An Unexpected Plot Twist

*****************************

Push Ups: Work on triceps, pectoral muscles and shoulders

Steps:

*Place a mat on the floor. Lie stomach-down on the mat.

*Place your hands flat on the floor slightly under your chest.

*Slowly push up to the high plank position.

*Hold this position for five seconds and then lower yourself back to the ground.

If you cannot push yourself all the way up to the high plank position, then push up to a height you are comfortable with.

************************************

Gabriella readied herself, and after taking her position, she took in some deep breaths.

Going all the way down, she slowly pushed herself up and then waited for up to 15 seconds before doing it again.

She repeated this process 5 times but each time she pushes herself up, she gives herself a space of 15 seconds before going down.

*This should be enough, five should be at least average for a girl.* Gabriella thought before releasing herself from her position and standing upright, breathing heavily.

Meanwhile Henry just stared at her blankly, every time she waited for 15 seconds before repeating the process, restarted his counting.

"Do you know how many push-ups you just did?" Henry asked the girl who was standing in front of him and exuding a lot of self confidence.

" Hm hm. " Gabriella hummed while nodding her head and puffing her chest proudly

"I know, I know, I did five push-ups not many in this world can achieve that fit." She said haughtily.

_________________________

FUN FACT

Gabriella is by no means flat and also not TOO big as in the personification of:

"Tsunade [A.k.a " OCEAN " ( Usually perverted Naruto anime fans call her that]" She's a little above average.

Henry just envisions her as flat, since he believes her to be a tigress and mostly because he wants to annoy her.

_______________________

"May I humbly report to you that you've successfully completed only one push-up. So can you please stop showing me your flatness." Henry said addressed her.

* . . . ?*

Gabriella was speechless, she had a questioning look plastered on her face.

~Sigh~ 😩 Henry sighed tiredly before he began explaining.

"You see, when doing a push-up, it is necessary that you give some seconds gap before continuing, but if that gap becomes too much as in a 'seven second pause' it let's your muscles relax back to it's original form.

"In short, you're starting all over, and you, my dear, gave yourself a 15 seconds gap which renders all your efforts meaningless."

Henry explained to the clueless girl

"Ooooh." Gabriella rubbed her jaw as if massaging an invisible beard as she nods in understanding, she then turned to look at Henry with a raised eyebrow.

"So... Why did you not stop or correct me." She asked.

"If I did that, you'd think that I'm just trying to annoy you, well I can't blame you for that, after all, it was the impression I gave you." Henry answered.

"Oh, ok, so what's next?" Gabriella asked

"You have completed two out of five tests, which are; ball bouncing and push-ups.

"The former was a test for your ball control, the latter was a test for your stamina. So next I'll be testing your agility and balance"

Henry explained as Gabriella nods in understanding.

Henry went to get a water hose pipe that was behind the hedgerow, obviously, it was used for watering the plant.

He turned it on, before splashing the water on the field. He completely wet part of the field, limiting it to half of the field.

Curious Gabriella wanted to stay and watch what he was doing, but her curiosity erupted and she decided to ask.

"What are you doing?" She voiced out her curiosity

"Agility is the ability to move quickly while balance is the even distribution of the weight of your body."

Henry said still Watering the place. When he was done, he turned off the hose pipe before looking at Gabriella's completely confused face

"This my dear student, is going to be used to test both your agility and balance." Henry explained

"This is what you're going to do: You'll run around the field 5 times, on only the wet half of the field, and while doing that, you'll try not to fall and if you do, stand up and continue until you must have finished running 5 laps.

The water is for you to maintain your balance, if lost, you would fall and you have to do it within the shortest time you could, that way, I'll be testing your speed.

"I would have given you the ball to bounce while doing that, but after seeing how much your ball control sucks, you would have to get better in your ball control before fusing the two methods."

Henry ended his explanation with a smile.

". . . "

*He is killing two... no three birds with a stone, first he'll test my agility, second he'll test my balance and thirdly... He'll get rid of me...for good.* Gabriella thought

"Come on coach, you and I know your true intention, you may think I'm densed but believe me, I'm not dumb enough not to see true your petty trick."

Gabriella said with a bit of annoyance in her tone

". . . ?" Henry gave her a question gaze

"Come on coach, don't act ignorant. Why sugar-coat your action. I know that you want me to practice so I'll fall with my head and probably die and to think I was beginning to see you as a real coach!"

She said with a hint of anger and sadness in her tone

"You all just want me dead, don't you?!" She yelled

*. . .* Henry just looked at her dumb founded, he clearly did not understand the situation, so naturally he does not know how to react to it.

*Where is this suddenly coming from? Is this some kind of plot twist? The whole situation is completely unrelated.*

Henry thought, but after looking at Gabriella's face, he understood the look in her eyes. He now knows that he has to clarify the situation.

He gently scratches the back of his head before uttering calmly.

"Geez, I never took you to be the kind of person that comes to a quick conclusion.

Just calm down okay? look, I've already put those things into consideration that's why I have my first aid kit over there "

He said pointing beside the wheeled basket that contained the basketballs, there was a big first aid kit, it was the height of a cushion and it was quite wide.

Looking at it she knew that the likes of her couldn't possibly lift that thing, and she was also surprised that she didn't notice something so big, "Was the wheeled basket covering it?" was the question that came to her mind

"Besides, you would wear a safety helmet." Henry continued

"Why would I want to kill my only known source of height, I also made a promise with you, and your parents are watching me, really, my hands are tied, do you expect me to do something as stupid as killing you?"

"I...I guess not" Gabriella said with a bit of regret, yes she was regretting rushing to conclusion like that, indeed, like Henry said, it was never her style to jump into conclusions talk more of the case being that she was blaming someone of attempting murder.

It was her fault for letting her emotions meddle in. As of late, before her former coach even disowned her, around the time Chikky got injured, she was depressed.

Nothing was going her way, the thing she worked hard for all her life failed her, something she thought she had talent for became her nightmare when the bitter truth became obvious to her, she was nowhere near talented.

She was afraid she was living in her lies, afraid that she was just being delusional.

"Did I make myself believe that I was good in anything while in reality I am the worst the world can offer?"

"Was I meant to achieve something in life? Do I have a purpose in life? Why does anything never go my way no matter how hard I try?

Does nature hate me and wants to frustrate me to death?"

These were the questions she continuously asked herself as she was drowning in her solitude, She felt frustrated, tired, angry, sad, nothing inspired her anymore.

"A lost cause." She called herself sometimes when looking at the mirror.

Yes, mother and father were always there, really close infact, she could confide in them, but that was not where Gabriella's peace belonged.

On the surface she was okay. She had tried to just give it all to her parents, her whole self, but no matter how close physically they were, she did not feel like they were the ones who would get her out of this hell.

She tried, but the more she pushed closer to them, the further back she went from feeling saved.

She wanted someone, anyone, someone who would help her, hold her, hug her and console her, someone who was not her parents.

But everyone seemed and acted like she was an irritating being, that has to get disposed off.

She felt bloodthirstiness everywhere she went, like, there was a dagger just right beneath her neck, ready to slit her throat open any moment, as a result, she never felt like she could trust anyone. She lived with fear but never showed it.

She could only cry to comfort herself, and also hang out with the only family that didn't reject her apart from her parents. It was her poultry family.

While reminiscing about how sad her life has been, Henry's voice brought her back to reality

"I see that you're hurt, you're scared. Afraid of making moves? Of trusting anyone? " Henry said while looking deep into her eyes.

He moved his gaze from her eyes to the heavens. Looking at the cloudless blue sky he continued.

"You must have had your own fair share of hell, Isn't that right tigress?"

He got no response from Gabriella. He then moved his gaze to her and then pats her hair before saying

"I'll protect you. You don't need to trust me or find comfort in me, I'll do so because I don't want anything to happen to you, at least not until I have reached my desired height. So do not worry" He said, smiling while closing his eyes.

Gabriella looked at Henry, mixture of all contrasting emotions in her eyes; hope, confusion, sadness, happiness and several other unreadable emotions.

Henry noticed her gaze and quickly stopped patting her hair.

"Ugh... Did you really hit your head somewhere or are you naturally crazy? What are you blabbing about? And no I haven't felt my share of hell"

Gabriella said as a pin drop silence enveloped the whole court, you could only hear breeze howling and flowers waving due to the breeze brushing past them

Her words pierced through Henry's heart, he had watched in movies and all romantic ones always had this cliché episode where the boy tell the girl what she was feeling without the girl first having to inform him.

Those scene usually causes the girl to fall deeply in love with the boy.

*Ouch! What the hell! My cool speech, I thought that was how she was supposed to feel, if not then she's just crazy not me. Really, I have to stop watching movies tagged 'Romance.' 😭" Henry cried inwardly

~Ahem~

He cleared his throat breaking the awkward silence, but he found out Gabriella was still giving him a weird look that made him feel stupefied... Actually he already was stupefied.

"What? Stop staring and get to practice. Look it's almost evening, almost time for you to get home, so hurry up."

With that, Henry ordered Gabriella to get back to her training.

"Yes coach"

She said with a determined expression in her face, she has decided that, even if she can't grow to trust her new coach, she would learn from him so that she would forge her life herself, no one gets involved, that way, no one would know of her weaknesses.

As she was about to start running in the wet ground Henry called her attention to him

"Oh and one more thing..."

He said making Gabriella halt and look at him

"I hope you know that you recognising me as a real coach is a compliment, hehehe. So you like me after all." Henry said teasingly, he was actually trying to get back at her.

*F**k off, you idiot!* 💢

She screamed in her mind as a nerve twitched in her temple, before she turned back to continue her running.

Henry seeing that, was satisfied, Gabriella had already started running in the field when he shouted

"Thank you for getting annoyed! I'm an extra inch taller!"

Hearing him Gabriella's annoyed face curved up into a smile before she lost her balance and fell

"Ouch!" She groaned in pain

"Hahahahaaha!" Henry made sure to laugh loudly so she would hear him. Even if it wasn't funny, it was all to annoy her.

*Damm you, I'll get you for this* 💢🤬

She cursed inwardly before struggling to stand up and resuming her test.

*************************

I know, I know, I'm really sorry for the late update, just that, I've been busy lately and nothing seems to work out.

No really, I mean it, I get where Gabriella's coming from.

Ahem

Anyways, I will update again, later this night, stay tuned and it's my apology fee, that's also why this chapter's long, took me six hours

SIX FREAKING HOURS TO UPDATE ONE CHAPTER!

I hope you guys forgive me.

Besides a real plot twist is going to take place in the next chapter, you can take your time guessing in the comment section, Muahahaha.

Also, don't forget to vote and support your author.

Your depressed author: Henry 😥

*************************