“Who's to say I'm not already nuts?” After all, it took a fuckton of stupidity plus bravery to go after a Smasher with no weapons drawn and the intent to use herself as bait. In most people's eyes, that qualified as batshit crazy. Jackie wasn't inclined to argue; maybe she was out of her mind to do some of the things she did, but the adrenaline rush was worth it.
“Unless that's gonna be part of your challenge. To see how much you have to push before I go into a rage and kick you out of the gym.” The corners of her mouth, which she'd managed to keep straight up to this point, began to tug upward, not into a smirk or a smile, but something in between. “I've put up with a lot of shit from a lot of people, so I'm immune to more than just the infection.” Anything he did, she'd take it in stride.
In truth, Jackie never put more strain on a person than she thought they could handle. Her methods did range from boot camp tough to kindergarten easy. “Your stamina's what tells me how much you can take, Johnson. So whether you get a boot camp trainer is up to what you show me you can do.” If Zach was like any other man who trained with her, his ego wouldn't let him put in any less than all his effort.
She arched an eyebrow when he referred to her as gorgeous. Not really a word she heard often. Many of Jackie's facial features were considered masculine by most people's standards, so while she didn't believe she was unattractive, it took a lot more effort than she was willing to put in to make herself look more feminine. She wasn't mistaken for a man often, and being called gorgeous was, admittedly, a nice thing to hear. One side of her mouth rose to match her raised eyebrow. “And he thinks he's gonna sweet-talk his way through this. This should be interesting.”
If there was anyone on the compound more suited for appreciating the human shape in all its forms, Jackie had yet to meet them. More often than not, her interest was purely aesthetic – a person's curves and muscle definition were fascinating to observe – but naturally there was a sexual interest, as well. She wasn't shy about looking, and if it helped Zach or anyone like him feel better about themselves, she was more than happy to help out.
In response to Zach's cocky expression, Jackie canted her head to one side, assessing him. “Gotta appreciate a guy who let's the lady be in charge,” she said after a moment, before setting the timer on her watch and preparing to join him for the three-minute warmup.