chapter 12

It was well into October, and Sonia had forgot about our little quarrel. I admitted I had overreacted, and of course, instead of apologizing, all Sonia did was agree with me; but I did notice how much less of a bitch she was that day to not only me but to Evan, Lola, and Sam as well.
Around the beginning of October was when Sam was officially admitted into our social circle, after much reluctance from Sonia obviously. Together we hung out, studied, and partied (but this time without the ditching).
I had been calling Mom and Dad since we arrived. They'd been asking how I was doing, how my classes were, if I had made any new friends, when I'd be coming back, and if I had managed to eat as regularly as I did back home. For the latter, I told them not to fret, because since I started attending the university, I gained 15 pounds.
"Well that's why it's called the Freshman 15, sweetie," Mom said.
But usual Freshman 15s would last until the freshman gained 15 pounds (give or take) throughout the entirety of their first year attending university. I had only been at UMichigan for a little over a month, and I certainly didn't have plans to peak at 230 pounds. So party after party, while everyone would be dancing and drinking (underage, mind you), I'd be stuffing my face, and I'd always catch Sam eyeing me from behind.
My waistline wasn't all that grew, however. As I said our social group did in fact grow, but not only that, my future grew brighter as well. Sam and I continued to go on "dates" (we never called them that despite the fact that we've kissed almost all the time and that we've been so close to having sex only for Evan to appear at the worst times imaginable). While the majority of them were composed of me -- I mean, us -- eating, we did do other stuff too, like watching movies together, cuddling, you name it. We were happy together, at least I thought so. Sam really never talked about how he felt but his constant bushing and those eyes of his that always glistened were enough to give away that he was having a good time.
It was the start of something special.