Chapter 4

For the next two months, I stayed completely off social media.

People in the group chat would occasionally make fun of me, but I never responded.

Every morning, I completed a full routine of cardio and strength training.

My workouts steadily shifted from basic conditioning to high-intensity fat-burning.

As I lost the excess weight, my skin started to clear up.

As my breakouts cleared, Bianca's real facial features finally showed through.

She had just been dealing with chronic bloating, and the stress-induced acne had hidden her real beauty.

Without the puffiness, her eyes were bright, her nose was perfectly straight, and her lips were naturally full.

The best part was that when she smiled, a small dimple appeared on her left cheek.

A month passed, and I dropped a significant amount of weight.

My hormones balanced out, and my body was filled with endless energy.

In the second month, using my muscle memory as a former top model, I focused on fixing Bianca's bad posture.

I rolled my shoulders back, stretching my neck elegantly.

The perfect runway posture I had built over countless shows began to naturally appear.

I did wall-sits and posture drills every single day, rebuilding my confidence and physical presence.

Sarah saw me and thought I was punishing myself.

"Bianca, why are you standing stiff as a board?"

"I'm practicing my posture, Mom."

She walked around me, covering her mouth as her eyes grew wide.

"Oh my gosh. You stand so tall now, like a fashion model."

I smiled.

This kind of pure, loving praise was something I never got from my real family.

In my past life, even if I landed the biggest international campaign, my mother would only pick me apart.

"Your gaze isn't sharp enough. That tiny bit of fat by your armpit is a disaster."

But here, I only had to be healthy and happy, and someone was wholeheartedly proud of me.

A week before the homecoming dance, I went back to the health center for a follow-up.

The results were perfect.

I had safely lost twenty pounds. More importantly, I had built solid muscle, meaning my body fat percentage dropped significantly.

It wasn't an extreme drop, but every health metric was perfect.

The doctor looked at the test results and smiled proudly.

"Amazing progress. Keep it up."

Walking out of the health center, I stopped in front of a large store window.

I hadn't shrunk into a sickly, paper-thin figure.

My waist still had a soft curve, and my arms looked strong.

The girl in the mirror had firm, glowing skin and bright, energetic eyes.

She looked healthy, confident, and full of life.

This was true beauty.

That night, someone in the group chat started a poll.

"Nominations: Homecoming Queen."

There were only two names listed.

Harper.

Bianca.

The comments instantly exploded with the whole school making fun of the poll.

"Who added the loser? I'm literally dying of laughter!"

"Are we electing a Homecoming Queen, or picking an animal for the petting zoo?"

"Vote for Bianca. Let's make sure she goes down as the biggest joke in school history."

In less than ten minutes, my name shot to the top of the poll.

The whole school was waiting to see me humiliate myself.

According to tradition, the winner had to stand in the center of the dance floor to accept the crowd's "cheers."

Bianca sent me a DM from my old account:

"How does it feel being the school joke?"

"I had my friend add you to the list."

"The dance will be live-streamed. I can't wait to see a fat loser embarrass herself in front of everyone."

"You wanted to compete with me? The stage is yours."

Right after, she sent a selfie.

In the photo, she was wearing my most famous designer dress, posing arrogantly for the camera.

But in the shot, her face looked terrible, and her hair was visibly thinning.

Her eyes were sunken, and not even the most expensive foundation could hide her pale lips and heavy dark circles.

It seemed that glamorous model life wasn't as easy as she thought.

Before I closed the app, another message popped up:

"Hudson is giving the opening speech at the dance."

"How do you think he'll react when he sees you? Do you think he'll just throw up?"

I stared at the screen and smirked.

Playing along, I tapped my screen and cast a vote for "Bianca."

"Thanks for the spotlight," I quickly typed back.

A single question mark immediately popped up in reply.

I didn't bother explaining.

On the afternoon of the dance, Sarah grabbed her savings and insisted on taking me shopping.

I didn't pick one of those baggy dresses meant to hide your body.

I chose a beautiful burgundy silk slip dress from a vintage shop.

It had a cinched waist and a deep V-neck, with the hem brushing perfectly against my calves.

It showed off all my new curves perfectly.

When I stepped out of the fitting room, Sarah stared at me, totally speechless.

"What's wrong, Mom? Does it look bad?"

She shook her head quickly, her eyes watering.

"No. It's gorgeous. You're going to blow everyone away."

As night fell, the homecoming dance officially began.

The gym was packed with students eager for drama, and the comments on the live stream were flying by.

The freshman chat was still spamming cruel jokes.

"Where is that loser Bianca?"

"Did she get scared and hide in the bathroom?"

"Get your cameras ready, boys."

On stage, the DJ grabbed the microphone with a mean grin.

"Now, let's welcome our Homecoming Queen, Bianca, with your loudest boos!"

The crowd burst into cruel laughter.

Right at that moment, I stood outside the double doors, flipped my hair, and pushed them wide open.