River climbed off of his bike and chained it to the bike rack outside of Sparrow Well Health Club. He parents were members and so was he by default. The place was nuts. It was $150 membership fee and it had everything under the sun; a golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, basketball courts, racquetball courts, fitness equipment, saunas, hot tubs, tanning beds. It had everything.
And it had become River’s personal escape from his family life. With his parents nit-picking his every move and his older brothers goading them on, he was about to go insane. Loire was the only one that was being understanding toward him in this whole situation, but he was going to Europe in a few weeks to start training with Manchester United, the British soccer team he’d joined. Why Loire had chosen them instead of an American team was beyond River, but he knew it was Loire’s life and he could make his own decisions. Why couldn’t his family be that considerate toward him?
He entered the club and scanned his membership card before going to the locker room. He changed into a pair of shorts and a plain white A-shirt before he went to the lesson rooms.
He’d pilfered enough money from his parents to pay for judo lessons. River had taken karate lessons for several years as a kid, but had stopped in high school. He knew most basic punches. He’d been going to the lessons for two weeks (after he’d gotten bored with just working out or swimming the entire time) and his instructor said he held a lot of potential. It was pretty easy to take his previous knowledge and mold it, build on it. They’d had several private lessons (free of charge) and River was quickly falling in love with the art.
Adam West (not the actor) was his instructor’s name. He would just grin when River entered the room and they would begin to spar, making comments on how he could improve his form or his stance. Every so often he would stop and show him a new technique and River would practice it, mastering it in half an hour then move on to the next.
When Adam wasn’t there, he would go to the fitness room and run or lift weights, stretching and exercising muscles he hadn’t previously known he’d had. He could swim for hours, working every ounce of himself and pushing everything to the limit then biking home.
River had just given up on school entirely. His parents wouldn’t listen to reason so he would show them what happened when they ignored him. He just slept in class, didn’t turn in any of his assignments that he usually would spend hours and hours trying to finish, and when his teachers or parents tried to talk to him about it he just rudely left the room. He was sick of all of this and he just wasn’t going to take it anymore.
“What are you doing here?”
River had been jogging on the treadmills set up in front of a row of TVs attached to the wall for about 25 minutes before he was interrupted. He turned to see Loire getting on the treadmill next to him.
“Running,” River replied, watching the TV in front of him. Oprah was on.
Loire was pushing buttons and the machine started moving. “Is this where you’ve been disappearing to? Mom and Dad have been wondering.”
“You mean they’ve noticed?” River snorted.
“You’re teachers keep calling. Apparently you haven’t turned in a single assignment in three weeks?”
“School is over in eight. I’m thinking of just not going anymore.”
Loire frowned, “River, you’re throwing away your future.”
“Yup,” River grinned, “It’s really throwing them for a loop isn’t it? They never had any problems with the six of you guys then here I come, nothing but stress and heart-ache.”
“Would just talk to them about this?” Loire asked, upping his speed.
Scoffing, River replied, “They didn’t listen to me when I tried talking to them so I am not going to listen to them when they try talking to me. Make sense?”
“You’re only punishing yourself with this, River,” Loire said worriedly.
“No I’m not,” River sighed, “I wasn’t going to get into a good college. I wasn’t going to get tons of scholarships or go major in something awesome. My entire life has been spent trying to live up to the standards you guys set and I was never going to be happy with that life. Now I’m going to figure out what I want and when I do, that’s how I will spend my life. Mom and Dad and the rest of you can all just butt out.”
“Your education is important, River,” Loire pleaded, “You can’t get a good job without a degree and-“
“Loire, shut up,” River cut off, “This is my life, ok? Let me live it.”
Sighing, Loire replied, “Just promise me you won’t end up some bum on the street or some loser living in Mom and Dad’s basement.”
“Now why would I do that when I have six successful older brothers with much nicer basements?”
The two laughed and continued talking about other things until late in the evening. It was after 8 when they left the gym. Loire put River’s bike in the back of his car and drove them home. When they got there a black sedan was parked out front. Both frowned and went inside.
“What’s going on?” Loire asked as they entered through the garage door and into the kitchen. River’s mother grabbed his hand and pulled him into the family room.
“River, these men are with the CIA. They’ve talked to some of your teachers and you’ve been recommended for a special program.” She sounded so excited.
River looked at the men and a sinking feeling hit him in the stomach. The two men were dressed in matching black suits, hitting him with MIB flashbacks. One was older and balding with plenty of salt and pepper hair around the crown of his head while the other had plain brown hair with a Mr. Cleaver haircut. Something was not right with these men. He felt queasy and the words of his creepy locker-room stalker came back to him…
They are coming to get you…
“What kind of program?” River asked carefully, standing precariously by the doorway. They seemed to try to be open and welcoming, but River could not get over the feeling of discomfort they filled him with.
The younger one spoke. “It would be an apprenticeship with several of our out-of-country correspondents. You would get the opportunity to see the world, learn important skills used in the business world as well as government work. It’s a new program, but very worth while.”
“It’s a very wonderful experience,” the older one added, “And it would look great on any resume if I do say so myself.”
River just turned and left the room.
The two men looked dumbfounded and River’s mother hurriedly apologized.
“I’m sure he’s just a little shocked,” she said, flustered, “He’s been very stressed recently and I think something as wonderful as this has just-“
“Get out of my house.”
They all turned to see River standing in the door way, a baseball bat by his feet with one hand holding it upright. He was glaring at the two men.
“River, what on earth are you-“
“Shut up, Mom. You two, get out of my house.”
The two men stood up in near unison and moved closer to them, “Now, son, you don’t know what kind of opportunity you are throwing away,” said the older one.
“You’re not CIA,” River said quietly, “There is no program, you have not talked to my teachers, and I want you out of my house, understand?”
The three other people in the room gaped at him. River lifted the bat, “I said, GET OUT!” He swung the bat, hitting the younger one solidly in the arm. He yelled with pain and the two of them ran out of the house. River glared after them.
“River, what is wrong with you?!” His mother shrieked, “You could be arrested for the assault of a federal officer!!”
He turned to her slowly, “I thought I told you to shut up,” he said simply and turned to go up to his room.