Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 04

Cassie tapped her knuckles on the door. "Are you ready in there?"

"Almoosttt...I just can't..." and then the voice -- Reema's -- trailed off. Moments later, the change room lock snapped open and Reema stepped out.

Cassie clapped her hands. "Ah! You look awesome-tastic."

Reema looked down at her barefoot form. She wore a very snug pair of Marcelo Burlon skinny jeans with slashes exposing her knees and a somewhat looser, ruby red T-shirt with a plunging -- although not too plunging -- neckline.

She wiggled her hips to get her range of motion back. It was an amusing display. If Cassie had her way, there was would be a lot more gyrating in Reema's future. "It's really tight, though, isn't it?"

As a 'bridge outfit', Cassie thought this was a good one. It was sexy, but not as blatant as some of the other combinations she could have put together. The sexiness hinged on how the material fitted over Reema's natural curves, mainly her chest. While she waited outside the change room, Cassie had pictured Reema struggling to pull the tight denim over her ample thighs and hips -- and then button it. Those jeans were literally painted onto her body. The T-shirt itself was casual and fun. It bore a colorful print of red cherries, but mostly benefitted the shape of Reema's bosom. Looking down at the brown girl's exposed foot, Cassie pictured a tattoo stretching across its surface. That would have to wait.

"Once you throw it in the wash and wear it a few times, the shirt will stretch out, Reem. Don't worry about it."

Reema shook her head uneasily. "I don't know..."

"Listen, you just need confidence. If you've got confidence, you're all set. I know it will work. You need to think positive, too."

"And the... underwear?" Reema dropped her voice. Cassie had surprised her by recommending a thong, which was much different than her usual style. She shifted her legs uncomfortably as the sheer elastic fabric -- or rather, the lack of it -- wrapped around her waist.

Cassie grinned at the woman's embarrassment. "Trust me, those panties are essential. Totally needed to bring the outfit together."

A pensive Reema turned to look at herself in the multi-angle mirrors. She held onto her long black hair, hair which hung to one side of her body, and twisted around to get a look at her butt. She still had reservations about the skimpy underwear, but guessed they did complement the rest of the outfit.

"OK, let's do it," she conceded.

Her friend smiled. "Great! Take that off and we'll get out of here. I'm craving some fro-yo."

While Cassie went to the cashier, Reema returned to the change room for a final time. With great relief, she undid the skinny jeans and slid them over her body -- a task that seemed much easier than putting them on in the first place! She then lifted the shirt over her head. Reema didn't really have complaints about the top; it was cute and fun.

For a moment, she stood in just her glasses and the thong underwear that Cassie had told her to 'try out'. The undergarment tapered as it reached her inner thighs and ass, framing and exposing nearly their whole surface area. Reema looked at her reflection with uncertainty. It would definitely take some getting used to. Dressing in her original clothes, she returned to the main store area.

Cassie was already at the checkout when Reema put her articles of clothing on the counter. The cashier rang everything up, and Cassie slipped out her credit card. Reema momentarily insisted that she wanted to pay, but her friend overpowered her and finished the transaction. With several new bags in tow, they were off.

The food court was bustling that evening. Nearly every table was packed with groups of young couples, friends, families, and senior citizens' coffee clutches. Their combined chatter made it a noisy environment.

With two frozen yogurts in hand, Cassie and Reema walked between the rows of tables, looking for somewhere to sit. As they passed by a possible space, a group of guys stopped talking and rose up, unexpectedly offering their seats. Smiles were exchanged as the guys glanced towards the bag-toting women. Then Reema and Cassie sat down.

With their shopping loot sprawling onto the seats beside them, as well as the floor, Reema sampled her Key lime yogurt. "This is so good... I could really get used to this."

"Oh, don't worry," Cassie licked her spoon as she grinned, "We're going to the gym tomorrow, so we can work off the extra calories."

"Nooooo..." Reema whined, her short-lived bubble broken. "Do we have tooo?! I suck at the gym."

She and Cassie were already a week into their exercise schedule and the results had not been good. Reema's body was sore, beaten up, and -- worst of all -- she just wasn't getting the hang of it. She had no coordination! When Cassie asked her to do simple knee dips on a bench, Reema couldn't seem to keep her balance. Even when Cassie helped by holding her hand, Reema still tilted her body around unsteadily. She started out with an optimistic attitude, but was ready to abandon the whole gym experiment now.

"Well, if you don't go, how are you supposed to get better? Did you know everything about history before you started studying?" Cassie her asked in a Socratic tone.

"Um, no..."

Cassie lapped more frozen yogurt into her mouth. "The new shorts will help you look and feel a lot better. Plus, everybody sucks when they start," she winked.

Reema grinned as she finally found a chance to expose the otherwise perfect Cassie Blom. "Even you?"

Cassie quipped back. "Well almost everyone." Then she let out a sudden, disgusted groan. "Ugh."

"What?"

Cassie shivered. "See that, Reem..." she gestured with her spoon, "...that is what you do not want to do."

Reema turned to see what Cassie was pointing at. "What?"

"Look at her."

There was a middle aged woman walking through the food court. She was a large lady whose wide and flabby butt looked rather unsightly in her jeans. As she took her tray to the garbage bin, she faced away from the gossiping young women.

Reema shook her head in confusion. "I don't get it."

"Can't you see her panty lines, like through her pants?"

"I...no?" Reema said, genuinely confused.

"That's a big no-no, Reem. It looks really embarrassing and gross."

The brown girl watched as the frumpy lady put away her garbage and exited the food court.

Cassie continued. "With most kinds of jeans, you just have to... well, it's the respectable thing to wear a thong and avoid that kind of disaster. A good pair of pants shouldn't be ruined by old granny panties." Reema sat contemplating. She didn't know that underwear lines were a such a big problem in the fashion world.

"But anyways..." Cassie shifted, breaking Reema's attention away from the importance of 'proper' undergarments. "What are we doing tonight? I think we have...something...due soon..." she laughed.

Reema laughed with her. "Umm, yeah, we have that draft editorial to write..." She scooped another bite of yogurt onto her tongue.

The next day, Cassie and Reema, with their gym bags slung on their shoulders, walked past the front desk of the fitness centre. The attendant manning the station greeted them with an approving smile as he watched them scan their tags.

The duo trekked down a long corridor, passing other gym members who were at various stages of their workouts, before turning into the locker room.

Cassie smiled to herself as she watched Reema slide the tight black workout pants up her thighs and wide hips. She liked how the slightly ill-fitting (at least for now) pink tank top tightly encased her upper body. She was more amused at the idea of Reema wearing these clothes than the way she actually looked. She didn't look bad, but Cassie knew there was still a long way to go. Reema's flab couldn't be hidden completely, but the magical Lululemon fabric came quite close. Cassie ushered her out of the change room without the validation of a mirror.

Early evening was peak time at the campus gym, so many students were toning their bodies. Reema listened intently while Cassie shared her tricks of the trade, rarely noticing the wandering stares toward her jiggling breasts or bouncing ass cheeks as they worked out. She did notice the smiles from gym staff members, though, and the even more surprising greetings from other students.

Reema laughed. "I can't even smile and nod at people on the bus without getting a weird look, and people here are so friendly!"

"People are nice here, Reem," Cassie began. "When you get people in one place who have a similar goal, there's going to be mutual respect."

If Cassie didn't know her words were total bullshit, she might have even bought was she was selling. It helped her cause that the guy using the leg curl machine handed it over to them when they approached, despite Cassie knowing he couldn't possibly be finished all his sets.

"It's all yours," he said, glancing at Cassie and then at Reema, who gave him an appreciative wave.

"See," Cassie emphasized, getting Reema to hop on the machine. "Remember, for this machine, and for any exercise really, you want to squeeze the muscle you're working. So kick those legs out, and squeeze and hold those thighs, before slowly coming back down. That's it."

Cassie advised that maintaining proper form while exercising allowed one to be viewed in the best possible light. As Reema sat there working her legs and listening to Cassie's instructions, her D cup breasts protruded out as far as they could. This was also true when she Cassie showed her the 'proper' way to do lat pulldowns.

"Stick your chest out as you bring the bar down toward your body," Cassie instructed. Reema was still not proficient at any of the exercises they attempted. She knew it, and often felt uncomfortable as she fumbled around. She tried to pull down the bar as Cassie recommended, but didn't have the strength.

"I think I'm broken," Reema joked.

"You're not broken," Cassie laughed as she lowered the weight setting to something more viable. "Try that."

Reema could move the apparatus now, but it still felt unnatural. Cassie continued to give non-judgemental pointers on how to improve her form. "Widen your grip, straighten your back. Bring it down it a more fluid motion, Reema. Exactly, just like that. Good job."

When Reema did it get it right, it was a very hot sight. Near the end of her set, a guy waited around for his turn on the machine. As Reema finished her last pull, he immediately grabbed a towel. Here, I'll wipe that down for you. Don't worry, I'll be using it next, anyway."

"Thanks!" Reema said, noting in awe that he wasn't the first guy to make that offer today. She was out of her element and she knew it. She expected all the muscly jock guys and pretty college girls to give her flack for it. But no one did anything mean. The guys were more accommodating than the girls, who Reema sometimes found aloof, but the overall vibe was very nonthreatening.

One fellow with huge arms actually came up to her as she struggled with a simple dumbbell curl. He joked that he could barely pick up one of those when he first started.

Reema laughed back, challenging him. "Nooo, really?!"

At the same time, Cassie was an excellent coach. Her knowledge of workout theory and nutritional tips were very helpful. Above all, Cassie did a great job bringing Reema out of her comfort zone.

During a break to get water between exercises, Reema noticed something alarming. "Oh my god, Cassie! Don't look now..." she whispered, shying her body away, "there's a mega-jerk over therrre."

Cassie scanned the gym and followed Reema's line of vision. She saw a rather fit, tall guy with no one else beside him. "What? The guy in the blue? He looks nice."

"He's not - trust me. We went to high school together," Reema said with a serious tone.

Cassie raised a curious eyebrow. Reema filled her in on the details. "His name is Joshua Cameron. Volleyball, basketball...you name it, he did it. He hung out with the popular crew in our school. If you weren't part of that group, he didn't like you, or associate with you. I don't think I ever spoke to him once."

She continued, "For whatever reason he started to pick on Miguel. I never got it. Miguel never did anything to him. He was just trying to piss him off or something. He'd make all these stupid comments about his 'little cyborg club' or try to block his way when they crossed paths in the hall. Miguel never played his game, though. He was too diplomatic and cool."

Her eyes stared blankly ahead, focusing on nothing.

"Then one day we were sitting in the cafeteria during lunch and Josh came up behind and spilled an entire tray of food on Miguel. He just stood over him, laughing and proud. He didn't care. He high fived his stupid friends and left. The school didn't do anything about it."

Reema shook her head, snapping herself out of an unhappy trance. She looked at Cassie, the pain from that day was evident in her eyes. "I mean, he dumped an entire tray on him, in front of the whole school. What kind of person does that?"

Cassie listened intently. Without presenting too much sympathy, she played the voice of reason. "I know you hate him -- and that was pretty bad -- but it was like a whole year ago? Maybe two?" she said. "People grow and change, especially when they get to college. It's a different environment here. The stupidity of high school doesn't matter anymore."

Reema shook her head adamantly. "He made him cry, Cass -- CRY."

Shrugging, Cassie told her, "Look, Reem, you can't hold people's past against them forever. We all did dumb things in high school -- some dumber than others. People change. If Josh didn't get the chance to be the person he would like to be going forward, then nobody would get that chance -- not even you."

"Fine," Reema grumpily acknowledged. "Can we just work out at the next station, please?"

Cassie obliged, showing Reema how to do some lunges with free weights. Reema struggled to keep balance as usual, but she wasn't as determined or nervously chatty as during their prior exercises. She was uncoordinated, sure, but the Blomshell noticed something else -- a girl shaken by her highschool memories. "That's OK, you're doing good, Reem," she encouraged, looking around to see if her boyfriend's abuser was still there. He was. Cassie led Reema through several more exercises. The distracted Indian girl purposely tried to rush through them.

Reema's body stiffened when Josh suddenly walked by. He was just as Reema remembered. Standing around 6'2, he had short blonde hair, and was admittedly in good physical condition. His thick arms and legs bulged out of his blue sleeveless shirt and black Nike shorts. His confident body language, the cocky way he walked around and even stood still, reminded her very much of high school.

"Hi," Josh greeted her, lifting two fifty pound dumbbells off a rack.

"Hey," Reema flatly replied, looking down at the white and pink design of her runners. Holding the weights effortlessly at his side, Josh continued on his way, acknowledging Cassie with a nod and wink.

Cassie nudged her. "You could have at least said 'hi'," she admonished when Josh was out of earshot.

"I did..." Reema vainly defended, without facing her either. Cassie would not say any more about it, but she did get her point, though.

Josh never even gave her a 'what's up?' or a 'hey' or even a smile in her direction before that moment. And now, even though she couldn't bring herself to even look at his face, he did just that. Maybe people did change in university?

"C'mon, let's do some step ups. Work those legs some more..."

Reema went through the motions as she finished out their workout. The jerk was still on her mind. Why was she so fixed on him saying 'hi'? It caught her off guard. He had that same pompous expression he always did in high school. Cassie frequently interrupted her to get her to focus, so Reema couldn't dwell on her memories too long. As the girls returned to the changing room, they received a few more gracious 'hellos' and wishes from other patrons that their session was a 'good one'.

"OK, now for the best part of working out!" Cassie announced, draping her towel around her neck.

"Oh...what's that?"

"Frozen yogurt and a warm bath," she enthused.

Cassie and Reema went to the student food court and had their frozen treats, but after returning to their residences, they went their separate ways. Reema followed her words and drew herself a bath, sprinkling in all the salts and soaps Cassie gave her, and eased her aching body in. Closing her eyes and sighing, she let the water do its job. Her mind wandered to everything she had to do that night -- an essay and no fewer than three readings -- and her itinerary for tomorrow.

Then, she thought about her day at the gym. And Josh. Out of all the schools, why did he have to go to Montgomery? And how did he get in anyways? Things would be so much better with him not around. He was such a jerk, and no matter what Cassie said, what he did to Miguel was unforgiveable. As her body sunk a bit lower, she hoped she would never have to see him again. With that, Reema resolved not to think about him the rest of the night -- not even when she called Miguel. She did her readings, wrote her paper, and then went to sleep.

When Reema woke the next morning, she realized that the bath -- while feeling good at the time -- did nothing to alleviate her aches and pains from the gym. She groaned, rolled out of bed, and readied herself. She freshened up and went to choose her attire for the day.

Without giving it any deep thought, Reema picked out the ripped denim jeans she tried on the day before at H&M. She then matched it with something from her bag of 'old' clothes, a black and grey striped sweater. She liked that sweater. It was comfortable and would serve her well for the day's windy, drizzly weather. Those were her usual goals: function and comfort. As Reema studied herself in the mirror, she determined that she also happened to look good. She gave her hair a few brushes, took a pass on applying makeup -- she didn't feel like it -- gathered her things and left.

After a laborious walk through campus, Reema limped into the lecture hall and stood beside an already-seated Cassie, who appeared to have gotten ready for class with a lot less effort. It was their marathon day of back-to-back classes. Reema really didn't want to face it. She exhaled and gave Cassie a look of unmitigated exhaustion.

Supressing an amused smile, the Blomshell bid her a good morning. "You alright there, Sunshine?"

Reema threw off her heavy backpack and emphatically plopped into her seat. "Everything hurts."

"Your body will get used to it... eventually," Cassie explained, sliding a coffee in front of her friend.

"You sure?" Reema moaned.

"Oh yeah, positive. Once you get into a routine, the results show. Then you'll have less soreness and stuff."

Reema groaned again and removed her jacket. Cassie was right... she always was. If sticking to the gym was the answer, then who was Reema to disagree? Aside from their karaoke outings, Cassie also had Reema eating better. Although she disliked feeling intense pain with every twist of her body, she also knew it was a sign of getting stronger.

"Oh man. What are you wearing?"

Reema looked at herself. "Um, I dunno...what am I wearing?"

Cassie shook her head. Reema saw the near-horrified expression on her face. "Where did you get that thing? That's not what we bought yesterday..."

Reema looked down at her jeans. "Uh, yeah we did. We were at H&M and I tried them on, remember?"