A/N: Ugh. My life is stressful and bad. Also, it's really cool when you know what you want to write but writer's block is like 'Lol no.' Anyway, I did eventually unlock this from my brain which I'm very happy about. Reviews are greatly appreciated.
Summary
Feeling insecure and wanting to look good for her boyfriend, Emma decides to start working out. But doesn't she know? Her Jaxy Waxy already thinks she's perfect how she is.
Emma Alonso frowned at the locker room mirror, unimpressed with what she saw. Her eyes shifted from her own reflection to Andi's and back again. It was after gym class and both girls were in their bras, getting back into their uniforms. Andi was currently hiking up her dress pants, her perfectly slim abs on display. They didn't even look flabby when she bent down to fix the cuff of her pants!
"So after the movie, I was thinking we could go to the beach and…" Andi looked up and realized her best friend was stuck in a trance, still only wearing her undergarments. She grabbed Emma's shirt and whipped it at her face. "Uh, hello! Earth to Emma! The bell's about to ring. Also I've been talking for the past five minutes, not that you noticed…"
"I'm sorry," the witch sighed, slipping her shirt on over her head. "I'm just… feeling a little down."
"What's wrong?" Andi pulled on her own shirt and did up the buttons. "Is it the movie? Because we voted fair and square: Phillip, Jax, and I all said we didn't want to see—"
Just then, a group of giggling freshmen hurried over to the besties.
"You're Jax Novoa's girlfriend, right?" the one with pin straight blonde hair asked the Chosen One, unable to contain her grin. Her friends leaned over her shoulders, eager to hear the clarification.
Emma forced a smile. "That's me."
The freshmen erupted into squeals, bouncing up and down.
"You are SO LUCKY!" the brunette gushed.
"Seriously!" the redhead added. "He is SO HOT!"
Emma absentmindedly fingered the hem of her shirt. "I've noticed…"
The girls, however, didn't notice her mood; they were already going off about Jax's sexy arms and perfect teeth and that dirt bike, though!
The bell rang, signaling the end of Emma's misery. For now.
The glittery girl grabbed her books and followed the flow of girls headed for the door when Andi grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Hold up." The guardian held up her hands. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing, Andi…"
"Emma, this is your official guardian you're talking to. You can't fool me!" The feisty girl took a seat on one bench and patted the one across from it. "Come on. Talk to me."
The witch sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that week—and it was only Tuesday. Nonetheless, she complied, resting her books on her lap and crossing her legs at the ankle. "Okay… Well, it's just…" She threw her hands up with frustration. "All these girls I don't even know are always telling me how lucky I am to be dating Jax!"
Andi nodded. "Trust me, I don't get it either."
Emma glared at her best friend. "It's not that I don't get it. I do. I definitely do. But… I mean, when's the last time you heard someone tell Jax he's lucky to be dating me?"
The guardian scrunched up her face, deep in thought. "Well. I'd say I've heard Dawniel say it, but I'm pretty sure he's trying to save that .002% of dignity he had left because I actually haven't."
"Daniel's my ex; he doesn't count. I mean random guys we don't even know. Have you ever heard them say 'Wow, Jax, your girlfriend sure is hot!'?"
"No," Andi said slowly, "because Jax would kill them if they did that."
Emma threw her head back and groaned. "Forget it." She picked up her books once more and started for the door.
"Wait, wait!" Andi got to her feet as well. "I'm sorry, I'm just not following."
"It's not that I want other guys to be looking at me and making comments to Jax. It's just that…" She felt pressure behind her eyes, which was never a good sign. "Sometimes I worry people think he could do better."
Andi's jaw dropped. "You're not serious."
"Oh, I'm serious."
"Emma! No one thinks that. And even if they did, Jax sure as hell doesn't! He's so nauseatingly in love with you, he thinks you're practically perfect…" She grimaced.
"I just want to look good for him."
"What part of 'practically perfect' did you not hear? He thinks you're gorgeous. And so do I."
Emma offered a weak smile. "Thanks, Andi, but it's not like I can expect you to understand. You've got the perfect body."
"I do?" She glanced down to check herself out. She smirked and popped her collar. "I, uh, guess I do." Then she remembered the situation at hand and awkwardly cleared her throat. "That's only because I'm on the swim team! Plus my entire family is thin-boned."
"I just want people to think Jax is as lucky to have me as I am to have him," the witch explained quietly.
"Well, if you're really having body image issues, just exercise." She glanced away then added, "And eat the opposite of what I eat."
"I just wish I knew where to start. Besides scrapbooking, I've never really done anything physical, so I—"
"Cruz! Alonso!" The gym teacher stuck her head in the door and blew her whistle. "The bell rang two minutes ago. Get to your next class!"
The girls hurried out of the locker room, made a quick stop at their lockers, and bolted for the cafeteria. Luckily, no one cared if you were late to lunch, so they didn't get in trouble. Jax and Phillip were already waiting for them at their usual table.
"Remember," Andi said as the girls got in the lunch line, "opposite of me."
While Andi loaded up on pepperoni pizza and a bag of cheddar chips, Emma stuck to a salad with light dressing and a yogurt.
For the first half of the period, lunch went normally. The couples shared cutesy moments, Andi told stories about her weird family, Phillip and Jax talked about sports…
And then things took a different turn: Daniel angrily stalked into the lunchroom, followed by a chuckling Mia. A relentless Gigi and Sebastian chased after them.
Emma crinkled her eyebrows. "What's going on?"
"Guess we're about to find out," Andi replied, following her table's gaze over to the spectacle.
"Daniel, are you embarrassed you had to be saved by a girl?" Gigi questioned, trying to shove her microphone in the Sharks captain's face. Sebastian got it all on film with Camera 1. "Or do you think this is a perfect reminder to all that one sex is not stronger than the other?"
Daniel stopped in his tracks and whirled around. "For the last time, she only had to save me because I forgot to eat breakfast this morning! Otherwise, I could've lifted that barbell up just fine."
Mia snorted. "I beg to differ. Yo, camera guy." She snapped twice and Sebastian quickly swiveled her way. The Kanay took the mic out of Gigi's hand and said to the camera, "I think it's very clear Daniel's chicken arms, not his lack of breakfast, are to blame for the hundred-pound barbell nearly crushing his neck. And yes, this is a great reminder one sex is not stronger than the other."
"I do not have—"
But Gigi stole her mic back and interrupted Daniel before he could finish. "There you have it! Mia Black has confirmed Daniel Miller's chicken arms are to blame for his near-death experience in the weight room, and it is quite possible for females to be stronger than males. This is Miss Information, signing off."
Daniel growled and stormed off to the lunch line. Mia shook her head and followed after him.
"Pfft, well that was embarrassing," Jax commented.
"Daniel… bawwwk," Phillip added.
While the others laughed, Emma pushed out her chair and tried to slip away from the table unnoticed.
However, she had only taken a couple of steps when her boyfriend questioned, "Where you going?"
"Um, I forgot to get the English homework from Mia," she replied, hoping Jax wouldn't realize she and Mia didn't even have the same teacher.
When she arrived in the lunch line, the witch tapped the Kanay on the shoulder.
Mia turned around and smiled. "Oh, hey, Emma. Did you hear what just happened? How great was that?"
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Emma's voice was lowered. Daniel was just up ahead of them, and while he appeared to be stewing too much over Mia bringing his chicken arms to the attention of the whole school to take note of their conversation, she didn't want to risk it. "Do you think… Well…" She bit her lip, blushing slightly.
"What is it?" Mia grabbed a paper dish full of mac &… what was supposed to be cheese… and placed it on her tray. She grimaced; there was a reason she usually brought from home.
"Would you mind if I worked out with you sometime?" Emma blurted.
The Kanay turned to face her, eyebrow already arching. "Seriously?" She motioned in Daniel's direction. "He isn't always so amusing, you know."
"I've just decided I'd like to get into shape and thought I could use a buddy."
Mia narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious. This was Emma Glitter Alonso, after all. Not exactly the sweating type. "Oookay. I skip lunch Tuesdays and Thursdays to go to the workout room. Think you're up for it?"
"Totally!"
Even Emma didn't believe herself.
When Thursday arrived, Emma told Jax her dad had asked for some help in his office so she'd be missing lunch.
Mia was waiting for her in the workout room, decked out head to toe in red Nike gear. Immediately she bit her lip and stifled a laugh.
"What?" Emma asked wearily.
"Really?" The Kanay motioned to the witch's "workout" clothes: an old teddy bear T-shirt, pink Soffe shorts, and a pair of old sneakers. "That's what you're wearing to work out in?"
"I don't own sportswear like you!"
"Then just, uh…" Mia twirled her finger and raised her eyebrows. "Replicate my outfit."
Emma looked uncomfortable. "Uh… that's okay."
"What's wrong?"
The witch looked away. "I'm not comfortable wearing just a sports bra…"
"Why not? Is it Daniel? Because honestly, he hardly even looks this way. He's usually too busy showing off to the guys how much he can't lift."
"It's not that. It's just…" Reluctantly, she waved a hand toward Mia's tiny torso. "My stomach doesn't look like that."
"And my boobs don't look like that," Mia deadpanned, motioning to Emma's decent-sized chest. "You get what you get. Change."
After changing into a pink sports bra, spandex shorts, and sneakers with matching socks, and after throwing her hair into a ponytail, Emma was ready to start the workout… or as ready as she'd ever be.
Mia started her off with some basic stretches. Once the girls were warmed up, they each climbed on a treadmill. Mia had Emma start with a low speed and incline and slowly she raised each, just a tad. After the treadmill came the stair stepper. After the stair stepper came lifting, but by that point, Emma already felt dead.
"C'mon, Emma, you can do this," Mia encouraged. "This is upper body strength! You should be a pro; you are a scrapbooker, after all."
The witch groaned. Getting to lie down on the weight bench was a small mercy. Her heart was racing and her mouth tasted like blood, not to mention sweat was dripping down her face.
"This is easy," the Kanay assured. "I'm only giving you ten pounds to start off with."
"By start off with," Emma panted, "can you mean for all of today?"
"Fine," Mia agreed. "We'll stick with ten for today. But next week, we're increasing little by little."
As tempting as it was to use magic to cheat, Emma refrained and pushed the barbell up the old fashioned way. Her arms wobbled, but Mia spotted her and told her she wouldn't let the weight fall on her.
By the end of the period, Emma was exhausted.
"How do you do this twice a week?" she asked Mia in the locker room, fanning herself with her hand.
"Over time you build up endurance. Like with running. When I first started, I could hardly go a quarter mile without feeling like I was gonna puke. Now? I do a mile each morning before school, piece of cake."
Emma's eyes practically popped out of her head. "Every morning?"
"Yep." Mia smoothed down her uniform shirt and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Wanna join me tomorrow?"
"Maybe some other time…"
The Kanay placed a hand on the witch's shoulder. "Hey, don't get discouraged. This was only your first day. You'll improve; I promise."
To Emma's surprise, she really did build up her endurance. For the next month, she joined Mia in the workout room every Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes she'd even accompany her new friend for a morning run, which was slowly becoming less of a killer, too.
By the end of October, Emma noticed some changes in herself. She was able to go at a higher level on the stair stepper, as well as a faster pace and higher incline on the treadmill. She was able to lift a fifty-pound barbell with Mia spotting her. And she felt overall more confident. It wasn't even necessarily about her physical appearance; she just felt refreshed, and… better.
It was a chilly Friday evening in November when Emma's secret finally came out. She and her Jaxy were cuddling on her couch under some blankets, watching movies and eating popcorn (she allowed herself some unhealthy snacks on special occasions) when his phone went off. Emma wasn't the snooping type, but out of instinct, she happened to glance toward the noise. Phillip's name popped up on the screen, along with the message Are we still on for our sleepover tonight, bro?
Feeling particularly mischievous, Emma snatched the phone and used a spell to bypass Jax's passcode. By the time he realized, she was already in the middle of typing a reply to her best friend's boyfriend.
"Whaaat are you doing?" Jax asked, reaching a hand her way.
The witch giggled, holding the device out of his reach. "Just sending Phillip a text about your sleepover."
The wizard's eyes narrowed, not even trying to hide how curious and amused he was. "And what might this text say?"
"'Sorry, I can't make it. I'm spending the night at my Em's on her couch. I love her soooo much. Also, Andi's spending the night, too, winky face. I think I'll ask her to sleep on the couch with me.'"
Jax's eyes widened. "Emma, no! He'll think you're serious!"
"Nooo, he'll think you're serious."
"Emma!" Jax leaned over her to try and grab his phone, but she was already on the move. She leaned back over the couch, trying to keep control of the object, when he managed to nick it. The phone sailed through the air and landed at the front door.
Emma literally climbed over the back of the couch and scrambled to reach the device before her boyfriend. And to both of their surprises, she did!
"Aaaand…" Emma's thumb hovered over the 'send' button, but before she could press it, Jax grabbed her by the waist and started tickling her. She squealed and dropped the phone once more, only this time no one made a mad dash for it. Emma screamed through her laughter for him to stop, but Jax kept tickling her until they were both so weak they collapsed on the carpet.
Emma slowly regained control of her breathing, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jax's arms were still wrapped around her torso, and she decided to enjoy the moment by placing her hands on top of his. But then his hands started to wander almost curiously, lightly pressing down at different places on her stomach.
He sat up and furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that the beginning of a six pack I feel?"
She anxiously sat up beside him. "Maaaybe."
"Emma Alonso, have you been working out?"
She bit her lip and nodded.
He chuckled. "Wow. I never thought I'd see the day you took an interest in anything even remotely athletic. Besides scrapbooking, of course," he added with a smirk.
"I just want to look good for you is all," she replied in a shy voice.
Jax blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "You want to look good for me? Emma, I've found you stunning since the day I met you!"
She shrugged. "I just… want people to think we're equal."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" She shrugged again, hugging her newly toned legs to her pre-abs. She looked beyond adorable. "Everyone's always telling me how lucky I am to have you. I just want them to think you're equally as lucky to have me."
Her boyfriend stared. And stared. And stared.
"Say something!" Emma finally exclaimed.
Jax shook his head. "You're crazy." He pulled her in for a hug. "Emma, I've been considering myself the luckiest guy in the world since the day we got together. Since before then. All the times you forgave me… All the times you believed in me when no one else did…" He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I love you, Emma Alonso. You don't have to prove yourself to me."
She smirked and rolled her eyes.
"You looked perfect the day we met; you look perfect now. I promise."
She smiled and leaned forward. Their lips met in a cute, loving kiss. Emma wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you."
"I love you more."
"Not possible."
"Very possible."
A few paces behind them, Jax's phone went off with another text.
The couple's eyes lit up.
"It's mine!" they exclaimed at the same time, diving for the object once more.