The Popular Girl Mocked My Weight, Until I Became a Total Knockout Chapter 01

The Popular Girl Mocked My Weight, Until I Became a Total Knockout Chapter 01

I was born with a face that could stop people in their tracks.

When I came into this world, the doctors and nurses froze mid-motion, too stunned to speak.

Outside the nursery, a line formed every single day. People crammed against the glass, elbowing each other for a glimpse of the newborn miracle.

The local news ran the story for three days straight. It was the talk of the town for an entire month.

By my first birthday, fistfights broke out daily over who got the nap mat next to mine in kindergarten.

My parents had no choice but to pull me out and move me from school to school, over and over again.

Then, when I turned five, I truly discovered my love for food. Within a few short years, I’d eaten myself into a round little ball.

Staring at my chubby cheeks, my parents let out a relieved sigh. “A few extra pounds never hurt anyone, as long as you’re healthy.”

From then on, my life settled into quiet, peaceful normalcy.

Until the class dinner after graduation.

The prettiest girl in our class, Brittany Shaw, smiled and said, “They say every overweight person is a diamond in the rough. I bet Emma would be gorgeous if she lost weight.”

The rest of the class snickered.

One of the guys even yelled out, “If Emma ever gets half as hot as Brittany, I’ll date her!”

“She’d need more than just weight loss for that. Probably plastic surgery too, right? Hahaha…”

Their words didn’t bother me one bit.

What did bother me was the text from my mom.

[The doctor said being overweight is bad for your health. Emma, starting today, you’re going on a diet! Or else I’m locking away all your blind box figures!]

I sighed.

For the sake of my babies, the weight had to go.

***

The mocking laughter echoed through the private dining room at The Golden Lantern.

When everyone saw me staring down at my phone in silence, they assumed I was too humiliated to talk back.

A few classmates exchanged glances, their smirks growing wider. “I heard both Brittany and Emma got into Westbrook U’s art department, right? So you’ll be college classmates too.”

“Westbrook’s in for a treat with a beauty like Brittany. She’ll be the queen of campus for the next four years.”

“Hey Emma, when school starts, don’t go around telling people you two were high school classmates. You’ll embarrass her.”

Brittany sat right across from me, the corners of her mouth curling upward in satisfaction.

But she waved a hand modestly. “Don’t say that. Westbrook’s art department is famous for its gorgeous girls. Besides, who knows? Maybe Emma will surprise everyone once she loses a few pounds.”

More snickers rippled around the table.

My deskmate, Mia Torres, who actually had my back, gave my arm a nudge under the table.

I finally looked up from my phone, blinking in confusion. “Huh? What happened?”

Right then, the server pushed the door open and rolled in a cart.

I sniffed the air and my eyes lit up. “Barbecue glazed ribs! My favorite!”

The moment the plate hit the table, I grabbed a big chunk and dug in with pure bliss.

The table went dead quiet for a second, then erupted in laughter.

“Brittany, you gave her too much credit. Look at her, she’s never losing that weight!”

“And that whole ‘fat people are hidden gems’ thing is total nonsense. An ugly girl just becomes an ugly girl in a smaller package.”

“Emma, maybe go easy on the food unless you want to stay single forever.”

Mia’s fists clenched in fury. She was about to fire back.

I caught her hand and dropped a rib onto her plate instead. “Mia, try this, it’s amazing!”

Seeing my completely unfazed expression, Brittany’s eyes flickered with frustration.

Her gaze drifted across the table and she added, with mock innocence, “Emma doesn’t need to worry about a boyfriend. Otherwise, our class president might get upset.”

My fork paused. I shot her a confused look.

What does me dating have to do with the class president?

But the table caught on immediately. A wave of hoots followed.

“Oh yeah! Derek’s always helping Emma with homework, right?”

“She sucks at math, and he tutors her after class.”

“I heard they’re neighbors too. That makes them practically childhood friends!”

“Hey, are we about to see a class couple happen?”

All the teasing eyes swiveled to me and to Derek Walsh, sitting diagonally across.

His head was lowered, but a flush crept up his pale neck.

The chorus grew louder. Someone joked that he must be blushing.

I frowned.

My family had moved to Fairview in middle school, and Derek was our next-door neighbor.

His parents were always “busy with work”, or so we thought, so my mom often invited him over for dinner. Out of gratitude, he offered to tutor me in math.

That was it. Neighborly decency. Classmate courtesy.

And these people were twisting it into something gross.

Before I could speak up, Derek’s face went from red to white. He dropped his fork with a clatter and snapped, “I only helped her because I felt sorry for her! Who the hell would actually like that fat pig?”

The room went dead silent.

The words I’d been about to say, the defense I’d planned for him, lodged in my throat and died there.