NINE YEARS OLD.
My father's hand slowly traced over my patched up broken nose "I can't believe that he punched you that hard." I winced in pain shrugging his soft hand off me.
"It's fine Dad I caused it.. I said his mom had drank up all the rations." He shook his head slightly disappointed.
"You can't go out picking fights like that Amelia, okay?" His hand grazed my cheek as he left a soft kiss on my forehead. He stood up and quickly left the room, probably to get Stimpaks.
I got up and placed my hand on my disfigured nose, "Stupid Butch.." I mumbled. I plopped myself onto my bed slightly depressed he had just ruined my nose. It was my birthday as well, I had to go to my birthday party with a dodged up nose.
I sighed loudly and slammed my fist against my pillow remembering the fight.
"Look, it's fatso number one and fatso number two!" I heard the painfully familiar voice, Butch. I turned to face Amata, she was staring right back at me.
She grabbed my hand "Let's get out of her-" We was quickly cut off by Butch.
"Where are you going? Are you scared?" Him and Wally laughed loudly while Paul stood there with a awkward look on his face.
"I bet they are scared!" Wally poked Amata's arm hard, I could see her wince slightly. I grabbed Amata quickly and started walking back away.
"Look at all their fat flapping around!" They all made sick noises and pointed towards us. I spun around quickly, he had gone too far.
"Well maybe you would have meat on your bones if your mom didn't drink away all the food rations!" I practically screeched at him, everyone had gone quiet. I turned around triumphantly but to my surprise I felt a strong grip on my shoulder pulling me around. "Hu-" I was cut off by Butch's hard punch.
I heard Amata scream slightly as he pushed me down and pinned me to the ground, his fists repeatedly punching my face. He stopped and brought them towards my throat this time. I let out a small gurgle.
I passed shortly after.
That's all I remember now I was here with a broken nose. I turned my head to see Amata at the door staring, slightly distraught.
"A-are you okay?" She cautiously walked towards me and perched on the end of my bed.
"Yeah.. It hurt a bit." She laughed slightly.
"I ran and got Officer Gomez after you passed out.. It went by so quick, sorry.." She looked away guiltily.
"It's fine." I laughed and stared at her "At least I got to say the best insult ever. That sure shut him up!" We both laughed loudly ignoring the fact that my nose was completely destroyed.
TEN YEARS OLD
The bright light was turned on quickly practically blinding me "SURPRISE!" I jumped back surprised.
"You will blind the poor child, careful." I heard my father's voice and smiled brightly, I felt my Dad's hand rest on my shoulder "Happy birthday sweetie.. I can't believe your ten already."
The Overseer approached me with the Pipboy 3000. I smiled and knew what was coming.
He smiled as Amata interrupted him putting the Pipboy on my arm.
"Happy birthday! We really surprised you didn't we?" She laughed "Your dad was afraid you was going to find out, But I told him not to worry. You're really easy to fool." She smiled kindly.
"Thank you for doing this Amata.. It means a lot, especially since yesterday." I smiled and hugged her, she was my best friend.
"It's okay, sorry about Butch and Wally being here.. My dad insisted that we should try to get you to makeup." I made a sick sound making her giggle. "Guess what I got you?!" She exclaimed loudly making me slightly excited.
"Uh.. A date with Freddie Gomez?" I giggled as she made a face of disgust.
"Ew! Freddie the Freak? He probably has cooties!" I burst out laughing. "Anyways, I got you.." She paused letting suspense take over before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a shiny comic book "Grognak the Barbarian, issue fourteen with no missing pages!" She smiled and put it inside my hands, I hugged her again.
"Amata, this is the best birthday ever!" I grinned.
She was interrupted by her dad, the Overseer calling her name "Anyways enjoy your party!" She walked away smiling.
I walked up the Old Lady Palmer, she probably had something nice for me. "Are you having a nice party? Ten years old, my my my. Seems like only yesterday your daddy came..." I stared at the crazy old woman, what was she going on about? "Goodness, listen to me ramble! You're waiting for your present aren't you?"
"Yes ma'am" I plastered a smile onto my face.
"Such a nice polite young lady you are! Don't ever lose your gift of speaking your mind so directly. We could use more of that down here." I suppressed the need to steal the present directly from the old bat, She placed the soft sweetroll into my hands.
"Thank you ma'am" I walked away before she could go on about anything else, I noticed the cake had been destroyed and Andy somehow had cake all over himself. I walked past Butch's table but I felt a familiar hand grab my wrist as I walked past.
"I'm hungry and that stupid robot destroyed the cake." Butch annoyingly stared at me, I knew what was coming "Give me that sweetroll you got from Old Lady Palmer." I stared at him, I hate him so much.
"Sure!" I smiled kindly and spat on his face before throwing it directly at him.
He pushed me down and started punching me again, I felt my nose crack once again. He had only managed to land one punch before he was dragged off me by Officer Gomez "Butch! What do you think you're doing hitting a girl on her birthday!" Butch looked shocked wondering if Gomez had seen what I just did to him.
"But she ju-" Gomez was oblivious to what he was about to say and carried on scolding him.
I was triumphant this time.
FOUR YEARS LATER
Puberty had started for me and Amata, I had spots the size of a radroach.
Suddenly everyone was becoming cute, Freaky Freddie was now becoming Fit Freddie. It made it worse whenever people said "It's just her age" and I cried every time I was told off. The only person I could discuss this stuff with was Amata. I felt like bursting out crying every single time Butch, Wally and Paul called me fat. I was aware of everything now, It was not like when I was eight.
The only way to calm myself was to do boxing, my dad had got me a punching bag for my tenth birthday, it was either this or a gun. I preferred boxing.
I heard Amata enter my room "Amata what are you doing here? It's 1 am!" I let out a little giggle before she let out a deep breath.
"Butch said I had a nice ass today.." She shook her slightly blushed head as I laughed.
"He said I had nice tits." We both sighed hearing stuff like this boosted our confidence but made us feel like whores but it's not like we was Christine Kendall, that reminds me.. "You know Christine Kendall?" She nodded her head "Apparently she's had sex with Butch." Amata let out a loud gasp before interrupting me.
"I heard he did it with Susie Mack as well." We both cringed "God, those girls need to control themselves or they will end up pregnant without permission." I shook my head and laughed.
We were still relentlessly bullied by Butch, But we usually thought, At least one of the cool kids talked to us, he made us feel slightly cool, even though that was wrong. We was losers.
I heard Elvis's voice on the radio and I let out a high pitched screech at the same time as Amata.
"God, I can't believe they got this music, it's from like.. two hundred and fifty years ago.." I smiled and started singing along with Elvis.
I saw my Pipboy glow bright interrupting my chorus. I slowly stood up "I've got to go, I don't know why.." Diner? At this time? I shrugged my shoulders and started walking away "Don't steal my radio!" I laughed and carried on down the hallway, I didn't share with my dad, I refused to as I was a teenage girl and was doing lady stuff. I managed to get my own miniature apartment despite it being the smallest down here.
TEN MINUTES LATER
I stared inside the Diner, it had its lights on for some reason, and the radio was on.
I clenched my fists ready to knock someone out, that was when I heard a cackle behind me.
"Look, it's Fatso thieving food in the middle of the night!" I turned around the see Butch, Christine Kendall, Wally, Paul and Susie all standing there laughing hard.
"W-what? But I wa-" I was being ignored all they did was just laugh loudly.
"Don't eat all the food, we need some as well!" Christine added on making them all laugh even more. I felt tears spring to my eyes, this was the first time I had ever done anything like this.
I never cried.
Butch look slightly surprised for a second or so before smirking "God, you are such a cry baby."
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I pushed passed them and ran away the slight thud of my boots hitting the metal plates. "There's an earthquake!" They were like a pack of hyenas behind me.
I had only one place to go.
I quickly ran down to the reactor, my boxing area had its own special room. I slumped down on the floor straight away once the door had closed, I swiftly locked it and cried my eyes out. I had been humiliated in front of everyone, I was officially the biggest loser ever.
I stood up my face stained with tears and looked into the mirror opposite me, all I saw was fat.. I had to lose it. All of it. I pulled on the fat on my thighs and stomach as more tears streamed down my face.
I laid down on the cold metal floor cried myself to sleep, I would lose all of this fat.
THREE MONTHES LATER
My poor body had gone through drastic changes, my rush to lose weight caused there to be stretch marks after, I had lost 20 pounds and now weighed 85 pounds at 5', my strict diet and intense training schedule had done wonders. Everyone knew I was losing weight, every time I saw Butch he would look away straight away, he knew.
Maybe one day I should go up to him and tell him this is what he caused, this is his work.
Amata approached me in my boxing room. Beads of sweat travelled down my face and onto my chest "Perhaps you should have a break." I stopped punching the bag and turned around to her.
"I can't stop.. I need to lose weight. Everyone said." I sat back down on the floor and gulped down a whole bottle of water. I looked back towards Amata, she was crying?
"Amata? Are you okay?" I stood up and approached her.
She quickly hugged me despite me being sweaty "No..no.." Her voice cracked on the second no "The question is are you okay?" Her hug tightened on me, my small frame felt almost crushed.
Am I okay? I felt myself start to cry "No, I'm not okay.. I haven't been for a while." I laughed and cried, I was happy it was off my chest. I felt her stroke my hair.
"It's okay.. I'm here for you, you don't have to listen to anything anyone says, It doesn't matter anymore."
She was right, I don't have to listen to anything.
That night we both cried to each other, we had never been closer.