"Sarah!" I called out excitedly, rushing forward to hug my best friend and roommate, who I hadn't seen for the past month due to the college break. We hugged each other for a while before separating. "Zoey, I've missed you," Sarah said, smiling from ear to ear. "Me too," I replied.
Sarah's expression turned concerned as she looked me up and down. "You've lost a lot of weight again, Zoey. I've always told you that you'll always look beautiful, no matter what." Her frown made it clear that she disapproved of my drastic weight loss.
I smiled warmly at her and sat down on her bed. "I know, I just didn't have anything to do during the holiday, so I decided to enroll in the gym. I couldn't imagine myself just sitting at home for two months straight." Sarah took a deep breath and sat down beside me. "Zoey, you and I both know that only going to the gym can't get you to lose this much weight in just two months. I mean, just look at you - you're literally half the size you were two months ago. You starved yourself too, didn't you?"
I pursed my lips, trying to downplay the situation. "A little?" Sarah raised her eyebrows, clearly not buying it. "Okay, fine. I might have gone on a salad diet and eaten only once a day," I admitted.
Sarah's expression turned shocked. "Zoey Armstrong, do you want to kill yourself?" she exclaimed. "Is it because of that boy?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
I looked at her, momentarily confused. "What boy?" Sarah reminded me, "The guy you met at the gym months ago, who said he goes to this school but you haven't seen him since you got admitted here. What's his name again?"
I rolled my eyes, trying to brush off the topic. "Oh, you mean Chris? Of course not. Why would I go through all that because of a boy? I just wanted to look and feel good about myself. It has everything to do with me and nothing to do with him. Besides, I'm already over that scumbag," I said, trying to reassure her - and maybe myself.
Sarah nodded, seeming to accept my explanation. "Right... I just hope you know that you don't have to change yourself for anyone to like you," she said, hugging me again. "God, I missed you. What about Mia? Is she coming today too?"
I smiled, relieved that the topic had changed. "Yes, but she'll be here in the evening." Mia was my cousin, who was in her third year of college, while Sarah and I were still in our first year. The three of us had paid for accommodation off campus.
Sarah stood up, looking at her watch. "Let's settle down fast so we can go have lunch. Have you eaten today?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
I smiled sheepishly. "Not really, I just had an apple for breakfast before leaving the house." Sarah's eyes widened as she checked the time. "It's already 3 pm, and you're telling me you've only had an apple today?" she asked, incredulous.
I smiled warmly at her, feeling a little guilty. Sarah was like a second mother to us, always looking out for our well-being. She sighed, resignation etched on her face. "Zoey, it's your life, your body... but I just hope you don't hurt yourself in the process of finding that 'perfect body' which isn't so perfect, anyway. Just take care of yourself, okay?"
I nodded, feeling a little chastened. "Okay, Mama Sarah," we both chuckled. "Now, let's arrange our things quickly and go grab lunch."
--------
After settling down, Sarah and I decided to cook something instead of going out to buy lunch. So, we (specifically Mama Sarah) made lunch and dinner. In the middle of our lunch, Sarah asked, "So, did you see or hear from Chris during the holiday?" I looked up from my plate, "Nope." "Oh, okay, so he didn't even reach out?" "He didn't." "I see." I bit my tongue, having lied.
"Actually, I was the one who reached out to him. I wished him a happy new year on the 1st," I admitted. "Oh, you did. And what was his reply?" "I quote, 'Happy new year, my love.'" "My love?!" Sarah's eyes widened with surprise. "Yeah," I answered, looking down.
Sarah noted, "You don't look happy." I took a deep breath, putting my spoon down. "I would have been a little ecstatic if I hadn't found out he texted Mia the same thing." Sarah raised her eyebrows, confused. "Mia? What does Mia have to do with this? I thought she didn't know Chris."
"She didn't, and she still doesn't," I explained. "I actually gave her his number and told her to text him on WhatsApp before the new year, and they've started chatting since then." Sarah still looked confused. "I don't understand, why would you do that?"
I shrugged. "Look, it's not that deep, okay? Mia and I met at our aunt's place on Christmas, and we were kind of bored, so we decided to play a little game." Sarah dropped her spoon in her plate, looking at me incredulously. "Girl, I always knew you were crazy, but I didn't know you were this crazy. What if he finds out? What do you think he's going to think of you? And more importantly, what if he ends up liking her? Zoey, you've created a ticking time bomb."
I picked up my spoon, continuing to eat my food. "Nope, Mia knows not to do that. Even though Chris and I never dated, she knows he's off-limits." I had a lot of trust in my cousin.
Sarah said, "Well, I trust Mia too, but you should really stop liking this guy for real." I rolled my eyes, giving up on explaining further. "What do you mean? I said I'm over him already." "No, no, girl, you can't fool me, not with your little holiday story just now." I sighed, knowing I couldn't hide my feelings from Sarah.