Vᴀɴᴅᴇʀʙɪʟᴛ Aᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ Fᴏʀ Tʜᴇ Eʟɪᴛᴇ © discussion

one room is full of work out machines that line the mirrored walls, and punching bags swing from the ceiling. there is a large indoor track adjacent to the work out room.

Alec practically skipped into the gym, he was so excited. On the plane ride to Wilmington, he had poured over Vanderbilt’s website, and he had found out their athletic facilities were top notch. There was a workout room, dance studio, indoor track, Olympic sized swimming pool, and much more.

Tossing his gym bag onto the bleachers, Alec bent down to warm up before his sprints. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his hamstrings, and bounced on his feet a little before scanning the bleachers for any potential spectators. Sometimes it made him nervous to have a crowd, other times it encouraged him— it really just depended on his mood. Not seeing anybody, he set off down the track.

Phoenix let out a sigh as he walked into the gym. There was some happy kid running around the track. He let out a sigh and placed his bags down in the bleachers. He pulled boxing wraps out of his duffel bag and began tying them around his hand. As the kid blazed by him he let out a laugh. "New here?"

Alec practically tripped over his feet when he turned to see where the voice came from. God, he prayed, seeing the gorgeous boy,please don’t be straight. Alec had merely stumbled though and slowed his pace down to a stop. “Oh, yeah I am.” He admitted, shrugging. “Is it obvious?” Tossing his hair out of his eyes, Alec flashed Phoenix a wide smile.

Phoenix smiled back. It was nice to see someone new around. Maybe he would make a real friend for once.

"I've just never seen someone so excited to be at Vanderbilt," Phoenix commented. "That is, aside from the drama queens who rule this place, but I've never seen you before."

“Their athletic facilities are amazing!” Alec gushed, unbridled enthusiasm apparent in his voice. “I mean, it’s the perfect place to train.” Energy was apparent in every bit of Alec- he was lightly bouncing on his toes, his hair vibrated a little, and his smile was as bright as the sun. “You see, I’m trying to make it to the Olympics and Vanderbilt is the top school for, well, everything. I can spend the minimum amount of time in class, so I have the maximum time to train.” Alec was blabbering, and he knew it, but he was just so happy to be at Vanderbilt, despite the rumors of nasty mean girls.

Phoenix nodded. Vanderbilt was the top place for everything. After all, it was why he was in attendance and why his mother had attended, too. His goals were probably not as noble or intellectual as those of other students, but he had a passion, and Vanderbilt was the perfect place to mold that passion into something.

"I suppose so," he replied. "I'm no athlete. I just got into some boxing while I was younger, I guess. But this school...it's pretty amazing. The drama can get to you if you're not careful, but I'm getting the vibe that you're careful."

Turning his head to side and pursing his lips a bit, Alec mulled over the statement. “What sort of drama?” He ventured to ask. Alec had always been popular in the sense he had lots of friends, but he never had felt the need to flaunt his family’s status or wealth to intimidate others.

“Well, why are you here then?” He asked,” and I don’t even know your name!” Alec was feeling more curious about this boy every second that passed. Alec did a little bit everything: music, arts, but mostly athletics. His sister often teased him that he must have an Achilles heel somewhere, just something he was bound to fail at, but he hadn’t found it yet.

That was rude of him. Phoenix extended his hand.

"I'm Phoenix Cardin, Heart Sutdent," he said, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you..."

(( santi, in this rp group we try to aim for 2-3 sentences minimum per rp post. maybe try elaborating a bit?— what is phoenix thinking, feeling, etc., not just actions ))

Yet again, he felt a sense of happiness wave over him. A potential new friend was always great. Phoenix hadn’t intentionally painted himself as a loner.

((I’ll be active again maybe later today, probably tomorrow))

“Phoenix, I’m Alec.” Alec took Phoenix’s outstretched hand and enthusiastically shook it. “Heart? I’m in the Ace house. That must mean your talent is musical, right?” Alec was a little in awe of Phoenix— simply put, the boy radiated cool and was devastatingly handsome to boot. Here was Alec, just a runner. “You know, you seem pretty cool.” Alec admitted to Phoenix. Phoenix wouldn’t be bad to have as a friend, he seemed to be friendly and interesting enough. Alec hadn’t even been to his dorm yet, he was just so excited to see the athletic center.

“Cool’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s nice to meet you Alec,” Phoenix replied. He was flattered by Alec’s comments. It wasn’t every day someone called him cool. “And yeah, I do the music thing. I play guitar. So, how are you liking the rest of the campus?”

Alec listened intently to Phoenix. “Guitar? Wow, that’s neat... I play a little violin.” He commented offhandedly. Alec brushed his rambunctious curly hair out of his face, replying,”Well the campus seems pretty awesome so far— but I’ve only been to the athletic center so far. I’ve heard there’s lots of secret rooms and an amazing dining hall though.” Alec was always down to eat— he burned thousands of calories running each day after all. “How’s the music program here?”

"I've certainly gotten better," Phoenix shared. "Not that I was bad before, but now I think I'm actually impressive. I'm sure your skills as a violinist will skyrocket here." He thought back on something. "My old roommate was a violinist, but he got reassigned or something." He hadn't really talked to his old roommate. The kid only came into the dorm to sleep and left first thing in the morning. Phoenix would sometimes come back to find the guy practicing, only for him to leave to find someplace more quiet seconds later.

“I just do violin for fun,” Alec quickly clarified,” just some things I picked up from my mother.” Alec by no means was a violin prodigy like his mother, but he wasn’t a beginner by any means. “I’m here for track, but I already said that. Phoenix, do you plan to be a professional drummer or something? That’s just the vibe I get off of you.” Alec let out a small laugh, itching to return to the track and beat an old record of his. He was constantly full of energy, just begging to be released on the track.

“I don’t know, I guess I just want to be successful at something,” he admitted. “But right now I just want to let off some steam.” Boxing was only a hobby, but it always seemed to cool him off. It was nice to have something to keep his mind occupied. “And you, track star, probably have some records you’re just waiting to crush. I guess I’ll see you around Alec?”

“Oh yeah, definitely.” Alec assured Phoenix, getting ready to sprint off. “Hopefully, we’ll see each other again soon.” Alec flashed Phoenix a smile and dashed off.

- end of roleplay -

Georgia was sitting next to the weights. She was a mountain of a woman, at least 6'2, but she often tried to shrink into herself while at the school. This was the place where she didn't stand out like a sore thumb, and the only place she could be completely comfortable. She was currently tightening the brace around her knee, better safe than sorry. It was one of her pre-workout traditions to do and undo it exactly 4 times; 4 was a magic number for her. 4 always brought her luck. She cracked her neck, rolled her shoulders, and got ready to do a killer set of squats. Her current limit was 421 pounds, but she wasn't happy with it. She never was happy with where she was at athletically, something she shared with many other ace students. It was never enough for her.

(( Totally forgot!! Will reply in the AM ))

Alec had come back to the gym— it was expected, seeing he was in the Ace house and all. He saw one girl strapping on a brace and walked over to say hi. “Hi! I’m Alec Demopoulos.” He introduced himself, extending out a friendly hand. “Are you in the Ace house?” Alec bet she was— she was tall and muscular, and could probably easily bench press him. Alec, on the other hand, was more lithe and toned, perfect for running.

She shook his hand, giving him a small semi-awkward smile. "Georgia Lees. And, uh, yeah." Looking at him, Georgia knew that he was in the ace house as well. He was a bit lanky, sure, but all that meant was that he was built to go fast. He was probably a runner, maybe a speed skater. She could probably pick him up and toss him if she really wanted to.

“Well, I’m new here.” Alec explained un-necessarily, re-tying his laces. “But the facilities here?? Amazing. I spend as much time as possible here.” And it was true— if he wasn’t sleeping, eating, or studying, he could be found without fail in the gym. “What’s your sport Georgia?” He questioned, bouncing up and down to stretch out his calves. Taking a gulp from his water bottle, Alec wondered what he would run today. Some 60 meter sprints? A mile? Or maybe even some weight or strength training, although he was wearing running shoes... but he had another pair of sneakers in his gym bag.

"Im new here too, I guess." She had come at the beginning of the year, but I mean, it was her first year there. Alec's enthusiasm made her come out of her shell a little bit, something that not a lot of people managed to do. When he asked about her sport, she visibly lit up. "Oh! I do a lot of things. I started with just regular skating- fuck, that must have been about 11 years ago. But I then took on speed skating, then figure, then roller derby, although my main focus right now is derby. Im actually trying out for team USA soon!"

Alec had no idea about all the complexities of skating, but he got excited at the mention of the Olympics. “The Olympics? Wow, me too!” He enthused, glad they had something in common. “I’m going to do something in track for Greece, whatever I’m eligible for.” Alec was like a Greek god regarding running— if he could make it into any Olympic event however, it’d probably be 100 meters, 200 meters, or 1,500 meters. “Is derby skating like... roller skating?” Alec felt stupid, but he was really clueless when it came to skating. He was much more sound in running shoes than skates.

(?)

Georgia bounced a little bit where she sat half from excitement and half from restlessness. "I mean, it depends on what your idea of skating is. You use quads for derby- if you used in lines you'd snap your ankles. It's a slower game than a lot of people think." She prefered to play the slow game, despite many strategies keeping it quick. "They also think it's more violent than it really is for some reason. I mean, yeah, we hurt each other, but we always feel bad about it." Her tone was surprisingly cheery considering she had just admitted to causing other girls pain.

“Hm.” Alec replied thoughtfully. He wouldn’t be comfotable with the idea of running into other people, on purpose, for sport. But, to each their own, right? Limbering up his legs, he asked,”Do you think you could teach me sometime?” Alec was always looking for something new to try and excel at. Or maybe, derby skating was his Achille’s heel. The smile on his face was expectant and not doing a very good job of hiding his excitement.

"Derby, speed, or figure? All are incredibly different, and skates tend to be expensive-" she stopped herself, every bit of the cheer seeming to seep back into the Introvert Box™. She knew she wasnt supposed to let anyone realize that she was on a scholarship, but she was just going through the speech she gave to anyone who wanted to get skating a try. Clearing her throat a bit awkwardly, she continued, "Well, uh, not that that should me a problem, I guess. The thing about derby is you have to find a coed team. It's a woman dominated sport, and most teams are girls only."

“Hm.” Alec replied, thinking the options over. “Speed skating.” He decided ultimately, wondering what he had to buy. “I don’t think I’ll be doing professional skating anytime soon!” He laughed, jogging in place to warm up before some sprints. “Money won’t be a problem.” He assured her, before realizing that the words he just said were just a tad snobbish... Alec wasn’t stupid or inconsiderate— he knew that there were kids on scholarship, and he always tried his best to not make his financial situation on display, but at Vanderbilt, after a while, you just sort of assumed everyone was rich since scholarship kids mostly kept to themselves.

"Just inline skates and a helmet, but depending on your shoe size you can use my old ones." She couldnt help but feel a awkward now; admittimg that you were a scholarship student in a school like this might as well be suicide. Still, Alec didnt seem like the sort of person to give her shit for it. He seemed genuine and sweet. "I have bigger feet than youd expect, I might have a pair in your size."