Interrupting her, I return her smile. “I know. Thanks, Patsy.”
“No problem.”
I turn on my heel and grab my backpack from the dining area. Instead of making ramen right now, I opt to go down to my room instead. I’ll make it later, after everyone gets settled in their rooms. I’ve had enough interaction with people for one day.
* * *
Knock.Knock. Knock.
I lift my head off my textbook. “Yeah,” I say sleepily.
“Quinn? It’s Patsy. Can I come in?”
“Sure.” I quickly scan my room to make sure I don’t have anything out that would embarrass me—you know, like dirty undies and such.
When she steps in, she looks first at me, then around my room. “Do you like it down here?”
“Yeah. My room is big.” And it is. It’s twice the size of my room at home. It’s also super moist, and I’m pretty sure there’s a colony of spiders living under my bed. So, I’ve got that goin’ for me.
“Good.” She points at my desk chair.
I nod.
Turning it to face me, she sits. “Look. About earlier.”
“No, it’s okay.”
She holds up her hand, and I stop talking. “You and I met last year, so you didn’t know me before.”
“Before?”
“Before I lost just over one hundred pounds.”
“Wow. Really?”
“Really. It took me two years and a fuck-ton of work.” She giggles. “Keeping it off is twice as hard thanks to beer.”
We both laugh at that.
“So, when I said I’d help you, I meant it.”
I open my mouth to speak, but she holds her hand up again. “But with the caveat that you need to know that I meant what I said. You’re beautiful.” I’m about to roll my eyes when she adds, “Allof you.”
She knows. I’m sure she heard about her pretty face a time or two.
“If you want to go for walks, I’d love to go with you. They’re free, and it beats the hell out of running.” She laughs. “I fucking hate running.”
“Me too. Running hurts.”
“Heck, thirty-minute walks every day will give you more energy. You know, endorphins or whatever. If that’s all you do, then you’re still doing something proactive and healthy.”
I walk a lot already. Going across campus several times a day is good enough, right?
“I know what you’re thinking. Yes, we walk a lot on campus, but you’re probably not getting your heart rate up since they’re short distances.”
I swear, the woman is a mind reader. “Tomorrow?” Might as well bite the bullet. I have a feeling Patsy won’t let this go anyway.
“Meet me downstairs at six. We’ll do thirty minutes. On the days we have class, it’ll give us time to get ready for class afterward.”
