Ian fights back a laugh before wiping any traces of it off his face. “Suck my dick, bro.”
Holy swearing. I dart my gaze between the two bickering athletes, not sure how to react. Nick's eyebrows are raised, and he's…biting his lip. That's odd.
Then he strokes Ian's forearm. “Oh, I know you want it. I'm gonna give your poor, deprived cock the best sloppy toppy it’ll ever have.”
Huh. I wasnotexpecting that. Wait, are they…
Ian scoffs. “Sloppy toppy? More like toothy torture, coming from your sorry ass. I don't know about you, but I’ve kinda grown attached to my epidermis…”
Two pairs of eyes flick over to me, and my breath catches. They definitely forgot I was here.
“Sorry. We have an…interesting friendship," Nick says.
Seemingly agreeing, Ian punches Nick’s chest. They do have an interesting friendship, I'll give them that.
“Okay,” I say, changing the subject. “I’m fine with doing the voiceover, that video thing, and more of the research.”
Ian opens his mouth to speak, but Nick beats him to it. “Yeah, that would be a good idea. I’ll send the final split today or tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Ian and I say at the same time.
The three of us stand up and head for the lecture hall, and even though I’m used to silence, the lack of conversation somehow gets to me.
“I can film my part and send it over by next Monday for you to edit,” I say, if only to make some kind of noise, and Ian stops walking, turning to face me with a confused expression.
“Dude, this part isn’t due for another two weeks. You’re chilling.”
“I mean, I have time, so…” My phone buzzes, distracting me, and I pull it out. There are two emails in my inbox, and my palms dampen when I skim through the first one.
Inbox: West Wisconsin Community College
From: reginacross
I hit delete and block Mom’s contact before I can even read the subject line. It can’t be anything good, or anything I want to see. I should block Dad’s email address, too, since I still need to look at my old account to finalize my college transfer, and then I skim the next, hopefully better, message.
Inbox: WMUMail
From: WMU Health
Subject: MHW Triage Complete
Callum Cross:
We are pleased to inform you that the triage process for Mental Health and Wellness Counseling is complete. You are scheduled for an initial appointment with Anita Young, MSW at 2:30 p.m. on January 12.
My heart jumps, both from excitement and trepidation, all at once. I power off my phone and shove it back in my pocket, even though Iknownobody could have peeked.
I’m a mess, and that isn’t lost on me, but this is a chance for me to change that. Coming all the way to WMU is only half the battle, and if I want to be a normal member of society again in a reasonable timeframe, I’m going to need a push.
I just wish I didn’t need it in the first place.
“Hey, Callum, you okay?” Ian asks.
Oh, shoot.He was waiting for me?
“Yeah. I, uh, got an admin email,” I say.
“Cool.” He rotates his head, pointing to the lecture hall. “Anyway, you should come sit with us. I promise Nick and I won’t be too obnoxious.”
