Chapter 7 - under pressure

January was a long and painful month as college started up again. But by the end of the month, the revision and exams were starting to take their toll on Kelly's routines. Despite all of the hours she had put in, she still felt hideously unprepared; she had never felt stress like it before in her life. Now that Christmas was over, she was needed less at her part-time job, but there still weren't enough hours in the day; not for everything she wanted to do. She hadn't mixed up a gainer shake in days. In fact, she could hardly even think about eating. Unlike some girls, Kelly knew she was not a stress-eater.

"Are you ok?" Gus asked, looking at Kelly sideways as she came down to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Not really," Kelly replied, rushing about so that she could get back upstairs to her revision as fast as possible. "I've got so much to do," she sighed in a panic.

Kelly could see that Gus was looking at her awkwardly; he wanted to say something to ease her nerves, but they didn't have that sort of friendship. Besides, nothing he could say could make her feel any better.

It was about half an hour later, when Kelly was up to her eyeballs in textbooks; she heard a knock at her bedroom door. 'Who is it?' she grumbled to herself. Didn't they all know how much work she had to do?

She stomped to the door, furious, only to find Gus standing outside with a tray.

"Hey Kelly, I know you're kinda stressed at the moment." He started, walking in to the room, which he had never done before. "But you haven't eaten all day and that's not good. You can't ace these exams on an empty stomach."

Kelly looked at the tray, loaded with a stack of heavily buttered toast and a large slab of her fattening brownie, which she had baked at the weekend, inelegantly shoved onto a side plate. The presentation was that of a typical jock-boy who had never had to cook for himself. She stared at Gus, unable to comprehend the kind gesture. "Thanks," she mumbled, realising that her anxious state was probably making her more emotional about it than necessary.

There was an awkward nod of acknowledgement. Kelly's stomach made a loud and angry gargling sound and she clutched her thicker middle with embarrassment. But Gus simply chuckled and quietly tiptoed out of the room, retreating quickly so as not to disturb her further.

Kelly settled down to her buttery feast suddenly feeling a lot calmer. It was as if Gus had put everything into perspective for her. She really was well-prepared for these exams; she had probably put in more hours of revision than most on her course. The best thing she could do now to be ready, was to take care of herself; which Gus had skilfully reminded her of only a few seconds ago.