theme: sweatband

At the ripe age of 24, Eileen was nimble; ballet lessons all throughout her childhood molded her into a strong and lithe young woman. She loved to exercise She lived/ for that adrenaline coursing through her veins. Fresh, six-in-the-morning air pumping in and out of her lungs.

That afternoon, she was equipped with her MP3 player, tucked in her shorts' pocket, and a sweatband wrapped around her forehead. Eileen kept a steady pace, jogging around the perimeter of the park. Her trip had been going smoothly until she felt something tug at her right foot. Before she could even glance down, Eileen toppled over onto the concrete, scraping her knee instantly.

Her ear buds dropped into the grass just as she turned over on her side. A large tree-root was protruding out of a crack in the pavement. She grunted softly, peering over at her right knee.

A gash ran across its' diameter, leaving small rivulets of blood to trail out of its' sides. Eileen bit her lip.

How had she managed to scrape it up so badly? All she had done was fall down onto the sidewalk.

Her hands hovered above her injury. Even the slightest touch made her wince in pain. Keep calm, Eileen. Be resourceful.

She pulled the lime sweatband out of her greasy hair, managing to tie it around her leg. In the back of her mind, she hoped that it would serve as a bit of a tourniquet prevent further blood-loss. She was startled to hear someone cry out behind her.

"Hey- isn't that Irene? One of the waitresses at the Coffee Shop that you guys hang out with?"

Her fingertips began feeling wet. Eileen looked down. Red began to bleed through the sweatband.

"It's Eileen, Thomas," a second voice said, which Eileen identified as Mordecai. "But you're right. I guess we should go over and say hi."

Footsteps gathering closer behind Eileen told her that they were approaching. She tried to play down her scrape, wearing a fake smile as they came up to her. Mordecai was carrying a rake in his hand as he greeted her. "What's up, Eileen?" he said, smiling. She had barely noticed Rigby, who was trailing next to the blue jay.

"Hey guys," Eileen croaked out, tightening her grip on the band. "What are you doing here?"

"We work here. The better question is what are you doing here?" Rigby asked. Mordecai socked him in the arm.

"Don't be rude, dude," he muttered to his friend. "Benson told us to rake up some leaves around this area. Autumn, y'know?"

Thomas, who had caught up with his co-workers, stared at her leg. "Uh- what's wrong with your knee?" he questioned, looking uneasy. Mordecai and Rigby's eyes darted towards her injury. "Woah!" Mordecai exclaimed, his face growing pale. "Is it broken?"

"I don't think so," Eileen replied, feeling a twinge of embarrassment "Well, do you need any help? Skips knows his way around medicine," Mordecai offered, placing a hand on her shoulder. Thomas assisted him in helping her stand.

"No, I'm fine," she insisted. "Really. Thanks for helping me up, though! I think I needed that."

"If you're sure you're okay, then.. alright. We'll be raking leaves over in the courtyard if you need us, Eileen," Mordecai called, walking off with Thomas. Rigby, however, lingered behind. He stared at Eileen in awe.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Not that much. I've learned to get over these kinds of things easily!"

Rigby paused. "Wow. You're really strong- you know, for a girl and all," he commented. "You've got more guts than most people I know!"

"Thanks, Rigby," Eileen responded, blushing a little.

As he joined up with the others, Eileen couldn't help but think that she was glad she had cut her knee.