Chapter 3 The Rumors

I lowered my eyes, feeling as though I had finally found an outlet for everything I had been holding inside.

That night, I still went to bed at 10:30 p.m. sharp. My phone suddenly vibrated in the middle of the night, waking me.

It was Conrad. "You've been pretty quiet lately. Finally stopped texting me?"

Still half-asleep, I put my phone on silent, rolled over, and went back to sleep. I did not wake up again until morning.

…

We had been running for about three weeks when our class president organized a get-together.

When I arrived at the student lounge, Conrad was waiting by the door. "Go get the drinks. Two cases of water and a case of soda."

Brynn stepped out just then, and his tone immediately softened. "Brynn, go back inside. Don't tire yourself out. We still have games to play later."

She smiled and nodded, shooting me a subtle glance before joining the other girls, who were already sitting around eating snacks.

I did not move. "Can't the guys carry them?"

He acted as though the answer was obvious. "The guys have other things to take care of. Besides, you're strong. You can handle it yourself."

With that, he turned and headed straight for Brynn.

I looked past him and saw the guys sitting on the other side of the room, engrossed in a game of poker.

So that was what he meant by having other things to do.

I lowered my eyes, pursed my lips, and spoke up. "Let the guys carry the drinks."

Conrad's expression darkened.

The guys went to carry the drinks while I found a corner to sit in. I opened a message from Silas.

"It's supposed to rain tonight, so we'll practice indoors. Bring a warm jacket."

As I typed my reply, Conrad walked over. He glanced at Silas' profile picture and gave a quiet scoff.

"So, that's why you've been so quiet lately. You've been chatting with him instead. Don't get the wrong idea. Silas likes pretty girls with nice bodies. You're not his type."

I sent my reply, locked my phone, and looked up to meet his contemptuous stare. "He's just doing his job."

Conrad scoffed. "Let me tell you something. He only agreed to run with you because I paid him. Of course he's going to do his job.

"Tessa, honestly, I'm the only one who can put up with you. You've been running for three weeks, and you're still so fat it's hard to look at."

The drinks arrived. Each guy carried a case, and they were sweating by the time they finished.

Conrad turned his head, pretending not to notice.

My expression did not change. I simply nodded, genuinely grateful. "Thanks for paying him to run with me."

His expression darkened even further. He turned and walked away.

…

That evening, we went to the indoor gym, where Silas had me do high knees.

He went to move some equipment to make room for me to jog.

During a break, I wiped away my sweat and bent down to move the ball rack.

He froze, then immediately grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you move it."

He pulled me back. "That's not your job."

I returned to the wall, sipping my water as I watched him handle everything.

I remembered the first day of college, when Conrad had dumped all his luggage in front of me and told me to carry it up to the sixth floor.

"You fat people are strong. Of course you should carry it."

I lowered my eyes to my still-chubby legs and waist.

…

In three weeks, I had only lost 3 pounds.

Yet, Silas said I was standing straighter, my stamina had improved, and my body was getting noticeably firmer.

I set down my cup, ready to do another set, when my phone started buzzing.

A classmate had sent me a link to an anonymous campus gossip page.

I opened it and saw a photo someone had secretly taken of me.

It had been taken during my first days at college, when I was at my heaviest. It showed me eating in the cafeteria from the side.

The angle was deliberately unflattering, making me look especially round and bulky.

"Anonymous submission! This fat chick keeps pestering Conrad, the basketball team's captain. He's sick of her, but she just won't leave him alone. Apparently, he finally couldn't take it anymore and paid someone to run with her just to get rid of her!"

There were already plenty of comments.

"Who's this? Looks like that girl who's always running around the track."

"She's been running forever and still looks that fat. Is she actually working out or just pretending?"

"Poor Conrad. Having a gross, fat girl like that clinging to him. What a nightmare."

I stood there, my palms suddenly ice-cold.

…

By the next day, the post had spread across the entire campus.

The moment I walked into class that morning, the room erupted in laughter.

"Tessa, I heard you've been after Conrad since you were a kid! You even made sure to get into the same college, major, and class as him. If you have that much determination, why not put it toward losing weight instead?"