Chapter 6: Rumors and Cafeteria Stares

05

Blessing in disguise, the campus nurse said my foot needed rest and I shouldn’t walk much. Derek was forced to become my meal delivery guy. The nurse handed me an ice pack and a pamphlet for the University Counseling Center, adding gently, “Ignore the rumor mill—if talk turns dark, come see us.” I nodded, already vowing never to let anyone glamorize that kind of thing.

Every mealtime, you could see Derek delivering food to the girls’ dorm on time. People said Derek was chasing a crippled girl. Others said the girl confessed, Derek refused, so she tried to jump off a building and broke her leg. The rumor mill at Boise State could rival TMZ, and I hated how casually people threw around serious stuff.

“Derek, maybe you shouldn’t deliver food to me anymore.” I felt a little sad. Selfishly, I wanted him to bring me food, but I couldn’t stand him being the center of gossip. I could see the whispers and side-eyes every time he showed up.

“Fine.” Hearing his reply, I was disappointed but tried not to show it. Derek handed me the takeout box, “You can walk a bit now. Which classroom do you have class in this afternoon? I’ll pick you up and we’ll go to the cafeteria together.”

??????

If I’d known getting hit by a basketball came with perks, I would’ve been banging my head on basketballs since freshman year! I made a mental note to thank the basketball gods.

Thanks to Derek, for the first time at school, I was stared at like a monkey in a zoo. Everyone’s eyes were full of regret, like someone stole their last donut. Hey, I’m not that bad, okay? I even won first place in national university women’s shot put! Maybe I should wear my medal as a necklace. We marched past the meal-swipe station, the Chick-fil-A line snaking into the hall, and a table of Greek-life girls whispering into their Hydro Flasks.

Maybe because Derek ate with me, the food tasted way better than what he delivered. Hearing this, Derek’s face darkened. I thought he was mad I was teasing him, so I quickly explained eating with him was just so-so.

His face got even darker. I held up my hands, surrendering, “Just kidding, okay?” And in my head, I promised myself: less gawking, more grace—starting tomorrow.