Skinny

Katty the Fatty

"Katty the Fatty!"

"Katty the Fatty!"

"Ha ha ha!"

Kat ran around to the back of the school and hid behind one of the large dustbins, trying to breathe quietly and evenly. The mob of kids chasing her didn't see her and ran right past the alley behind the school.

The cries of "Katty the Fatty" grew fainter and disappeared. Kat finally heaved a sigh of relief. She squeezed out from her hiding spot behind the dustbin and groaned. There was a big stain of green slime on her favorite white shirt! It must have come from the side of the dustbin.

Mother's going to kill me now, Kat thought.

She bent over, hands on her knees. She was breathing too heavily. She took deep breaths to calm herself, and finally her breathing leveled. She straightened up and sighed. Then she started walking home.

As she walked down the sidewalk, she kept supressing the urge to run as fast as her flabby legs would carry her. Her only hope was to blend in with the other people walking down the street.

Safety in numbers, Kat thought.

When she finally came in sight of her house, Kat breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody was going to catch her now! She was safe!

Then she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach when she remembered she still had to face Mother once she got inside. Kat took a deep breath (a calming technique she'd learned from her Yoga101 DVD) and turned the bronze doorknob...

Kat quietly opened her front door and crept inside, hoping Mother wouldn't notice her.

Mother noticed her.

"Kat?" she called.

Kat groaned internally. Why was her luck so shitty?

"Yeah, Mother. I'm home." she replied.

Kat heard footsteps. She braced herself for a scolding from her mother.

Mother sighed. "What happened this time, Katara?" she asked wearily. "Did you spill your lunch again? I told you to be more careful with where you put your elbows!"

Kat's eyes were glued to the floor. "Jacinta and Iola..."

Mother scoffed. "Why are you always trying to blame this on other children? Jacinta and Iola are nice girls! They'd never do anything to hurt anyone."

Kat rolled her eyes. "You don't really know them, Mother. They're total brats! And they hate me! Just because they're skinny bi--"

The look on Kat's mother's face made her stop short. 

"Katara, go to your room and clean yourself up. And then you and I will have a little talk about lying..."