Giving Cheerfully and Accepting Gratefully Part1

Friday, September 29th 2:50 PM

Arnold stared at the florescent lighting in the ceiling, curious about how they came by the color choice in the ceiling tiles. They were blue rather than white or some beige color. This wasn't a hospital, it was a school. Still, most designers would go with some kind of soothing color. Seemed counterproductive to a school to just use white everywhere. We're supposed to be stimulated, not soothed. He began to focus on the weight bench bar above his head. Coming sharply into focus floating above it came the face of Big Pattie.

"Arnold, you're just laying there. If you're not bench pressing anything, go stare at the ceiling somewhere else." Pattie had a glare on her face. "Sorry Pattie, I zoned out. Can you spot me one set and I'll move for you?" Arnold put on his best smile after his request. Pattie rolled her eyes and said "yeah, fine. What is it with you Arnold? Work with a sense of urgency here." Pattie smiled at him. As she watched him rack his weights. The weight lifting club had been a godsend for Pattie. She had always been different from most of the girls in her class, and it made it harder for her to make friends. Much taller, and physically stronger than even most of the boys. Which became even more pronounced as she hit puberty and grew faster than most of the boys. When Arnold approached her about the club she jumped at the chance to do something she liked with other people like her. She stood an inch shorter than Arnold with a very obvious body builder's body.

Arnold looked at the weight amount he put on the bar. Just heavier than his weight maximum from last week. As he usually did, small, incremental advancement. "Why do I suddenly feel like I can't accomplish anything?" He thought, as his face dropped. "You alright there Arnie?" Pattie asked. Arnold looked at her and said, "What do you think Pattie? Go for the club record?" Pattie looked at Arnold aghast for a moment. "Uh, I know you founded the weight lifting club and you're a guy so you have some weird lizard brain reason to be the loudest monkey in the cage.." She raised her left eye brow "..but you don't need to measure your dick with me. There's nothing down there, ask Harold." He started laughing and said, "no I think I can do it." "You wouldn't get that weight passed halfway up your arm," Pattie said, a little afraid he wanted to try. Harold came over, and stood next to Pattie. "What's going on guys?"

Harold stood by shocked as Arnold apprised him of his intentions. "Uhhh…. I don't know, Arnold. You can't beat my record. You should stick with lifting in your weight class." Harold continued to chastise him. The large kid Harold was turned into the much larger adult. He had been one of the first students Arnold convinced to join the weight lifting club. He stood a large six feet four inches. His body was large, in shape, and very powerful. He had been going out for football most years, however lost his interest after realizing he'd rather just lift things. He had a large stomach, chest, and powerful arms. He was the reigning record for most weight lifted in the club.

"You set that two months ago and you haven't come close to beating it since." Arnold challenged. "You still won't beat it. There's no way you even eat enough protein to try!" Harold said. "I think I'm gonna do this." Arnold said as his pupils slightly dilated. "You couldn't even get to one rep!" The louder and louder back and fourth attracted the attention of the rest of the weight lifting club in the weight room. "What's going on?" Torvald came over to ask. Torvald and Arnold had become good friends after he finally made it into the last year of high school. A powerful, weight lifter on his own. He happily joined up with Arnold when he came to him last year with the idea for a weight lifting club.

"He could do it, Harold. You suck, and he's got that wild look in his eyes. He's all adrenaline now." Torvald said over the crowd of lifters. "O.K. then fine! Help me spot him, so he doesn't also break his ribs when he breaks his arms and drops the bar." Harold had Torlvald come over and they racked the required weights to just beat the record. "I can get to three." Arnold said. His eyes on fire, while he looked at the bar intently. Barely registering his friends standing around him. "Hold on, I have to snap chat this" Pattie said. Harold looked at her. "Really? He can't do it. He's strong, but he's lifting in a completely different class here!" Harold protested to his girlfriend. "Look, he'll either do it and it will be awesome, or he'll fail epically and it will be a disaster. Either way it should be documented, and used for his embarrassment." Pattie said. "Or his approbation!" Torvald interjected. "That's a great word, Torvald." Arnold said, pointing right at him. Torvald cracked huge smile. Arnold smiled back and him a thumbs up. "We worked on vocabulary last week. He's a pretty good writer!" Arnold said, when the look of bewilderment from everyone was turned towards him.

"I'm doing this!" Arnold said clapping his hands together. He had said it loud enough for everyone to hear. A few of his fellow members started to watch and encourage him. "You got this Arnold." "You are the man Arnold!" "He can't do it." "Ten bucks says he can!" Arnold heard them all as he sat down and stretched his arms and wrists. Arnold wasn't sure if he can do this. Arnold loved to lift weights and had the body to prove it. He wasn't really the strongest person in the club. He never before felt the need to try and break records. That wasn't Arnold's style. As long as the people around him were having a good time, he didn't really care about being the best anything. That's not why had founded the club. However something had quietly snapped in him. That record was a door, and he needed bust through to the other side. No matter what.

He laid down on the bench looking up at the crowd around him. Harold and Torvald on each side of the bar to catch it should something happen. Suddenly, Arnold became aware of the crowd around him. His stomach began to turn, as he looked towards each side of the bar seeing how much weight was on. "Too late now, I can do this. Why did I say I could do this?" Arnold argued with himself. He reached up to the bar and grasped with both hands. Feeling the weight on the bar by lightly pushing it. "This is real," he thought. He stopped for a moment, and all doubts form his mind disappeared. "And I have to do this." He repeated to himself.

Arnold tightened his hands. He needed good hand position to perform his lift. He needed to be able to comfortably lift the bar off the bench and comfortably perform his lifts. He found his hand positions and looked up one more time. "I'm gonna do this," he thought. Suddenly Helga popped into his mind. Her smile as vivid as the faces two feet in front of him. He saw her golden hair and her bright blue eyes shimmering like fresh sapphires. Arnold smiled and began his lift.

Arnold lifted the bar off the bench feeling the full weight of the challenge. The bar almost completely full of huge metal plates. He felt as if he had done this a million times. Which he had, but never with this much weight. He slowly lowered the bar down. The bar became flush with his body. He felt the bar barely touch his chest, fully realizing what was in store for his body should he drop the bar. He began lifting slowly. Higher and higher it crept. He knew he could do this when the bar reached his full arm extension and the crowd around him started to cheer wildly. "Wait, he's not done yet. For it to be a record he has to finish a set of three!" Pattie informed the crowd. They all turned to each other and cheered "One!" in unison.

Arnold braced himself to start and lower the bar for his second rep. He began inching the bar closer and closer to his chest. Grunting loudly the entire time. His mind had been made up about lifting that bar. "This is something I need to do. I need to prove to myself I can do this," Arnold thought to himself. He just knew he had to do it. His body however had not caught up the logic in his mind. The weight started to falter a bit. Harold and Torvald started to move up their hands waiting to catch the bar. It never came to them, however. Arnold continued to lower the bare until it barely touched his chest. He knew his body could listen to his mind. He knew he had some form of control, and it needed to be utilized now. He began lifting the bar. Slower than the last rep, he started to advance higher and higher. His arms began to shake, as he yelled out. His friends gasped around him. Harold and Torvald went to grasp the sides of the bar, when the bar began to rise again. The full extension of his arms was realized. The crowd around him went crazy, "Two" they all chanted.

Arnold knew this was something he could do. He had the bar it it's full height. He just needed one more lower and one more lift. "You can do it Arnold!" He heard one of the guys say. "Come on Arnold, give us one more, that's it. Just one more!" he heard Pattie yell. The bar began to lower. His arms started shaking violently. The bar could slip at any second, and no more weight lifting for Arnold. He crept the bar lower and lower, slower than the last rep. "Ah, fuck!" Arnold yelled getting the bar down to his chest. His friends all looked at each other, a rarity to hear Arnold swear. They call cheered together, seeing the great intensity in Arnold's eyes, and the full tensity of his arms. More and more Arnold knew he could do this. A yellow haired beauty once again entered his mind, he could do it because of her. He would do it for her. Her blue eyes were all he could think about, they gave him the strength to help complete his herculean task. The bar began to trudge higher and higher as Arnold pushed everything he had into the bar. The bar began to falter half way up. Arnold felt no fear as he closed his eyes tightly and pushed arduously at the bar. It slowly wriggled up. Higher and higher until it reached the full extension of Arnold's arms, and Arnold felt the weight suddenly lighten as Torvald and Harold grabbed each side and put the bar back on the bench.

The crowd around Arnold exploded into wild cheering. "Holy shit Arnold! You beat Harold's record!" Pattie yelled to him. She circled the crowd with her phone recording the short video. Everyone around Arnold drew even closer to him to put a hand on his shoulder, to pat his back, or to congratulate him. Harold came over "Holy shit Arnold! You're so strong!" He said, while raising Arnold's arm like a referee declaring a winner. Arnold pumped his arm "Yes!" he exclaimed as loudly as he could. A huge satisfied smile broke out on his face. He ripped his shirt off, raised both his arms and flexed in celebration for the camera when Pattie pointed it to him. "You have just witnessed Arnold Shortman, officially become the strongest student here at P.S. 120 by beating out the reigning champion weight lifter's record here at the lifting club!" She said into the camera to, finishing off her Snapchat video and sending it out to the entire school.