Chapter 3

Everyone in the group chat started to join in and teased me.

[Is the floor going to remain whole with Amy hopping around like that?]

[I was wondering why we felt tremors today. It turns out that fat girl was jumping rope!]

Someone took my ugliest photos and turned them into jokes, spamming them across the group chat.

Callista even specifically tagged me and wrote. [Amy, watching you jiggle all that flab at the gym is honestly just sad.]

I held back tears of shame and actually took a good look at myself in the mirror.

Being so overweight had wrecked my hormones, given me a face full of acne, and covered my body in stretch marks.

Brock assured me that with proper training, these issues would improve quickly.

From that day on, my life completely changed.

I stopped eating bread for breakfast and went for a forty-minute run on an empty stomach instead.

After meals, I stopped crashing on the couch. I did my grandparents’ chores and took walks with them to help digest.

Because I was completely focused on losing weight, Austin felt neglected and sent me some more money and texted me.

[Baby, you’ve been acting distant lately. Did I do something wrong?]

I replied to him, saying that I was not ignoring him. I was preparing a surprise for him.

[That way, when we finally meet in person, you’ll get to see the best version of me.]

My words made Austin so excited that he bought a luxurious bracelet worth nearly a hundred thousand dollars and sent it over.

[It’s a couple’s bracelet. I had our initials engraved on the inside.]

[When we finally meet, I want you to wear this bracelet for me.]

I was moved when I received it. However, when I tried it on, it would not fit.

I thought to myself that once I had fully slimmed back down, wearing this bracelet would surely look beautiful.

After the final exams ended, I went all in on the strict training with Brock.

The barrage of words became worried when they saw how hard I was grinding.

[Wow, she’s putting in so much effort. She’s not actually going to pull this off, is she?]

[As if. Even if she loses the weight, she’s still just some basic-looking nobody.]

[Side characters stay side characters. They never get a comeback arc.]

Meanwhile, my grandparents were heartbroken when they saw me working so hard.

“Sweetheart, it doesn’t matter whether you’re fat or skinny; you’ll always be our precious little girl. Please don’t destroy yourself over this.”

“I want Mom and Dad up there to see me at my absolute best.

“I want to be healthy. I want to prove something to myself. And I really want to strengthen my willpower while I’m at it.”

Moved by my resolve, my grandparents began making delicious and nutritious low-fat meals for me every day, always varying the recipes to keep things interesting.

By the time my hormones stabilized and the worst of the bloating went away, I had already lost thirty-three pounds by the end of the semester.

Worried about losing weight too fast, I went to the doctor for a thorough checkup.

From there, I followed the doctor’s instructions and set up the next stage of my training schedule.

Because I habitually wore baggy clothes, my classmates did not notice any obvious changes.

Before the break, Callista taunted me, “You’re at the gym every single day, but I still don’t see you getting any thinner.

“Summer break is almost over. Are you really going to meet your online boyfriend looking like that?”

The other classmates eagerly sided with Callista.

“I bet five hundred dollars that Amy will not even show up.”

“Then I’ll bet a thousand dollars that she’s going to bail!”

As the wagers kept climbing, I looked at the arrogant Callista with a determination I had never shown before.

“I hope you’re all ready to pay up when you lose the bet.”