It hadn't been a very good year to be Lewis Kannell. To say his first year of school had gone badly was to say that Hurricane Katrina was a slight inconvenience. Having moved across the country to get away from his parents, hometown, neighborhood, just to get a fresh start...he'd been19, and he was going to finally be on his own after high school and a year of working; putting up with his family's constant nagging and questions about what he was going to do with his life. His plan had been to get a business degree, marry his girlfriend, and make his own mark. Sure, he'd been a year behind Tammy, but she said she'd wait for him. They'd kept in constant contact, and he'd thought that their relationship had been strong enough to fight through it. The day he'd moved his stuff into the dorm there, and then finally seen her after several months apart, he thought he'd finally arrived.
The bubble broke quickly, as Tammy and he were no longer seeing each other by the end of he semester. He thought she'd been too wrapped up in her studies, and she thought he wasn't taking school seriously enough. In a way, they'd probably both been right, but he'd been the one who'd dropped out of classes half way through the second semester, when it was clear that his grades wouldn't cut it. Either he'd forgotten how to be a student during his year off, or he just wasn't cut out to finish his university education. Either way, he found himself job hopping during the entire year, before and after his breakup, before deciding that a move away was the only way for him to get somewhere. Another fresh start, away from all of the things that seemed to be haunting him.
He'd be celebrating his 20th birthday soon. Not that he had anyone to celebrate with. Lewis had forgotten how hard it was to make inroads and networking without the constant surroundings of fellow students and friends, and he spent far too many nights alone, between his casual jobs and what few activities he tried to indulge in. Every woman he saw seemed to remind him of Tammy, and what few friends he did try to make never seemed to be worth his time. It was October, and he was down to his last thousand in his bank account; the rent coming due in his run down apartment. There was a university campus near here, which drove the prices up, but Lewis couldn't' afford to be picky. Much like his job opportunities; high school graduates who couldn't cut it elsewhere were a common sight, and he sighed at the gym manager who was interviewing him.
The larger man's bulging shorts and groaning and wheezing every time he moved clearly showed what *his* strengths were; running the business. Clearly he'd seen less active time then Lewis, who was in great shape mostly due to the fact that he'd been without a car for much of the past two years. This place was in walking distance, but the duties he'd be taking on would be very, very menial.
But Lewis needed his job, so he held back every contemptuous word and slight he had for this man. Please, please...
"Aight. You can start on Monday."
He kept from pumping his first. The pay would be terrible - in fact, probably below minimum wage - but it would be a start. Enough for him to hold off his rent while he planned his next move. As he walked out of the gym to make his way to his apartment, Lewis let himself relax a moment to admire the 'scenery' - the many gorgeous college coeds who worked out here, their fit bodies on the jogging machines, lifting weights...even in the pool.
Maybe this won't be so bad. He was out of place there in his interview suit, for a job where he'd never dress up nearly as much. Still, at the sight of one particular hottie, he found himself reminiscing to the one thing that had been pleasant about his old hometown. His old neighborhood.
It was only fitting that the thing - namely, the person in question - was someone he hadn't seen for close to eight years. She'd moved away after they'd finished elementary school, and as he walked back to his apartment, another sigh escaped him. Because he was pretty sure he'd never see her again. Childhood memories seemed to always be viewed through rose colored glasses. But as he reminisced, Lewis always seemed to think of her as his first real crush...and the one thing he had actually liked while growing up.
Or, the one person.
The bubble broke quickly, as Tammy and he were no longer seeing each other by the end of he semester. He thought she'd been too wrapped up in her studies, and she thought he wasn't taking school seriously enough. In a way, they'd probably both been right, but he'd been the one who'd dropped out of classes half way through the second semester, when it was clear that his grades wouldn't cut it. Either he'd forgotten how to be a student during his year off, or he just wasn't cut out to finish his university education. Either way, he found himself job hopping during the entire year, before and after his breakup, before deciding that a move away was the only way for him to get somewhere. Another fresh start, away from all of the things that seemed to be haunting him.
He'd be celebrating his 20th birthday soon. Not that he had anyone to celebrate with. Lewis had forgotten how hard it was to make inroads and networking without the constant surroundings of fellow students and friends, and he spent far too many nights alone, between his casual jobs and what few activities he tried to indulge in. Every woman he saw seemed to remind him of Tammy, and what few friends he did try to make never seemed to be worth his time. It was October, and he was down to his last thousand in his bank account; the rent coming due in his run down apartment. There was a university campus near here, which drove the prices up, but Lewis couldn't' afford to be picky. Much like his job opportunities; high school graduates who couldn't cut it elsewhere were a common sight, and he sighed at the gym manager who was interviewing him.
The larger man's bulging shorts and groaning and wheezing every time he moved clearly showed what *his* strengths were; running the business. Clearly he'd seen less active time then Lewis, who was in great shape mostly due to the fact that he'd been without a car for much of the past two years. This place was in walking distance, but the duties he'd be taking on would be very, very menial.
But Lewis needed his job, so he held back every contemptuous word and slight he had for this man. Please, please...
"Aight. You can start on Monday."
He kept from pumping his first. The pay would be terrible - in fact, probably below minimum wage - but it would be a start. Enough for him to hold off his rent while he planned his next move. As he walked out of the gym to make his way to his apartment, Lewis let himself relax a moment to admire the 'scenery' - the many gorgeous college coeds who worked out here, their fit bodies on the jogging machines, lifting weights...even in the pool.
Maybe this won't be so bad. He was out of place there in his interview suit, for a job where he'd never dress up nearly as much. Still, at the sight of one particular hottie, he found himself reminiscing to the one thing that had been pleasant about his old hometown. His old neighborhood.
It was only fitting that the thing - namely, the person in question - was someone he hadn't seen for close to eight years. She'd moved away after they'd finished elementary school, and as he walked back to his apartment, another sigh escaped him. Because he was pretty sure he'd never see her again. Childhood memories seemed to always be viewed through rose colored glasses. But as he reminisced, Lewis always seemed to think of her as his first real crush...and the one thing he had actually liked while growing up.
Or, the one person.
