Page 26 of Defend Me
Brooks smiled as if he loved that answer. “Cool, cool. Valid. Tilian?”
“My degree is in social work, so it’s also a requirement.”
“Oli?”
“Psychology major.”
“Oof. Law for me, obviously. We all have a reason for taking it, not just a random decision, so I think we should put a lot of thought into the topic we choose for the project.”
“Gender discrimination in the workplace?” I offered.
“Based, but I guarantee someone else will do that. It’s a hot button topic.”
“Globalization,” Dean suggested.
“Meh. Boring.”
“Okay, Mr. Hot Shot. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I’m not in charge here.”
Dean scoffed and, once again, Brooks looked entertained. The more I was around him, I was torn between him being a bit of a dick or simply a down to earth, fun-loving guy. It seemed like he enjoyed riling people up, pushing them to some limit as if it was a game he was playing while the rest of us were his unknowing lab rats trying to navigate the maze. I liked mazes, but that was beside the point.
“Mental health services on college campuses,” I said quietly.
All three of them looked at me. I couldn’t tell if they liked the idea. Since Brooks hadn’t turned it down yet, I figured it was as good an option as any.
He leaned toward me, which made me tense. “Sell me on it.”
“Uh… Well, during the pandemic, people started paying more attention to mental health concerns. People were working from home and students were attending classes online. Now, the conversation has died down, but we’re still more aware than we were before. Even unrelated to Covid, students have high rates of mental illness, acute depression, and burnout among other things. There are resources, but they hardly do any good. Ask most students and they couldn’t tell you how to access any services offered by the college. Also, there are aspects of college life that directly affect students more than the general population, so there should arguably be even more accessible resources.”
Brooks grinned. “Fucking beautiful. What do you think, Dean?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’m down,” Oliver said with a shrug.
“Look at us,” Brooks exclaimed. “Ten minutes in and we’re already making moves.”
“We should do surveys on campus as part of our research.”
“That’s a good idea. I love harassing people.”
I breathed a laugh. “That’s your job, then.”
“We should do each step together,” Dean countered. “I hate group projects where tasks are delegated. It makes things less cohesive.”
Brooks nodded slowly. “I agree.” He turned to me and offered me a kind smile. “Sorry, bud. You’ll have to brave the land of the living. We’ll take care of you, though. Right, guys?”
Dean nodded his agreement. Oliver seemed a little distracted. He was either spacing out or looking at Dean. When he saw me watching him, he leaned back on his hands.
“Sounds like a plan.”
While Brooks and Oliver discussed some more of the logistics, I watched him. He interacted so easily with everyone. Aside from my attraction to him, I was curious. He said we were friends and I wondered if he’d really meant that.
When my anxiety returned to a manageable level, I offered the pen to Brooks. He took it with a groan.
“I thought you’d never offer.”
