Chapitre 96: 95. Olivia's Surprise
Richard was continuing to do push-ups with no sign
of fatigue.
The group surrounding him continued to shout out numbers. 81, 82, 83. As the numbers
increased, Richard's confidence and excitement grew.
There was no way he could fail. At the same time, Richard began to hear a different
count not too far away. 51, 52, but the number was increasing at a much faster rate than
his own.
53, 54, 55, 56. Richard turned his neck to look over at Aiden. It was unbelievable how
fast he was going.
It was like his body didn't have any weight to it. He seemed to be lifting himself up
without exerting any effort at all. The group surrounding Richard gradually shifted their
gaze to Aiden.
They were shocked by his pace. How could someone move that fast without getting
tired? How was he doing it? Holy… One girl managed to sputter out an amazement.
Richard was distracted now.
His palm slipped, and he almost fell to the ground. The crowd was entranced by Aiden.
His grace and speed were mesmerizing.
Even Richard had to admit that his form was flawless. Aiden's total count was fast
approaching Richard's. Richard panicked and tried to speed up.
Goddamn this kid, he thought to himself. I should have known it wouldn't be this easy.
He was beginning to regret that he'd ever proposed this, but it was too late now.
The only thing he could do was keep going. As the time went by, the atmosphere grew
more and more intense. Richard reached 500 push-ups.
It was the first time he'd ever done so many at once. He'd never pushed himself this
hard before. He was breathing heavily, and sweat was dripping off his forehead onto the
floor in a steady stream.
He turned his head and saw that Aiden didn't look tired at all. He still looked as calm and
collected as he had on his first push-up. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
The crowd was watching anxiously for one or the other competitor to give up. These
guys are beasts, a girl exclaimed. It's unbelievable.
But Richard couldn't hold out any longer. He finally broke down and let his body collapse
to the ground. He just laid there for a while, too tired to move.
His face was white, and his lips were purple. He'd reached his absolute limit. Sarah saw
that her brother was in pain and rushed to his side.
Are you okay? She asked tenderly. Everyone else now fully focused on Aiden, who hadn't
stopped. He's still going! The pigtailed girl at the front of the crowd screamed in delight.
This is amazing! 989! They chanted together. 990! As the number increased, the chant
got louder and louder. How far would this guy go? There was excitement and wonder in
the air.
Richard smiled bitterly at Sarah and shook his head. I'm sorry, Sarah, he said. I just can't
compete with that.
Sarah nodded sympathetically and then looked back at Aiden. She didn't feel any
resentment toward him, only awe. With trembling arms, Richard struggled to lift himself
up into a seated position.
Okay, that's enough, he said in a quaking voice. He was still a little out of breath. I
concede.
He looked around the room and shrugged his shoulders into feet. Aiden, you've won, fair
and square. Aiden had just reached 1,000 push-ups.
Hearing Richard's words, he immediately stood up and patted the dust off his hands. He
still didn't feel tired. In fact, he felt energized, like he was capable of anything.
His chest, abs, and arms were warm but not sore. He could have kept going even longer.
There were whistles, screams, and whoops from the crowd.
All around, people were staring at him with shock and admiration. But Aiden was a bit
distracted. It suddenly felt like his whole body was being constricted.
His clothing felt far too tight. It must be because of the sudden growth of his pectoral
and abdominal muscles. When he raised his arms in a show of triumph, all of his shirt
buttons popped off.
Aiden's exploding shirt was almost as shocking as
Richard's defeat. What just happened? A girl in the crowd asked in confusion as she
watched a button roll past her on the floor.
But most of the girls were staring at Aiden's bare chest. Wow, the pig girl said as she
chewed her gum. Not bad.
The other students seemed to agree. We couldn't tell how buff he was before because he
had his shirt on, one girl said. People with real strength don't need to show it off, another
added.
The girls felt guilty about the assumptions they'd made earlier. The students that had
called Aiden a toothpick moments before now blushed to look at him. Muffled giggles
could be heard throughout the crowd.
Other girls clapped and cheered. The girls from Amy's dorm screamed the loudest. Leah
sighed and shook her head.
I hope I can find a man like that one day, she said to the others. Impressing girls. Charm,
plus one.
Seduction skills, plus one. After the long day finally came to an end, Aiden left the school
and went back to Midnight Snack Corner. Later, he heard that Sarah visited Amy's dorm
that night to apologize to her.
Over the next few weeks, they made up and actually became good friends. As is so often
the case with children, Aiden thought, disagreements fade as quickly as they arise. An
apology and a good laugh are sometimes all that's needed to smooth things over.
The Monday after Thanksgiving, Midnight Snack Corner again opened its doors, to the
delight of all its loyal customers. On the second floor of the restaurant, Olivia was
excited to introduce Aiden to some friends of hers. Mr. Dale, she said as Aiden
approached.
This is the surprise I told you about. Aiden smiled at Olivia and then turned his gaze to
the young man and woman standing next to her. They were both in their early 20s, close
to Olivia's age.
Based on how they stood together and looked at each other, Aiden guessed that the two
were a couple. The man was tall and handsome. He was wearing an expensive-looking
wool jacket and a cashmere scarf.
He must come from money, Aiden thought. The young woman wasn't dressed quite as
smartly, but she was wearing a lot of gold and silver jewelry. The contrast between them
and Olivia was striking.
Olivia stood with her head slightly bowed and her hands clasped together. Beside her,
the couple stood with their hands on their hips, haughtily surveying their surroundings.
Despite their rich attire, they had nothing of Olivia's easy, natural beauty.
Olivia introduced Aiden to the young woman first. Mr. Dale, this is Kaylee. We went to
school together at Westfield University.
Olivia extended her hand to Aiden, who shook it and smiled. Kaylee was the vice
president of the student union in our department, Olivia went on. She's very talented.
I'd like to recommend her to you as a potential employee at Midnight Snack Corner.
Aiden nodded his head, so this was the surprise that Olivia had been planning. Aiden
took a moment to consider the proposition.
Anyone who'd gone to Westfield had to have a good head on their shoulders. And then
there Olivia's recommendation. That meant a lot.
Maybe it wasn't a bad idea. As Aiden was mulling this over, he noticed that Kaylee
seemed a bit uncomfortable. She was examining the room with a look of surprise and a
little disgust.
She was avoiding eye contact and had made no effort to engage him in conversation.
Aiden frowned and looked at Olivia questioningly. Olivia was embarrassed by her friend's
behavior.
She walked over to Kaylee and said in a low voice, Kaylee, what's wrong? I thought you
wanted to work here with me. Why are you acting like this? Kaylee stared coldly back at
Olivia as if she were offended. She responded in a loud voice, seeming not to care that
Aiden could hear her.
You didn't tell me you worked in a place like this. Kaylee looked around her in revulsion.
You could work at a Fortune 500 company.
Why are you wasting your time at this hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere? I don't
get it. Do you want to be a small town waitress your whole life? The handsome man who
had stayed silent until now suddenly chimed in. Wait, what? He asked, seemingly
bemused.
Olivia, do you really work here? Oh wow, babe, are you like, a waitress? Olivia clenched
her jaw. I'm not your babe, Brent, she said fiercely. She fixed her gaze on him as if
daring him to say something back.
When they'd been at Westfield together, Brent had asked her out three times, and three
times she'd said no. But he still followed her around like a lost puppy, even after he
started dating Kaylee. Brent coughed awkwardly.
He looked at Kaylee and rolled his eyes slightly. He wasn't too hurt by Olivia's words. He
saw it as a sort of game between them.
She secretly loved it, he thought. A part of him still hoped that one day, he and Olivia
might end up together. A few days earlier, Kaylee had told him that Olivia had found a
job that paid $10,000 a month somewhere.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone