a cute appearance to the pastrys.

  “I’m proud to have found this place.”

  “Smells good…”

  “Then, let’s go to the cookie tray.”

  “Okay”

  The cookie tray was full of cookies (obviously). Peanuts, chocolate, whatever the multicolored ones were. The variety was obvious and so lovely, even more when I saw THE flavor.

  “Hehe, what a good price.”

  “You have enough money?”

  “Lemme see my wallet.”

  I put my hand in my pocket. But then I remembered something.

  “...”

  “Lusia?”

  “I left the wallet in your house.”

  “Then let me pay for us.”

  Aisha put her hand in her pocket. But then she remembered something.

  “I didn’t bring my wallet either…”

  “...”

  “Maybe we can buy cookies other day.”

  “I can’t wait that much.”

  “Why?”

  “I was thinking about eating honey cookies all the way. I can’t just not do it.”

  Losing this opportunity was worse than doing Aisha’s routine two times, I couldn't allow it. Somehow, my (really exaggerated) despair gave me an idea.

  “...Can you wait for me here please?”

  “Hmm? Yes, I can.”

  “Good.”

  Without more words, I started running to Aisha’s house. I didn’t think about anything except for my need to eat cookies. I runned as fast as possible and stopped when my body needed it, I did it over and over again until I got to Aisha's father's bar.

  “Welcome. Are you having fun with-”

  “Wallet!”

  After reaching Aisha's room I looked around until I found our wallets on the floor.

  “Here they are,”

  Again in a hurry, I left Aisha’s room and went down the stairs.

  “I see both are having fun.”

  The way felt really long due to the fatigue, but I managed to reach the pastry shop and somehow reach Aisha’s shoulder.

  “I’m here…”

  “Thirty minutes…Impressive”

  Finally, I paid for six honey cookies and when I received them, I gave three to Aisha.

  “Here”

  “So these are the famous cookies…”

  With no more words Aisha started eating her cookies. I did the same, enjoying every single bite.

  “It's sweet…”

  “Right?”

  “I get why you like this…”

  “It’s so delicious!”

  Naturally, the cookies were delicious, too delicious. So delicious. that I forgot our exercises before Aisha remembered me about them.

  “About the exercises”

  “Right…”

  “You actually don’t have to do it.”

  “...Huh?”

  “This shop is three kilometers from my house and you went there and came back. You runned nine kilometers counting the first time we reached the place”

  “Really?!”

  “The stomach is the easiest way to get someone…Maybe that’s why the bar works as a business…”

  “I suppose I’m a really good runner.”

  “Or just someone very hungry…”

  When the first cookie was consumed, I immediately started with the second one while Aisha was still eating the first.

  “I guess I’m gonna run alone…”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “You've done your part, you better rest."

  “I will feel really guilty.”

  “...What if I run in circles?”

  “That sounds uncomfortable.”

  “Then I could run some blocks in circles…”

  “We will still being far from each other”

  “Right…”

  I tried to figure out a way to get a solution and not feel like a bad person in the process. Fortunately, I got something.

  “What if I call you?”

  “A phone call?”

  “Yes.”

  “I guess I can run with a hand always up.”

  “You don’t have earphones?”

  “No.”

  “...Of course. We need to get you some basic stuff.”

  ‘That is basic stuff?”

  “Yes. A phone, earphones and a bag are the most basic stuff.”

  “What about clothes and food?”

  “That’s another level of need.”

  Our conversation continued until Aisha finished her cookie and prepared to run again.

  “You still have two cookies left.”

  “I wanna try running all the distance before finishing with that.”

  “If you get it before I finish my cookies, I’ll buy earphones for you.”

  “Okay…Wait, I can’t win this one.”

  “Good luck”

  “You just like easy victories…”

  Aisha started running and I tried to eat my cookies a little fast, but not SO fast so I could enjoy them.

  “I should buy more cookies for her”

  Aisha was in a hurry, so calling me would've been too difficult. I took the opportunity to buy some cookies and sit down to drink some water.

  Drinking water while she ran all by herself...

  “...”

  Totally defeated by the guilt and loneliness feeling, I got out of the shop and followed Aisha.

  Resting after being totally defeated would be more satisfying, even more knowing I was having fun with a friend. So I used all my stamina following Aisha. Next time I will bring my own routine, so until then, I guess I’m gonna try to finish this one.