Chapter 4

At 7:10 p.m., the car pulled up in front of the Grandview Hotel, and the driver opened the door for me.

The moment I stepped out, the hotel manager hurried over. "Miss Anderson, everything is ready for Starlight's celebration. Ms. Morgan and Director Coleman are waiting for you upstairs."

I glanced at the time. There were still 50 minutes until the announcement. "I'll go to the third floor first. I have a few old classmates to see."

The manager paused, then quickly recovered. "Would you like me to arrange for someone to accompany you?"

"No," I said and entered the elevator alone.

Before the doors closed, several young men nearby kept glancing my way.

One of them even hurried after me. "Hey, beautiful. Can I get your number?"

I politely shook my head, and the elevator doors slid shut.

My phone continued to buzz. Someone in the class group chat had posted a video from the reunion.

More than 20 people sat inside the private room. My old high school uniform hung on the wall, an electronic scale stood in the center of the room, and two chairs had been pushed together beneath a sign that read: [Megan's XL Seat.]

Someone pointed their phone at the door. "It's 7:10. Where is she?"

"Don't tell me she's willing to give up 7,500 dollars."

"At her size, she probably just made it from the hotel entrance to the lobby."

Naomi sat at the head of the table with a sweet smile. "Everyone, don't rush her. Meg has a lot of pride. Maybe she made it downstairs but doesn't have the courage to come up."

She deliberately turned the camera toward Matthew. "Matthew, you're the class golden boy. Want to go downstairs and get her?"

Sarah immediately tightened her grip on his arm. "Why should my boyfriend go get her? She has legs, doesn't she?"

The private room erupted in laughter.

Matthew frowned.

"I already gave her an easy way out. She's the one who insisted on coming. If she's crying downstairs, that's got nothing to do with me." His voice was cold.

What he didn't know was that I'd already reached the third floor.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out in my heels.

The hallway attendant hurried over as soon as he saw me. "Excuse me, ma'am. Which private room are you looking for?"

I gave him my name.

He visibly froze. "Are you here for the class reunion tonight?"

"Yes."

His expression turned strange. Clearly, he'd already seen the school uniform and electronic scale inside the private room.

He pointed me in the right direction, then couldn't resist warning me, "They seem to be waiting for a Miss Anderson."

I looked toward the end of the hallway. "They're waiting for me."

The attendant stood there and stared after me for several seconds.

I continued down the hall. My heels barely made a sound against the carpet.

In the room, Naomi had already started urging everyone to settle the bet. "It's about time. If Meg were really coming, she'd be here by now."

Someone immediately agreed. "Close the betting pool. Let's stop waiting."

"Naomi bet 1,500 dollars. She's going to make a killing tonight."

"And Matthew gets free money without even having to hug her."

At that, Sarah suddenly spoke up. "Actually, a hug wouldn't bother me."

She leaned against Matthew's shoulder with a disdainful smile. "I wouldn't be jealous of a 220-pound woman."

The laughter grew louder.

Matthew joined in. "Let's not. I have work tomorrow. I don't want to spend tonight in an orthopedic ward."

I stopped outside the private room. Through the door, I could hear their voices even more clearly.

Someone said, "If Meg isn't coming, won't the uniform and scale be a waste?"

Naomi laughed softly. "How could they be a waste? Once we settle the betting pool, I'll edit her video and post it online again. I'll title it, '220-Pound Classmate Too Afraid to Attend Reunion.' Maybe it'll even go viral."

Matthew hesitated. "Isn't that taking it too far?"

Naomi didn't care. "What are you afraid of? She's been fat her whole life. A few comments aren't going to kill her. Besides, if she really tries to cause trouble, we'll just say it was a joke between old classmates."

That one casual sentence brought back all three years of high school.

Throwing away my food was a joke.

Forcing me to weigh myself was a joke.

Locking me in the bathroom was a joke.

All they had to do was add, "Why are you so sensitive?" In the end, every act of cruelty came with its own excuse.

I opened the recording app on my phone.

Inside, Naomi was still urging everyone to count down. "Ten seconds left. If she doesn't show up, the 7,500 dollars belongs to us."

Everyone immediately joined in.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

Matthew's voice rose above the others. "I told you from the start. She wouldn't dare come. Back in high school, she brought me breakfast for three years. She couldn't even look me in the eye when she talked to me."

Sarah laughed. "So if she comes tonight, does that mean she's still planning to confess to you?"

"Even if she is, it won't matter." Matthew scoffed. "I'm not a garbage disposal."

Outside the door, I calmly raised my hand.

"Three!"

"Two!"

Naomi shouted excitedly, "One!"

A split second before the countdown ended, I turned the doorknob.