Page 32 of Game Plan

“Always. She’s supposed to try some raspberry and cream cheese ones next month. She said we would be her testing team from now on. You in?”

“Absolutely. Your mom’s baking reminds me of my best friend in high school. She was always trying new recipes. She was great at it.”

Donovan gave me a quizzical stare. “That friend?”

I had confided in him about my past. Not everything, but some parts of it. One day, after we finished training, he admitted that, when he was younger, he’d struggled with body image and his sexuality and used to be bullied because of it. He had spent three months at a live-in treatment facility for eating disorders when he was fifteen. Our struggles were another thing we bonded over, and one of the reasons we became such fast friends. We just understood each other and never judged the other. I was his support system, and he had become mine. It was that simple.

I opened the lid but hesitated before taking a bite, staring at the scone.

“No, you’re not doing that.”

I snapped out of it. “What?”

“Hesitating. Counting calories. Wait, when did it start again?”

I blinked. How could he tell? I was sure my staring lasted less than three seconds.

“Mel. Be honest. We already talked about that. We tell each other when we’re struggling. Talk.”

“The other night. With Cassie. We were having pizza, and it just happened. I didn’t plan on doing it. Numbers kept popping into my mind.”

“Did you tell anyone? Your support group?”

“Nah. It’s nothing. It was a one-time thing. I was under some stress. It’s okay now.”

“Are you sure? Because you looked at that pastry like it had wronged you somehow. Girl, I know the look.”

“Fine. I just wondered how many calories were in the scone. Happy now?”

He touched my forearm. “Don’t be mad at me. I’m here for you. Does it happen often?”

“Nah. Just once. Before that episode, I had no idea when it had last happened. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“I’ll keep an eye on you. Just in case.”

I sighed. “You don’t have to.”

He squeezed my arm. “I insist. That’s what friends are for.”

“Thanks.” I felt bad for being caught but also grateful I had someone watching over me, who knew just how bad my inner struggles could become sometimes.

“Are you ready for today’s test?”

I nodded, grateful for the change of subject, as I sipped my to-go coffee. “It’s seriously the most boring class I have this semester. I’m not sure how they can quiz us on public speaking and communication processes. Someone in my Applied Writing class said nobody failed Intro to Comm because the professor has no interest in seeing the same faces semester after semester. I guess we’ll see.”

We sidestepped to the right to clear the way for a group of students climbing down the stairs of Elizabeth Edison Hall before making our way inside.

“You coming to the swim team party next week?” my friend asked once we took our seats, and I pushed my book bag under the desk after lining up my pens and notebook on top.

“No.” I offered him an apologetic smile. “I’m working from five to eleven. George agreed to give me Saturday night off since we have a meet on Sunday. I’m trying to work as much as I can during the week, so he doesn’t fire my ass since I often need a night off on the weekends. He’s a big fan of the university’s varsity teams, so it helps, but I don’t wanna appear difficult or feel like I need special favors.”

“Yeah, I get it. We could do brunch at Hot Shot on Saturday morning and study. Is Cassidy working? I hate it when it’s the old barista guy. He always wants to kick us out if we hog a table for more than an hour without ordering every five minutes.”

“He takes commitment to the next level. At first, I believed he was the owner. Anyway, she’ll be there all day Saturday.”

“Awesome.”

The teaching assistant walked in. “Morning, guys. As announced last week, we have a test today. You can leave once you’re done. The assignment, which is due next class, will be posted on the website and on the bulletin board by my office door. You can email me or meet with me if you have questions. I'm responsible for grading these quizzes, under Professor Suleman’s watch, and I’ll be taking this class over from now on until the end of the semester. Any questions?”