Author's Note: Sorry if there's some typos in this chapter; didn't have
time to proofread.
Lizzie put on a pair of jeans Aunt Laura had bought her and baggy red sweater, despite the incredibly warm weather. It was the first day of high school, and she didn't want to wear anything that was tight against her skin. She didn't want anyone to be able to see how big she'd gotten over the summer.
"Lizzie, it's eighty degrees outside!" Gordo commented when she sat beside him on the bus.
"Shut up, Gordo," Miranda rang in before Lizzie replied. Miranda knew why Lizzie was dressed the way she was, and she didn't want Lizzie to have to defend herself.
Gordo was hurt. "Geez, just making an observation."
"Well, don't," said Lizzie simply.
He scratched his head. "What's up with you lately? You've been acting really weird since you got back from Colorado. Did they not have any malls there or what?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes and sighed. After pausing for a moment of thought, she asked, "Gordo, have you noticed anything different about me?"
Gordo froze. It was the one question that he never knew the answer to. He hated it when girls insisted on asking it. He racked his brain for possible solutions: new hair? New clothes? New scented shampoo? New shade of lip gloss?! He knew that it had to be something utterly unnoticable yet vital to a girl's view of importance. "Wait! It's new eye stuff, right? You're wearing different eye make-up?"
Lizzie shook her head furiously. "No, I mean something different with my body, Gordo!"
"Ew!" He shuddered. "Lizzie, you're not supposed to ask me those things! I'm your friend!"
"Oh, never mind," she said, slumping into her seat. It was useless trying to talk to Gordo about that sort of thing. Unfortunately, no one else would be as oblivious as Gordo.
* * * *
*Don't make eye contact with anyone* Lizzie told herself as she slumped through the halls. *They're all looking at me. What do I do?! They're all looking at me!* The paranoia of being stared at had occured to her many times before, but it had never felt so hard to make herself invisible. *Where could I hide?* she thought bitterly to herself. *There's no place I could fit.*
The day was not an easy one. High school halls were more crowded, teachers were less sensitive, and appearance was obviously crucial. She didn't feel like the same Lizzie anymore. She had never been the most confident person in the world, but at least she knew who she was and felt good about herself. She felt like a big sqaure in a room full of tiny, perfect circles.
"Well, well," said an icily familiar voice later that day.
Lizzie looked away from her locker to see Kate standing beside her. "What do you want, Kate?" she asked in a quiet, defeated voice.
"I'd heard the rumors," Kate said, "and I was coming to see if they were true. I guess Claire was right."
"Right about what?"
Kate laughed and rolled her eyes. "Just look in the mirror, Chubby McGuire. You have really let yourself go. So, what does Ethan think of your new look? I think I'll ask him."
Lizzie's eyes grew wide with fear, but she was frozen where she stood. She couldn't move or speak.
Kate laughed in Lizzie's face for a moment longer and then left with a flip of her hair.
* * * *
Lizzie choked back tears for the rest of the day. She she got off the bus, she darted into the house and slammed the door behind her. She moped into the kitchen and took a brownie out of the cupboard. She took a few bites, and then froze. She ran to the trash can and spit out the chewed up bits of brownie.
"What am I doing?" she scolded herself, tossing the rest of the brownie into the trash. "This is how I got this way in the first place!" She turned and stormed up to her room, tears pouring from her eyes.
Lizzie put on a pair of jeans Aunt Laura had bought her and baggy red sweater, despite the incredibly warm weather. It was the first day of high school, and she didn't want to wear anything that was tight against her skin. She didn't want anyone to be able to see how big she'd gotten over the summer.
"Lizzie, it's eighty degrees outside!" Gordo commented when she sat beside him on the bus.
"Shut up, Gordo," Miranda rang in before Lizzie replied. Miranda knew why Lizzie was dressed the way she was, and she didn't want Lizzie to have to defend herself.
Gordo was hurt. "Geez, just making an observation."
"Well, don't," said Lizzie simply.
He scratched his head. "What's up with you lately? You've been acting really weird since you got back from Colorado. Did they not have any malls there or what?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes and sighed. After pausing for a moment of thought, she asked, "Gordo, have you noticed anything different about me?"
Gordo froze. It was the one question that he never knew the answer to. He hated it when girls insisted on asking it. He racked his brain for possible solutions: new hair? New clothes? New scented shampoo? New shade of lip gloss?! He knew that it had to be something utterly unnoticable yet vital to a girl's view of importance. "Wait! It's new eye stuff, right? You're wearing different eye make-up?"
Lizzie shook her head furiously. "No, I mean something different with my body, Gordo!"
"Ew!" He shuddered. "Lizzie, you're not supposed to ask me those things! I'm your friend!"
"Oh, never mind," she said, slumping into her seat. It was useless trying to talk to Gordo about that sort of thing. Unfortunately, no one else would be as oblivious as Gordo.
* * * *
*Don't make eye contact with anyone* Lizzie told herself as she slumped through the halls. *They're all looking at me. What do I do?! They're all looking at me!* The paranoia of being stared at had occured to her many times before, but it had never felt so hard to make herself invisible. *Where could I hide?* she thought bitterly to herself. *There's no place I could fit.*
The day was not an easy one. High school halls were more crowded, teachers were less sensitive, and appearance was obviously crucial. She didn't feel like the same Lizzie anymore. She had never been the most confident person in the world, but at least she knew who she was and felt good about herself. She felt like a big sqaure in a room full of tiny, perfect circles.
"Well, well," said an icily familiar voice later that day.
Lizzie looked away from her locker to see Kate standing beside her. "What do you want, Kate?" she asked in a quiet, defeated voice.
"I'd heard the rumors," Kate said, "and I was coming to see if they were true. I guess Claire was right."
"Right about what?"
Kate laughed and rolled her eyes. "Just look in the mirror, Chubby McGuire. You have really let yourself go. So, what does Ethan think of your new look? I think I'll ask him."
Lizzie's eyes grew wide with fear, but she was frozen where she stood. She couldn't move or speak.
Kate laughed in Lizzie's face for a moment longer and then left with a flip of her hair.
* * * *
Lizzie choked back tears for the rest of the day. She she got off the bus, she darted into the house and slammed the door behind her. She moped into the kitchen and took a brownie out of the cupboard. She took a few bites, and then froze. She ran to the trash can and spit out the chewed up bits of brownie.
"What am I doing?" she scolded herself, tossing the rest of the brownie into the trash. "This is how I got this way in the first place!" She turned and stormed up to her room, tears pouring from her eyes.