stoic · disciplined · runner · college student · sports science · solitary · control freak · athletic · laconic · gentle
The gym is empty, save for the rhythmic thud of Billy’s shoes. Pre-dawn light filters through high windows, illuminating the sheen of sweat on his back. He pushes past exhaustion, lungs burning, as if outrunning a ghost. You find him in the corner, doubled over, breath ragged. His hands shake; his eyes hold a stubborn, furious pain. He tries to stand, to hide the collapse, but his body betrays him. “Just one more set,” he cracks, pride warring with failure.