She loosened the neckline of her gray hoodie before picking up her spoon for another rich mouthful of Japanese katsu curry. She knew she shouldn’t be eating past six to keep her promise of a healthier diet, but she had already broken so many of her New Years resolutions that this one felt just as harmless. Besides, she felt like if she didn’t get food inside of her right that minute, she would deflate into a pile of gunk. Every time she put down her spoon, thoughts of the midterms and finals she had to study for, the never-ending calls from her overprotective mother that she had to pick up, and the rude, good-for-nothing customers she had to cater to flooded her mind. And so she frowned, and ate, and ate and for once she felt in control of her life, like her food could solve all her problems.

But of course, it always hit her, how pitiful she must look to other people. Melanie Tubbs—a young, 20-year-old girl sporting a matching set of gray sweatpants and a hoodie, eating alone next to a heart-eyed couple, and staring at the chair in front of her, all on a Friday night. She noticed a group of girls in the corner, and the Asian one with brown hair kept looking up at her every so often. “I bet she thinks she’s better than me. I don’t need her pity,” she thought spitefully. Melanie tuned the girl out and let her mind wander. Soon she envisioned herself in a dramatic movie scene. The whole thing would take place in this very restaurant, and it would tell the tale of love, drama, and breakup. All she’d have to do is sit there and say a few different lines each time. Now that’d be the life. She wanted to laugh but she didn’t want to seem crazy, so she sat there in silence the whole time. Her spoon scraped the plate, indicating that her food stress session was over. She wondered if there was anything good about her moving to the city for school. Would she even get anywhere when it seemed like so many of her peers already knew what they were doing? She frowned and asked for the check. Her movie idea didn’t seem too funny anymore, so she paid and she frowned. At least her stomach was full.