CHARACTER: Jeff Sterling (Bio HERE)
PLAYED OUT SECRET: No one knows he was a teen dad and was too scared to own up to it. He never saw his daughter and refused to be involved with another girl ever since, as he’s too afraid of an accident happening again.
NEW SECRET: Jeff has Type 1 Diabetes
It took a while. From even allowing himself to think he really had a child, through all the obstacles on his way, it took a while to meet Luna. His family and close friends slowly found out about her, and Jeff figured that after meeting her, making a promise to never leave her life again, that the rest of the world could know about her, too. So he made an announcement, not caring what people thought of him. The ones that mattered had his back, so what if someone he’s acquainted with think he’s a horrible human being? So does Jeff, that’s nothing new, but he’s changing that, and he’s slowly changing the way he thinks about himself. Maybe he hadn’t been a good dad until then, but he was going to be one now.
Going from a relatively warm island in Spain back to snow-covered New York, aided with whatever virus kept going around campus, Jeff got an infection and quarantined himself in his room for as long he was considered contagious. It didn’t happen often, but when Jeff gets sick he just becomes the biggest baby in the world and he’s sure no one wants his company when he’s complaining about his stuffed nose all the time. Or all the coughing. Or the fact he can’t get a good night’s rest even though he’s sleeping way more than usual.
Breathing after having a stuffed nose for days was like breathing for the first time, and so was doing everything he hadn’t been able to do while lying under the covers for a week. He went back to the gym, ate enough for the days he barely got anything in besides liquids, and even water tasted fresher. Only this didn’t lat for a few days, until his body went back to normal. Jeff kept eating, way more than his regular work out routine usually demanded, but he didn’t feel heavier, in fact, Jeff’s slowly losing weight. He became tired quicker, having to actually take a break during his dance classes, and wearing his glasses gives him horrible headaches when he’s tired and his vision is blurry.
He’s not sure what this means, but he figures it’s just his body recovering from the strong virus. He doesn’t get sick often, so he’s sure it took a toll on him, but there’s something about the fatigue, the blurry vision even with his contacts in, and how he has to bring something sugary for a mid workout snack that leaves a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach.
