6

Chapter 6

Adele Wilson

I left for the ice hockey arena once it was 3:55 p.m, with only one question hammering in my mind. What does he want to show me?

‘Relax, Adele. You'll find out when you get there'.

The arena was empty as I walked inside, so I decided to wait for him.

4pm on the dot, and I heard the door opening. Jason walked in.

“You were here.” I rose to my feet as he approached me.

“Have you been waiting?”

I shook my head. “No. I just came in.”

He sat on one of the chairs, gesturing to the one right beside him. “Sit.”

I sat beside Jason, curiosity eating at me as I waited for him to show me whatever he said he would show me.

Then he brought out a mini notebook from his jacket and gave it to me.

“Open it.”

I ran my thumb across the cover, holding it tight.

The first thing that caught my attention the moment I opened it were the words scribbled on the first page of the notebook.

‘Project help Adele’.

Then followed by a timetable.

“Project help Adele.” I whispered those words, a smile weirdly creeping up my face.

“We are starting your journey tomorrow…” he paused, turning to face me.

“First, we need to work on your confidence. That is what matters for now.”

“Okay…”

“You need to accept yourself for who you are. Don't let anyone bully you. Talk and think positively about yourself… And if anyone ever talks badly about your body, you strike back.”

He looked into my eyes and said.

“Huh?”

How could I do that when I've never had the courage to?

“Do you understand?”

“Uhm… including Henry and Chloe?”

He scoffed. “I just said ‘anyone that talks badly about your body’, Adele. Anyone can mean Henry and Chloe too.”

My palms itched and heated up, and I slowly rubbed it together. The question is, will I ever be able to do this?

“I will try.” I whispered, maybe loud enough to his hearing.

He continued. “Good.”

His eyes roamed my body, and he grimaced.

“What? Is anything wrong with me?” I batted my eyelashes.

“Everything is wrong with your dress, Adele.”

I bit my lip, looking at my dress as if for confirmation. I've always known that my fashion sense was messed up, but I never gave it much attention. Not that changing it would make them stop bullying me anyway.

“Secondly, we need to change your wardrobe.”

My eyes widened. With which money? I'm fucking broke! I can barely feed.

I wrinkled my face and drawled. “I am broke.”

“I will lend you some money for that.” As if he read my mind, he offered.

Nobody had ever offered me help before. Not without asking for something in return. My chest tightened… not from fear, but something that almost felt like gratitude.

But wait… How will I pay back? I don't even have a job! I've never been able to work anywhere because of my weight. They would always claim that I was too heavy to move around.

Still, I smiled as if it was fine, as I muttered, “Thank you.”

“Then, we will work on your diet.” He proceeded.

Oh, no please! Don't touch my diets! It's the only thing I'm surviving on. But I just nodded, putting on a smile.

“We'll exercise together to help regulate your weight, and maybe lose a few pounds… And I will teach you other stuff too.”

By the time Jason was done talking, I could feel my heart fluttering with joy. The imagination of my transformation made me all over the moon.

‘It’s too early to rejoice, Adele. Relax’.

“So, you are going to keep the book. I already wrote all the diet plans there, and our exercising routine too.”

He said casually, and I quickly flipped through the pages, glancing through them.

“Thanks for this. I will study it when I get home.” I said, pushing it inside my backpack.

Jason stared, unreadable. Whatever he was thinking, I couldn’t tell.

“Can you move into the dorm for a few weeks?” He broke the silence. “That way, this will be easier. I mean, the workout, and everything.”

Move into the dorm? Is that a good idea?

Would that mean staying close to him? With other students? Or alone?

But still, I agreed.

“Alright. I'll tell my father about this and get back to you.”

“Good… I'll text the workout plan to you later.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

“Hmm.” He stood, tucking his hands in his jacket. “See you around tomorrow.”

He had turned to leave when I recalled that I hadn't thanked him yet earlier, so I called his attention.

“Jason…”

He paused, turning to face me.

“Thank you for today. I mean, at the canteen.”

He stared at me blankly for seconds, then a smile crept up his face and disappeared almost immediately.

“Hmm.” He patted my shoulder and without a word, he turned and walked away.

I sat back on the chair, holding on tightly to the book as if my life depended on it… Oh… apparently, my entire

existence really depended on it.

“I wish this would really change my life.” I whispered, dragging in a deep breath…