28 Strangers on a Treadmill

"I'm so glad you agreed", Desiree as she drove their car to the gym, "I'd ask your Dad, but he's been busy recently and I didn't want to disturb him".

"It's fine", Zephyr commented, looking out of the window, "I don't mind. I have to keep in shape for soccer anyways".

"That's nice", Desire stated, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, "Have you been doing anything fun recently?",

"Yeah", Zephyr answered, "I've been trying to create a game recently and I've made a lot of progress as of late".

"That's so nice", Desiree said, "Do you need any help?"

"I'm planning on having everyone I know beta-test the game once I'm done to get rid of any potential bugs", Zephyr stated, declining her offer.

"What's your game called?", Desire curiously asked.

"Candy Crush", Zephyr replied.

[Commentary]

Zephyr

"After receiving Bruce Wayne's knowledge, it got me thinking", Zephyr said, "Sure I'm smart. But in this world, money speaks more than talent. So. I've decided to use the knowledge I have from my previous life to become rich. So far, I've used most of my pocket money to invest and buy stocks in companies I know will be successful like Netflix, Amazon and Instagram. I've also begun plagiarising games that would be really popular later on, with games like Subway Surfers and Candy Crush. What's more, because of the peak human condition, which is still being implemented, my speed and perception are much greater so I can code far faster than normal people could even dream of", he proudly stated.

[Commentary ends]

"That sounds so fun", Desiree exclaimed.

"You got that from the name?", Zephyr asked.

"Of course", Desiree proudly declared, "If it's made by you, it's bound to be an awesome game".

"You have a lot of faith in me huh?", Zephyr muttered.

"Of course I do", Desiree replied, ruffling his hair, "You're a little genius after all".

"Hey", Zephyr complained, fixing his hair. However, the smile on his face did little to support his complaints.

"We're here", Desiree commented, quickly parking her car. Exiting the car, they made their way inside where they were greeted by a receptionist, who after checking their memberships, allowed them to go inside. After doing their stretches, they both went their separate ways. Unlike what Desiree expected, Zephyr didn't make his way towards the treadmill, but instead made his way towards the weight. "I thought you'd train your stamina since it's important in soccer".

"Stamina is important, but a soccer player needs to be physically strong. Being strong decreases the risk of injury, helps you improve your balance and have more powerful movement", Zephyr answered.

"Woah", Desiree muttered in slight awe, "I always thought of soccer as a running sport".

"A lot of people make that assumption and choose to focus solely on stamina which is then detrimental to their development", Zephyr replied.

"I guess you do learn new things every day", Desiree muttered. Shaking her head, she looked at him for one last time, saying, "Anyways. I'm going to the treadmill. Tell me when you're done so we can go home".

Zephyr nodded his head before making his way over to some dumbells, trying out a few until he found the most suitable one.

Making her way over to the treadmills, Desiree was surprised to find that 2 of the three treadmills in the room she had taken were occupied by familiar figures. "Oh my God", Desiree exclaimed, causing the two occupants to slow down and turn around to look at her, "I didn't know you guys were here".

"Desiree!", Claire announced, "It's such a surprise to see you again".

"It's so nice to see you", Mitch said, a smile on his face.

"I haven't seen you guys in a while", Desiree muttered, turning on her treadmill and jogging alongside them, "How are the kids?", she asked Claire.

Claire replied, "They're great. Haley is still studying for her SATs, but otherwise, they're all as good as can be".

"You're not being too harsh on her are you?", Desiree asked, "I remember what my Mom was like with me when I was preparing for my SATs".

"I don't think I'm not being too hard on her. I just don't want Haley to fail and end up going to some community college and then not getting a good job", Claire responded.

Mitchell, next to them, stopped his 'troga' and asked, "I'm curious. What did you get for your SATs?"

"Oh. I got 1518", Desiree replied offhandedly.

""What?!"", Claire and Mitchell screamed at the same time.

[Commentary]

"I thought that Desiree was, well, your typical blonde bimbo, I never expected her to be soo smart", Claire muttered, "Even I didn't get as high as she did for my SATs. I got 1461".

"I always thought Desiree was like Cam", Mitchell began, "Someone who wasn't smart, but not dumb either. Average you could say. I didn't expect her to be soo intelligent".

[Commentary ends]

"What college did you go to?", Mitch asked, incredibly curious.

"I went to Harvard for a Biochemistry Degree and work at a Pharmaceutical Company as one of the managers", Desiree replied, "Matt went Harvard as well you know. He had an SAT score of 1539 and did an Economics degree".

"Seriously?", Claire asked in disbelief, "Matt went Harvard as well. He doesn't seem like the type".

"That's exactly what I thought", Desiree responded.

"Matt is so unserious", Mitchell remarked, "And the people who go to Harvard are usually so serious. You'd never have thought that Matt went Harvard of all places".

"But it does somewhat explain where Zephyr got his intelligence from", Claire commented.

"His mom was really smart as well", Desiree retorted, "She went to the University of Oxford and studied Maths. When they moved to LA, she used to be a teacher at Caltech".

"Oh My God", Claire exclaimed in shock, "Caltech is a really prestigious university and she taught there?".

"Yep", Desiree answered.

[Commentary]

"I'm not going to lie", Claire began, "But hearing about how smart and how much Desiree and Zephyr's parents achieved made me feel jealous. It made me compare their lives to mine and think about how little I've done in comparison. And it's not like they ignored their family either. Desiree still has time for Bella and Matt makes as much time as possible for Zephyr".

[Commentary ends]

"I guess it's in their genes", Mitchell commented, receiving a nod from his sister. Shaking his head, Mitch then turned to look at Claire and asked, "So our plan is sorted right?"

"Yep", Claire replied.

"What plan?", Desiree asked.

Claire answered, "You see, Phil's hosting some Realtor's Banquet and has a bunch of jokes planned while Cam has been wearing bike shorts".

"I don't see the problem", Desiree murmured.

"Well. You see. Phil's not exactly funny", Mitch added, "And bike shorts do not look good on Cam. So we're planning on having me tell Phil's jokes aren't funny and Claire will tell Cam that the bike shorts have to go".

"That's a roundabout way of doing things", Desiree commented, "Just tell them the truth and be done with it. It's better to be hurt by the truth than comforted by lies. What's more, since you're the ones telling them, the effect will be more meaningful".

Hearing her words, Mitchell and Claire scoffed. "You don't know how hard it is to tell your husband the truth", Mitchell stated.

"Yeah", Claire agreed, "It's such a bother to deal with".

"I guess", Desiree replied, continuing to run on the treadmill.

[Dunphy residence]

Haley walked into Alex's room and took Alex's phone from her hands, causing Alex to complain, "What are you doing? I was just about to call-"

"Mackenzie. Yeah. I know", Haley interrupted, "Now. Stop talking and let me help you".

"Yeah. Because the last time you gave me advice was so helpful", Alex snarked.

"Ok. I meant that as a joke", Haley defended, "I never knew you would take it so seriously. And besides, in the end, he kissed you, didn't he?"

"Yeah. He did", Alex admitted, "But it wasn't because of your advice".

"Ugh. Whatever", Haley groaned. "Now listen to me. There are two types of girls in the world. Girls like me, who are cool, and girls like you, who are nerds".

"Really?", Alex asked, "Then what about boys?".

"There are jocks, there are sporty boys who aren't stupid, there are nerds, there are geeks, there are computer boys, there are gamers. Actually. There are so many different types of boys I can't even count how many there are", Haley replied.

"Not that you can count that high to begin with", Alex muttered under her breath.

"I heard that", Haley stated, "Anyways. You have been given the rare opportunity to move from the former to the latter".

"It's from the latter to the former", Alex interrupted.

"Ugh. You're such a geek", Haley complained, "Now. Do you want to be smart or do you want to be popular?"

"I guess I want to be popular", Alex answered.

"I forgot to ask", Haley asked, "But why are you so desperate to be popular?".

" I guess it's because of Zephyr", Alex answered, lying on the bed, "He's really popular and smart".

"So you're worried that he might lose interest in you and end up with some popular girl?", Haley asked.

"Yeah", Alex dazedly replied.

"Listen. I don't know Zephyr as well as you do, but I know that he's not the type of guy to ditch you for some random slut", Haley said, trying to comfort Alex. "Now. Let's get back to what's important. You've given Mackenzie too much power and you need to take some of that power back".

"How am I meant to do that?", Alex asked.

Just as she was about to reply, Alex's phone went off. Glancing at the screen, Haley said, "It's her".

"Give me my phone", Alex exclaimed, jumping off her bed.

"Ok. Here's what you're going to say. 'Hey Mackenzie. I'm busy. Call me later' and then hang up", Haley replied.

"There's no way I can do that", Alex argued.

"Then you're not getting your phone back", Haley retorted.

"Fine!", Alex screamed, taking the phone from Haley's hand, "Hey Mackenzie. I'm busy. Call me later", she said before hanging up. "That was soo hard", she said, falling back on her bed.

"If it was easy, everyone would be popular", Haley said, rolling her eyes.

[Time Skip]

"So how was it?", Zephyr asked after he walked out of his room, freshly dressed after a shower.

"How was what?", Desiree asked.

"Being gym buddies with Mitchell and Claire", Zephyr answered.

"It was actually pretty fun", Desiree replied, "But they go to such extents just not to hurt their husbands' feelings".

"Hm", Zephyr hummed, "I guess it's because they know that telling them the truth would hurt their feelings".

"I guess" Desiree muttered.

"Anyways. I'm going over to visit Alex", Zephyr said, grabbing his keys, "See you later".

"Ok. I'll tell your Dad when he comes home!", Desiree exclaimed as Zephyr shut the door.

[A few minutes later]

The doorbell was rung a few times before Luke opened the door, finding Zephyr standing on the other side. "Hey Zephyr", Luke greeted, "What you here for?".

"Alex", Zephyr answered.

"Oh. That's cool. She is in the living room", Luke replied, walking away.

Zephyr thanked him before making his way towards the living room, only to find Alex sitting on the floor with her back against the couch. "Alex. What's wrong?"

"I have no friends", Alex depressingly replied.

"That's not true", Zephyr comforted, sitting on the floor right next to her, "You have me".

"You're my boyfriend", Alex remarked, "Not my friend".

"Why can't I be both?", Zephyr countered.

"I guess", Alex replied, looking down at the floor.

"Come here", Zephyr wrapping his arms around Alex and pulling her in for a hug. Gently stroking her hair, he whispered, "Don't worry. Everything will be alright", he soothed.

"Thanks", Alex mumbled, feeling slightly better while being in his warm embrace.