The Workout
Brooke sat on the seat of the leg press machine, focusing her breathing as she prepared to do her next set. It was early morning and she was the only one in the gym working out. She had her headphones in, jamming out to her workout playlist.
Brooke made it a priority to hit the gym every day and get in at least 30 minutes of some type of workout. Today was no different, she wore her normal gym attire: a light pink pair of leggings with a matching pinkish sports bra, and a pair of burgundy and black Under Armor cross-trainer sneakers. She had a toned and muscular physique, with defined abs and toned arms and legs. As a fitness influencer on Instagram, Brooke was slowly growing her brand by sharing her workouts and fitness tips with her followers.
The gym was a large, well-lit space with high ceilings and shiny floors. The walls were painted a cheerful shade of yellow and there were big windows along one side, letting in plenty of natural light. The wall with the majority of the equipment had floor-to-ceiling mirrors, for patrons to check their forms as they completed sets of workouts. Brooke glanced around at the rows of treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals, all lined up in a neat and orderly fashion across from her position at the leg press machine, blew out a huge breath, and then started her next set.
Brooke was pushing herself to complete her set with perfect form. Her focus was entirely on her form and breathing. She had just started posting stuff about a month ago, after diving into the gym life to help her cope with her last breakup. The gym was her sanctuary, a place where she could escape her problems and focus on improving herself. And as she pumped out the last few reps on the machine she looked up in the mirror and noticed a gentleman on the bench press machine behind her staring in her direction.
Brooke was annoyed by the disturbance of the man, she had not noticed him enter the gym, and thought she had the gym to herself. To make matter worse the guy was staring at her trying to catch a glance at her body. This was attention she did not want or need at the moment as she was focused on her workout. She let out an exasperated breath of frustration and then got up off the bench and grabbed her phone from off the floor, which had been recording her set.
She was going to make an example of this gym perv. Brooke flicked through her apps and got to the camera app. She ended the recording she was doing for her set, and then quickly hit the live button on the Instagram app and started live streaming the altercation she was about to have with this creep. This time she flipped the camera angle, and had it focused on the guy as she approached him at the bench press machine "Excuse me, can I help you with something?" she said loudly with stern reflection in her voice to the guy as he lifted the bench press bar of the rack and started his set.
The man who had headphones himself smiled at Brooke as she repeated the question, this time with a more firm voice and waving her free hand trying to get his attention. The man completed his rep, racked the weights, and then removed his headphones from his ear and said "Huh".
"Huh" Brooke mocked back at the man. The man had slowly started to sit up at the machine and had a look of confusion on his face. He was wearing gray Nike sweat pants and a black t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off. The man had to be in his mid twenties and had the body of someone who worked out often, but he was not overly fit. "It seemed earlier that you were entranced with checking me out," Brooke said in a no-nonsense tone, her demeanor had shifted from self-focus as it was when she begin the workout session, to a more upset and mad manner.
"Umm...I'm not sure what you are talking about lady, I came in and just started listening to my music and focusing on my set. I... promise you I was not "checking you out" I am happily married. The man responded as he flashed his hand in her direction. He wore fingerless workout gloves, but you could see the wedding band on his left ring finger even with the glove. He then smirked and said, "I actually own this gym and was just trying to get my set done before I my 1st client came in. The name is Tyler."
Brooke looked at the guy's ringed hand and laughed. "So you were just looking at me to take a mental picture." Brooke glared at the man as he tried to explain himself, not convinced by his excuse. She was certain he had been staring at her before, and she wasn't about to let him get away with it. "Well, if you're not interested in checking me out, then why were you staring at me through the mirror?" Brooke demanded, her voice dripping with frustration.
Tyler looked flustered and tried to defend himself. "I wasn't staring at you. I just happened to be looking in the same direction as you, but I assure you I was focused on getting my set done and getting ready for 1st client, not you"
Brooke rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You were clearly ogling me. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Tyler shook his head "No, I don't think you are stupid, but I do think this is just miss understanding." Tyler stood up from the bench press seat and now his whole form could be observed by Brooke, he was at least 6 foot if not a few inches taller and seemed to be well fit.
"Guys like you think they can just ogle and sexualize women as they please," Brooke said stepping closer to Tyler with an intense stare on her face that looked as if she would kill him. "I am not a piece of meat, I am a person and I just want to complete my work out without some perv trying to get a glance at me."
Tyler started to get annoyed by Brooke's disturbance, he thought he had kindly let her know, he was just trying to complete his workout like she was. He even tried to express, he didn't have the time or care factor to check her out, because he was on a time crunch to complete his set before his client came in, plus the fact that he was happily married. However, Brooke seemed to want to push the issue for some apparent reason unbeknownst to him. Until he saw her phone and then he smirked to himself. She was trying to use him for views. "Look miss, I never had a policy permitting recording in my gym, and I've never had anyone accuse me of ogling them, honestly I am not sure what you trying to get at, but this problem seems to be in your head."
"In my head," Brooke exclaimed cutting Tyler off and then pushing him with her free hand. "I know what I saw."
Brooke's push didn't really move or affect Tyler it was more of a disturbance, but it did get him upset now. "Oh...wow...I am not sure if you 'roided up or something, but you just physically assaulted me." Tyler said as he pointed at Brooke. "That is something totally uncalled for, and I am going to have to ask you to leave, or I am going to press charges."
"Really...press charges on me, when you make me feel threatened and stare at me while I try to work out." Brooke said mockingly. "Go ahead, I am sure the cops would love to hear how this big sleaze ball of a man. Made me, this small little girl, feel threatened."
"Um...Maybe you missed this part... but I am the owner of the gym. Meaning I own this place, there are cameras all around this facility plus your phone, which I assume is recording also, so they picked up you approaching me, not the other way around. They also picked up you physically assaulting me, which is something I could easily have charges against you for."
"I didn't assault you, I defended myself from you perv." Brooke shot back. "If I wanted to assault you I would do this." Brooke took another step toward Tyler and reached up and slapped him directly across the cheek. "Now that would be assaulting you," she said confidently.
Tyler looked shocked and flabbergasted. His head was turned by the slap and felt the sting of it against his cheek. The sound of the slap was still echoing through the gym. He rubbed his cheek and glanced back at Brooke. "Look, you crazy bitch. I don't know what your problem is, but now I am upset and if you lay another hand on me I gonna 'defend' myself. I am asking you again please leave the premise and go cool down before I call the cops."
Brooke was irritated beyond belief now, how could this creep threaten to call the cops on her? All she did was try to defend herself from a predator. She eyed Tyler up and down and thought for a few seconds about her next actions. "Fuck you, you nasty sexual predator." She said as she reared back and punched Tyler right in the chin.
The punch landed on the button and Tyler stumbled back and fell over the bench press seat that was behind him. He was shaken by the punch and was more shocked by the punch, than hurt. Brooke was satisfied with the interaction and turned her phone camera and looked directly into the phone camera as the live stream was still going "This is what will happen to all you nasty perverts that try to mess with me." She said into the camera and then she turned the camera off, and strutted back to her machine to get her stuff and leave.
Tyler had started getting up from the floor and looked at Brooke as she walked back to the leg press machine. He pondered if he would let this go or not. His mind raced with thoughts of rage and frustration that his morning routine had been interrupted by this woman, over something so petty. He had given her multiple opportunities to leave and walk away, yet this lady had persisted in staying here, and then to make matter worse she had laid her hands on him, not once but three times.
Tyler walked to the gym door and proceeded to lock the door. He then looked back at Brooke as she was grabbing her belongings. "Honestly...I was contemplating just letting you walk out of here, my mother told me to never lay a hand on a woman. However, she said if a woman hits you, and you attempt to walk away and diffuse the situation and she continues to hit or attack you then that woman, wants to be treated like a man, and you don't let any man hit you and walk away from you. So you know what bitch I gonna teach that lesson." Tyler said with a stern look on his face.
Brooke turned around with a look of arrogance and disgust on her face. "I already just knocked you out and put you on blast all over the internet." She said with a smirk on her face. "Do you really want more?" Brooke inquired as she looked back at Tyler with a smug of confidence in her behavior she put her stuff down and balled her fist up, as she approached Tyler again.
Tyler looked on with a fierce sense of anger in his eyes as Brooke approached him again she reared back to him again, but this time Tyler easily dodged her punch and delivered a punch of his own that rocked Brooke. Her face felt on fire and tears filled her eyes as she felt the pain from the punch.
Brooke stumbled back and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn't believe that Tyler had actually punched her. She was in shock and didn't know what to do. She looked up at Tyler and saw a look of anger in his eyes that she had never seen before.