Peered pressure

Cheri walked over to the weights as if she had lead in her proverbial shoes. She couldn’t let her new friends down, but to be called a freak again…

She felt her heart beating in her throat as she grabbed a single fifty pound weight. Or she attempted to, since she immediately dropped it from the rack and almost on her foot. This caused her to make a high pitched yelp, which in turn made Jack, Rachel and several onlookers laugh.

Cheri couldn’t keep up her smile anymore, as her fear grew worse. But she grabbed the two fifty pound weights and added them to the three hundred from before.

“Come on, Cheri…” Was a thought heard from both Ruby and Cheri herself, as she grabbed the bar with her shaking hands. She pulled the weights with all her might, but it wouldn’t even budge.

“The hell?!” Yelled April in shock. “What happened to your Hulk-ish strength, you weirdo?!”

That caused Cheri to cry a single tear, but she continued. But no matter what, she moved herself more than the weights while the onlookers couldn’t help but laugh at her efforts.

Exhausted, sweaty and a face full of tears, Cheri eventually gave up.

“Looks like we won.” Grinned Jack.