Mr.Right

I think I'm going to pass out.

As in, I think I'm going to pass out right here, right now, on the cold floor, with my limbs spread out like Nutella on bread. 

"Go faster, come on. Even my Granny can do better than this," Maverick says and I wipe the sweat from my forehead and increase my pace on the treadmill.

You might well be asking why I'm on a treadmill, sweating like a pig and running as though my life depends on it. Well, I got into something resembling a therapy session with Maverick and this was the result.

Our conversation went something like this:

"What are the qualities you admire in a person, April?" he said. He was seated opposite me with one of his legs crossed over the other.

I hesitated. "Um... I like a person who's confident being who they are and who doesn't care what others think of them."

He nodded  at my answer and wrote something down in his notepad before looking back at me. "And why do you admire those things?"

"I want to see the things I don't have in others," I said.

"Do you believe that everyone is beautiful in their own way?"

I gave a dry laugh. "Excuse me? Have you met me? We can't all be beautiful or I wouldn't be here, feeling like this. Some of us are just... existing. We don't like anyone and nobody likes us."

I saw him frown before writing something back on his notepad. "If you had the chance to change something about yourself, what would that be?"

"My size," I said, without thinking, and both his eyebrows shot up. "I've been criticized more times than I can count, just because I'm... big. I get that it's good to love yourself, no matter who you are, but it's hard to believe that when there are so many jerks in the world."

And that was the end of the 'semi therapy session'. The next thing Maverick did was drag out a treadmill and order me to get on it. You know the rest.

I was pretty powerless at resisting him.

"That's forty-five minutes already." He punches a button on the treadmill which causes it to stop.

I place my hands on my knees and pant.

"This is crazy," I say between breaths and watch him tut at me.

"You have to up your game. There're still thirty more days to go." He strolls out of the room, as if he hasn't just given me a death sentence - how am I supposed to do thirty more days of this? - and I follow behind.

When I reach the kitchen, I fling the refrigerator open, taking out a huge, shiny tub of ice cream.

Maverick catches my wrist. "Let me have a look at that. It looks expired."

before looking at him in confusion and handing it over. Then he does

all the ice cream into

I stare at the empty ice

that you're going to adhere to from now on." He brings out a marker

idea what's going on right now. I

grapefruit, one banana and black

don't like bananas," I

hear they go great with

"But I don't like-"

hasn't heard me. "You'll have two hard-boiled eggs, one banana and

many

to write on the fridge again. "In that case, there'll be no bananas for dinner. You can just

scrunch my face in disgust at the mention of salad. I haven't eaten anything that looks remotely like lettuce since,

continues like this until he's covered the whole week and the fridge just looks like a sad

are officially over.

at least have some pie?" I ask desperately, in a last-ditch attempt to make the week more

See you later. And no, no pie." He retrieves his coat from the arm of a

I pick it up, without

the other end of

~~~~~~~~

with making breakfast this morning because, according to the chart, it's

nose turn red. I shrug

my way to meet Jim and my brother at a

and got whacked with a shovel by his neighbour. I can't blame seventy-six-year-old Nana for learning self-defence in case there's an

these days sneaking into

just glad he went to Jim's instead of calling Tony.

at a table at the far end of the restaurant when

ice-pack pressed over one eye and his sleek dark hair is combed all

to see you," I grin, once I've reached their table. Then I nod at

the same," Jack replies dryly. "Did

should've told me before yesterday that you

going to give you a surprise visit and what I saw at Tony's place came as

everything." Jim speaks for the first time since I got here. "Which you

an 'I'm sorry' as he diverts his gaze to somewhere that isn't my

be pissed at me. I can't even handle my

have broken it off," Jack says to the both of us. "My sister was so dense at the time.

yells out in pain. "What do you know? You were twelve and the only thing you should've been worried about

says, his lips lifting up into a small smile. "But he had his first chest hair at