same look a person might give to a wounded dog. But as he limped back to his place in line, he caught a smile flash across her face.
Turner subjected a few more out-of-shape students to his sadistic routine before making everyone run three laps around the perimeter of the gym. Blaine and Tommy finished the laps first as usual and celebrated like they'd won the Olympics. During the last lap, Clayton wished Granddad's watch could fast forward time. His legs burned from the running and he couldn't stop wheezing even when he finished the exercise.
Turner's next round of public humiliation involved shooting a basketball from the three-point line. Lots of the girls struggled with the task including Maddie. Turner gave everyone three chances before ordering the next student to grab the ball. When Blaine's turn came, Clayton saw a golden opportunity to get back at his tormentor. Blaine dribbled the ball and prepared to take a shot. Gladeway High's star athlete jumped into the air with the ball firmly in his hands, but time stopped before he could finish the throw. Clayton walked up to his nemesis confidently. Blaine floated in the air, his face pinched in full concentration. Clayton smiled then loosed the drawstring on Blaine's basketball shorts so they'd easily drop once he landed from the shot. But he didn't stop there. He carefully moved Blaine's ankles so they crossed and lifted the back of his t-shirt over his head. Gravity didn't seem to function properly in paused time on any object or person except for Clayton. He feared touching Blaine might cause him to drop from the air, but the jock remained suspended like a marionette on invisible strings. When Clayton was satisfied with his handiwork, he stepped back to his place on the court and restarted time.
Blaine threw the ball and missed the net thanks to the shirt covering his face. He yelped as his shorts fell down in tandem with his body. His twisted feet failed to secure any footing, causing him to smack the floor face-first. Uproarious laughter filled the gym as Blaine struggled to pull his shorts over his boxer briefs and uncover his face at the same time. Clayton beamed at the sight of Blaine's flushed face. "That was an interesting shot, Jansen," Turner said, holding back laughter.
The victorious moment was short-lived since Turner called Clayton to shoot next. The rush of adrenaline from Blaine's overdue comeuppance still surged through him and he didn't care if he made the shots or not. He gripped the basketball and quickly threw it in the air, relishing the giggling from the girls whispering about Blaine's mishap. To Clayton's surprise, the ball swished through the net. Several students clapped and whooped at the feat.
"Nice shot, Burroughs," Turner said. The comment seemed genuine and for a moment, Clayton's dislike of the man dissipated.
The bell rang and signaled the end of the greatest moment of Clayton's teenage life. Most of the guys jogged out of the gym and into the locker room. Clayton remained glued to his spot on the three point line. Eric walked past and clapped him on the shoulder, a broad grin forming on his face. "Nice work, man!"
Blaine and Tommy strolled toward the lockers leisurely as if nothing embarrassing had occurred. Many of the girls meandered around the gym and gossiped before shuffling to their locker room. When Clayton finally forced his feet to walk, Maddie crossed his path and smiled at him. "That was a great shot, Clay."
He opened his mouth to thank her, but the words were stuck in his throat. Maddie smiled again and, with a quick whip of her ponytail, walked away.
Idiot! Clayton thought. He paused time and ran up to face Maddie. Her eyes looked straight ahead beyond his own. "Thank you," he said, knowing she couldn't hear him. "By the way, I love you," he added.
He walked to the locker room and resumed time. Most of the guys inside had already showered or changed into their regular clothes. Clayton sat on one of the benches, sighing and replaying Blaine's embarrassment in his mind for several minutes. The warning bell rang. He instinctively rushed to change his clothes, but stopped and smirked when he remembered the watch. The world paused and he took his time getting dressed. When he stepped out of the locker room into the crowd of frozen students outside the gym, something caught his eye. Maddie and Blaine were standing together near a water fountain between the exits of the locker rooms. Clayton crept closer to them and stood behind a group of students to avoid detection. He clicked his watch.
"So, you'll come to homecoming with me?" Blaine asked, smiling suggestively at Maddie.
"Yeah, that might be fun." Maddie said. Her eyes sparkled momentarily then she looked down at her feet.
A weight fell inside Clayton's stomach and his neck tensed. Clayton didn’t plan to go to homecoming, but knowing Maddie would be going with someone else—someone like Blaine—infuriated him.
The rest of the day was a blur. Clayton's thoughts centered around wooing Maddie and beating the life out of Blaine. He seemed quite capable of the latter with Granddad's watch, but he resisted the urge to find Blaine and pummel his face in. The real challenge was getting Maddie to like him. In middle school, Clayton hadn't accumulated the current girth around his midsection and his nerdy predisposition hadn't become so...unappealing. Maddie probably didn't care about his obsession with sci-fi since she was a closet geek, but Blaine definitely had a leg up in the looks department. Clayton hated to admit it, but the basketball jock was cut like a rock, tall, and handsome to boot. In comparison, Clayton's paunch, short stature, and pimpled face weren't doing him any favors. During the last class of the day, Physics, he pondered a solution to his dilemma as Mrs. Blathwaite droned on about rotational inertia. Clayton stared at the second hand on his watch as it ticked over the words Carpe Tempus on the dial.
Then it came to him.
I can stop time and get in shape before homecoming!
There were only four days until homecoming on Friday night, but the deadline was irrelevant. After Physics, he paused time and ran to the school library. Clayton searched the Health and Wellness section, pulling out every book on fitness and weight loss from the shelves. He found a comfortable chair to sit in at the corner of the large lobby and began reading through the large stack of books situated at his feet. Four to five hours passed in paused time before hunger pangs upset his stomach. Clayton jogged to the cafeteria and grabbed the healthiest food he could find, which didn't amount to much. He hurried back to the library with carrot sticks, an applesauce container, and a water bottle in hand. The short jog exhausted him and he quickly devoured the meager meal before returning to a book on strength-training.
Another two hours flew by before he mustered the willpower to try out the exercises he had studied for hours. The weight room next to the gym provided the best equipment to get the job done. He worked out for thirty minutes, employing abdominal exercises and weightlifting in his new routine. The weak muscles in his arms, legs, and gut ached from the labor, but he felt a warm feeling of accomplishment inside. After a few stretches, Clayton boarded his bus and resumed time. He napped during most of the bus ride before the driver snapped at him to get off at the last stop.
Mom was too busy packing for her trip to notice he was a sweaty mess. After a shower, they ate dinner quietly, both staring at their plates occasionally, lost in thought. An airport shuttle arrived to pick his mother up and they exchanged long goodbyes.
“No funny stuff while I’m gone,” She warned.
“I know,” he said.
Mom hugged him then boarded the large white van. Clayton watched the shuttle pull out of the driveway and smiled as it sped down the road.
Carpe Tempus, he thought.
Clayton walked up to the school gym on Friday evening feeling like a new man in his expensive suit. Homecoming had finally arrived. The last four days had been the longest days of his life. He calculated that three months of paused time had passed since Mom left for her trip. Each day was devoted to a strict regimen of reading, exercise, and healthy eating. His protruding belly had evaporated from exercise and the first signs of a chiseled abdomen had appeared. Tuesday proved to be the hardest day, requiring him to break himself of bad habits and push his body further than ever before. He
emerged out of the pause with less weight and more confidence, eager to go to school. Wednesday was also difficult, but not in a physical way. The deafening quiet of a month's worth of paused time unnerved him, but the thought of kissing Maddie drove him on. His peers began to notice the dramatic changes to his body in their limited scope of time. Eric wondered if Clayton had received some form of gastric bypass surgery.
Thursday was another month-long affair. He pushed his body to the limits and when he was satisfied with the results, he went to work on his face. Clayton raided pharmacies for the best acne medication and read up on a number of treatments to make his face shine. It took about a week and a half, but he was pimple-free and quite handsome with a thin face. He chose to hide his new physique at school by wearing fat clothes and slouching. Homecoming would be the big reveal.
During paused time on Friday, he stole a double-breasted suit for the dance from a trendy clothing store. The adrenaline rush of theft with no possibility of being caught inspired him to commit more heists, which included the latest gaming consoles and an entirely new wardrobe. He wasn't sure how he'd explain all of his new stuff or his new body to Mom, but he had enough time to concoct a
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