Chapter Text
It’s days like this that make Scylla wonder why she even works in a gym. She’s currently zoned out, eyes glazed over, with a carefully crafted look of fake concern on her face. Karen (Scylla has no idea what her real name is and has no intention of finding out) has been complaining about the broken hot tub for the past five minutes and honestly, Scylla would be considering quitting then and there if she didn’t need the paycheck so bad. She gathers all of the effort to pretend to care that she can manage and apologizes again for any inconvenience that the hot tub breaking had caused, artificial sincerity coating her voice. Just like the sign on the check-in desk said: So sorry for the inconvenience. Scylla glances at her watch. It’s eight forty five. Her shift ends at two. Five hours and fifteen minutes left, not that she’s counting.
Today will be a long day, she thinks as she tunes out Karen’s ranting to instead reflect on how she has gotten here. And to think she had volunteered to help Helen open at seven in the morning on a Saturday because someone called out sick and she needed the extra money. Who goes to the gym at seven on a Saturday? Apparently, plenty of people do, if the members waiting for the her to unlock the doors that morning could be trusted. Karen seems to have had her fill of yelling in a mostly empty gym at someone who had no power to fix her problem and turns to head toward the door. Scylla breathes a sigh of relief as Karen walks away to torture the barista at the coffee shop across the street. The poor thing, Glory really had no idea what was coming her way.
For the second time that morning Scylla wonders why she works in a gym. The pay isn’t great, but it’s better than minimum wage and that has to count for something. She gets a free gym membership which would be great if she ever had time to use it between classes, working, writing papers, and taking exams. The best answer, and what made her look into the job in the first place, is that it’s convenient. Across the street from the campus where she takes classes for grad school and a five minute drive from her apartment. It’s convenient for sure and pays the bills, but at what cost. Customer service is hell and Scylla’s contempt for the entitled, upper middle-class population they serve grows by the second.
“That didn’t look fun. Sorry I couldn’t help you out there,” Helen says as she walks by, conveniently returning from her bathroom break exactly when Scylla didn’t need her as backup.
“Don’t worry about it.” Helen wasn’t the only one who took well-scheduled bathroom breaks. Two could play at that game. But in all seriousness, Scylla knew if she really needed Helen, she would be right there for her and willing to use her “I’m an authority figure” voice accompanied by a glare that would make any member dumb enough to cross her quake in their Lululemon yoga pants. Helen had her moments, but she was a good manager at the end of the day. They sit in silence for ten minutes, watching time pass and offering the occasional smile to a member checking in before Helen clears her throat.
“Hey, go take fifteen minutes. Grab a coffee or something. I’ve got the desk for now before the rush hits.”
Scylla instantly forgets any animosity she had towards Helen at the prospect of a break from the monotony of the front desk. While the entire facility was mostly dead right now, things tended to pick up around nine and the offer of missing some of it, for however small an amount of time it was, was worth it.
“Thank you,” she says as she walks to the back room to grab her purse and jacket. She’s been awake since five thirty and more coffee is exactly what she needs right now. Taking one last look back at the desk and Helen, she ducks out the door before Helen can change her mind and hopes to any higher power available to take her request that Karen from earlier has since left the coffee shop.
Thankfully, the coffee shop is empty save for the barista at the counter. Scylla offers Glory a small greeting. She seems like a nice enough girl, but they haven’t talked much and Scylla is far too exhausted to start a conversation right now. She orders her usual- grande latte with an extra shot of espresso, she doesn’t get much sleep- and savors the ten minutes of time remaining of her break in the peace and quiet of the empty shop. Really, fifteen minutes is no where near a long enough break to restore her sanity, but she’ll take what she can get. With a heavy sigh, she stands up, grabs her things, and heads back to the gym trying not to think about the fact that her shift isn’t even halfway over yet.
As expected, the gym is busier when she gets back. Members are streaming in at a regular pace now, most of them paying Scylla and Helen no mind and walking right by to scan their cards as they check in. Scylla’s distracted, counting the pennies in the money drawer when she hears loud voices coming down the hallway leading into the gym from the back parking lot. She looks up, seeing a group of three girls walking in and laughing.
“Oh. My. Goddess. Abigail, he did not!” There was a redheaded girl walking down the hallway who has entirely too much energy, practically bouncing next to her friend and looking at her expectantly.
“Yes, Tally. Yes he did.” The second girl to speak seems amused by the redhead but walks forward with her head held high, full of purpose and a smug, self-satisfied smile on her face. Scylla looks back down; she's lost count of her pennies.
“What the hell guys, we’re in public. Cool it.” This voice was quieter, slightly annoyed but still clearly amused by her friends’ antics.
“Just because you haven’t gotten laid in like a year doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t have fun, Rae.”
That got Scylla’s attention.
“Tal if you don’t shut up-”
Scylla looks up right in time to see the hottest girl she has ever seen in her life walking up to the desk to scan her card. She catches the other girl’s gaze and time seems to stop, which Scylla is immensely grateful for. This girl has the bluest eyes she's ever seen, and Scylla would happily spent the last four hours of her shift staring at them if she could, her job be damned. But then her eyes wander, shamelessly checking out the rest of this girl. Simply put, everything about her is perfect. Her blond hair is pulled back in a bun, keeping it out of her beautiful face. She's thin and clearly works out a lot, if her muscle definition is anything to go by. Scylla briefly wonders why she's never seen her before. The girl's outfit complements her lean figure well, with long black pants that hugged her legs in all the right places and who said you could have arms like that and wear a sleeveless shirt it’s just not fair. Truly, none of this is fair and Scylla’s brain is short-circuiting trying to figure out how to maintain some semblance of professionalism after seeing someone this attractive up close and personal. Her only saving grace is the fact that the other girl seems to be checking her out too. Suddenly Scylla finds herself cursing the gym for requiring the staff to wear a uniform because she's confident her standard issue branded polo shirt wasn’t doing her any favors.
All too soon, reality comes crashing back down and the only sentence Scylla’s brain can put together comes out as something like: “Welcome to Fort Salem Gym, if there is anything you need, let me know.” Scylla adds a confident smirk, hoping her intent was made clear without technically violating company policy. The girl raises an eyebrow and gives her a cocky smile.
“Trust me, I will.” After another second of searing eye contact that makes Scylla certain she will spontaneously combust if it continues, the girl and her friends walk off towards the indoor track.
Scylla leans over to look at the computer screen. Really, this was a little weird and probably not advised by gym protocol, but Scylla can't bring herself to care enough for it to stop her. She looks through the member profile before her that the computer brought up when the girl checked in. Raelle Collar, 23, membership started three days ago. Maybe, just maybe, working at a gym won't be so bad after all. In fact, it might even have its perks.