Fat.

Chapter Fifteen - Picnics, Cokes, and Surprises

Before I get ready for my Friday gathering with Mikes, Vic and James, I wait for Max to finish in the bathroom. "Max," I knock for the fifth time.

Steam is coming out through the crack of the door. I'm in a pair of pajamas and if Max delays any longer I will be stuck with a detention. "Max," I knock one more time.

"Stop it," He wines. The tension burns up inside, so I release the stress on the door. "Max-Max-Max-Max! Open the door or I will call your girlfriend and tell her you're gay, and you're hiding it behind your hair gel,"

The water still hasn't turned off, so I pound the door another time.

"Ugh." I kick the door repeatedly. I won't have time to fix my makeup before I see James. I'm seeing him straight after today's half day at school.

Through the muffled noise from the shower, I hear Max humming. His singing gets louder and louder. "And I-I-I-I will always love you-" He screeches. I pounce at the door. How dare he! I rap the wood with my knuckles again. "Why are you taking so long?" I begin to hopelessly sob into the door.

My head is still pressed to the door. My cheek starts sliding down when the shower turns off. Just when I think he's done, I hear him turn on the hairdryer.

I bang my forehead against the door, until I hear silent steps coming up the staircase. I instantly see fair hair peer up the steps. "Mikes," I call. "Huh, what?" His head snaps up. He pulls his headphones from his ears.

He's looking professional today. Wearing a tee-shirt under a grey blazer, with jeans underneath. He looks quite different from usual, although it isn't what he's wearing.

He sort of looks at me a few times while I stare him down, wondering why he looks different. I check his head, nope. Hair, nope. Face, nope. Chest, waist, nope. I instantly stop when I realize that Mikey probably thinks I'm checking him out. I feel all hot.

"Aimee," Mikey looks at me concerned. I look at him, his face shows no signs of seeing me check him out, so I just nod. He scratches his nose. "Yeah," I nod. "I just can't figure out why- oh wait! Your glasses. You aren't wearing them." I point to his face. Mikey smiles a little and looks amused.

"Of course. I'm prepared for the Pond later too. Someone's gotta be there for you for your date." I blush at the word 'date'. Mikey's hands are in his pockets and he leans his tall frame against the wall.

"Who told you?" I interrogate. Mikey looks at me, amused. "Victoria- I mean, Vic."

I guess Mikey isn't so used to calling Vic by her nickname. "So," I speak up over Max and his fucking hairdryer, which was still blaring in the background. "Are you wearing contacts or not?"

"Nope. No contacts, don't have them. In fact," he smiles at the ground. "I can't even see a few feet away from me."

"Why aren't you wearing the glasses today? You don't look like yourself." I frown a little. Mikey frowns too.

"Look, I'm fine. I just want to look okay today too."

A smile tugs at the side of my mouth. He wants to look nice? Wow. I didn't think Mikey cared even a little about his appearance. It's kind of like finding out the villain has a heart in a way.

Mikey smiles awkwardly. "So," he begins. "How is your article doing? You look pretty by the way."

"Thank- oh wait. I'm in my pajamas." I put my hands on my waist and giggle at the end. Mikey opens his mouth, as if to start.

"Oh well," he puts his hands on his waist too. "I meant it in a normal way." I try to nod and pretend I know what 'normal' means in this case.

"Okay, thank you Michael. My article is doing excellent. I'll give it to you now if you want."

All of a sudden, the bathroom door opens and Max strolls out with a towel around his waist. "Mikey darling. Would you pick me up a cereal bar from the kitchen? Thank you, gorgeous." He says in an English accent and winks at him as he makes his way into his bedroom.

"Of course, babe." Mikey shouts at him through his door.

I chuckle a little. They are so odd.

I realize that now I need to quickly use the shower and get dressed. My stomach grumbles. Food too. I need food.

"Mikes, gotta go. I'll be five minutes, promise." I run into my room and pick up my makeup and my clothes for today.

I head into the bathroom and undress. I start to notice even more fat along my body. On my thighs, the front of my stomach. Everywhere.

The pit of my stomach explodes with butterflies swimming around and probably eating me alive as I dread the pond. Will I look fat? Will I freak him out. Will he be able to tell that I am a complete and utter liar? And that I'm a loser too?

I hop into the shower and leave it on cold to see if it will get me to stop thinking this way. I roll my eyes with relief. I start thinking about my writing piece from Mikey. I worked on that article all night. It isn't exactly what he told me to do, but I think it's quite good. It's honest.

I get out of the shower and change into the outfit Vic chose for me last night. I look at myself in the mirror. Wearing a wool sweater and purple pants, I personally think I look a teensy bit stupid, but know in my heart that it is what the new trend is. Or at least , according to Vic's quote from Seventeen Magazine.

I put on mascara and struggle with eyeliner. When I put on the eyeliner I keep messing up. I lean my elbow at a different angle and I make it crooked again. "Gah!" I scream in frustration and drop the bottle to the counter-top. The black has smeared all over my eyelid. "No," I pout. "It's not fair."

I take a tissue from the box and try wiping it off with a little bit of water, and it looks even worse. "I need to try makeup remover," I tell myself. I open the cabinets and find the bottle. After pouring it onto another tissue, the makeup starts removing itself each time I wipe it away.

When I realize the liner has left me with extremely dark marks underneath. I bite my tongue. "This is hopeless."

I decide to dry my hair with a blowdryer and not straighten it, because I can already see I'm running out of time. When that's over, I grab my school bag and run downstairs. Grabbing a granola bar, I catch up with Mikey and Max and hop into the car.

"Phew," I breathe out.

"So," Max starts. "Why are you guys all dressed up? You guys going somewhere? Are you still fake dating, or have you betrayed me and started going out with Aimee?"

Mikey smiles a little and shakes his head. "No, we're going to the Pond with Vic and someone else."

"Who is this someone else?"

Mikey hesitates. "It's-"

"Vic's other friend." I say quickly and smoothly.

Max shrugs. "Cool. Can we get coffee?" He puts his hands like he's praying and looks at Mikey.

Mikey looks at me and starts the engine. "I dunno. Aimee, what do you think? Should we let him suffer?"

I can tell what Mikey's really asking . 'Aimee would you be able to restrain yourself from eating at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or wherever the hell we're going to go?'

Well, will I?

My stomach grumbles. I open the granola bar and try to ignore the horrible feeling of having nothing sweet. "Nah. Max can get coffee at school."



I sit in front of Mikey during English and watch him read my article draft out loud. "From the dawn of time," he begins. "The most beautiful thing about a woman's appearance was her shape. Her chest, her hips, and her face. It still is the most beautiful thing about a woman." Mikey looks off the page and back at me. "Really Aimee So far, it's all about appearance and not the character of one's character? Women have personalities too. It's not all about looks. Sexist much?" He looks back at my article. "Anyway, to be feminine and shapely was the picture of a woman. And it has ALWAYS been. That is, until now." He pauses and I sit up properly into my chair before he continues.

"Yesterday, I was online and I came across an article named 'How to embrace your curves', and it got me thinking, why the hell do I need to embrace something that I was born to have? Women were made to have curves-" Mikey stops reading when I start laughing.

I bend over my chair and keep laughing. Did I seriously write that? I giggle and look at Mikey. "You" I laugh, "just said you have," I laugh again "curves!"

Mikey looks at me with raised eyebrows.

I stop laughing, but then I laugh a few more times, and stop, but then I laugh all over again before the teacher asks me to stop being so loud. I see the whole class looking at me like a caged monkey, so I slump into my seat and watch Mikey look at me with his trademark wry smile. "You're a strange child," He praises me.

I chuckle, but exhaustedly as my stomach hurts from all the howling and giggling. Mikey looks at me and smirks. "Why don't you read the rest, seeing as you managed to make a fool out myself in front of you,"

I take my sheet and look at my loopy and small handwriting. "Okay," I smile nervously, and start. "Today, however. Beauty is taken through a different perspective. While it is important to realize that not every woman can have curves, it is also important to see that the majority of women do not have flat stomachs and perfect thighs and tall willow-like bodies." I breathe in.

"Pin-straight female bodies are glorified in magazines and television and well, just about anywhere where women are put on display. Obviously this sets bad ideas for little girls, but it sets even worse behavior for men by leading them to believe that being thin is the norm and that anything other than skinny is fat. Not only does today's image of females do this, but it also breeds self-hatred for women who know that they will never look this way, or the way they 'should' look. I am one of those women."

I finish and look at Mikey. "What did you think?"

Mikey clasps his hands together. "Well. I knew you were a good writer. I always knew that. So I'll tell you what, it was a good piece and I'm not that surprised. Leave it with me, I'll type it up and fix your spelling mistakes. Other than that, I'm glad I got the courage to ask you."

"You needed courage to ask me?"

Mikey rubs his eyes a little. I know I caught him off guard. "Well, ah," He clears his throat. "Never mind about that."

What does he mean? I smile a little, but still unsure. "Thank you. You didn't think it was cheesy did you? I know it was in some parts but..." I trail off. Mikey leans closer. "Cheesy works. People actually like cheesy. You were perfect."



When the bell rings for the end of the day, I walk out of the science lab with Vic. "You ready?" I ask casually and not at all hiding how hyper and dizzy I feel.

"Nope." Vic sings. "Are you?" She asks with a bounce in her step.

"Obviously," I roll my eyes. She stops so I do too. "Don't worry. He'll love you." She hugs me and we both walk over to see Mikey at his car.

I quickly text my dad that I will be at the pond. And a few minutes later I get a reply asking me to be at the house for six so I can go with him to visit my mother in hospital. I hesitate but still reply yes.

Oh great. My mom's in hospital. Thanks for reminding me.

Mikey walks over towards. Vic starts playing with her hands. "How do I look?" She mutters.

"Beautiful."

Mikey comes over and hugs Vic. A lump forms in my throat. This is so weird watching them together. I take a seat in the back and Mikes and Vic are up front, and she's holding his hand.

I feel butterflies in my stomach at the sight. Will I try and hold James's hand or would that be weird or... what? I fidget in my seat. "So," Vic smiles, probably out of relief. "Let's turn on some music!"

She turns on his radio and an old Panic! At the Disco song comes on. "Give me envy, give me malice, give me attention, give me envy, give me malice, baby give me-" Vic switches off the CD player and sighs. "Bor-ring!"

"Vic!" Mikey and I yell at the same time. "Leave it on!"

But it's already too late because she's already humming along to a new Katy Perry song. I fold my arms and grunt. Mikey catches my eye from his mirror and gives me a small smile.

By the time we reach the Pond, Vic is full on screaming along to the lyrics of Mirrors. "Calm down," Mikey giggles, but then kisses her cheek. "Sorry, I can't see anything, I swear to God-" he mumbles as he starts looking for his phone.

I feel a twinge of jealousy. I want what I see they have.

When we park nearby, I already see James. "I see him," I hum nervously looking at Vic.

"First: calm down. Second: you look pretty. Real pretty. I'm right, right Mikey?" She looks at him. He smiles. "Gorgeous."

I look down at my lap. "Stop it guys, you're gonna make my face all red." Vic laughs. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, go ahead. We'll catch up with you in a few minutes. Don't forget to introduce us, or else it's going to be awkward."

"Okay," I hop out the door and close it behind me. I still see James, walking like before, so I walk quickly towards him. I pass trees upon trees. "Hey," I call, now standing beside him. "Aimee! Hey. How are you?" He asks. "I am absolutely smashing. Yourself?" He smiles with the corner of his mouth. "Not quite as smashing as you." I blush and step on a branch and it snaps. Whoops.

James looks handsome. Wearing khakis and a navy polo shirt. His hair is wavy like it was last time. "So," he clears his throat. "I brought a picnic. You're friends are still coming, right?"

He brought a picnic? That is so sweet.

"Yes they'll be following us back in a minute. And thank you. I love food."

I cringe a little when I hear that last part, however James just chuckles and smiles back at me. Without a word, I lead him to the pond.

Neither of us are talking, which leaves me wondering, is this an awkward silence? If so, should I be filling it with a story or something?

"So," I look up at his light blue eyes. "How are you? I really don't know all that much about you." James looks back at me. I hope I look alright.

"Well. First I am doing fine, haven't you already asked me this?" I feel a little stupid. "Also, if you want to know more about me, you have to promise to tell me a little more about yourself, so I don't feel like I'm hogging all our time together."

I blush again. Probably the color of a tomato. "Okay."

We reach the lake and the basket is already in it's place. We take a seat and he pulls out a Coke. "Want some?"

I know I shouldn't, but I accept it anyway. "So. I am the oldest of three." He starts. "My little sister, Noel is five and my brother, Matthew is fourteen. Matthew's also blind, in case you needed to know that. Anyway, I live around the corner from here. I play football, no I'm not the quarterback, and I'm also in a band."

His brother's blind? I didn't know that.

I nod. "What kind of band?" I ask. He looks at me blankly for a few seconds. "-A singing one..? Kidding. Ska." He looks at his boots.

I nod. "I don't really listen to much ska, but you should let me hear you guys sometime."

"Of course. We have a gig on next Friday in this café in town if you wanna come. Should be a laugh. Tell me about you. What is life like being Aimee ?"

Honestly, life being Aimee is pretty fucking hard .

"Uhm... Well, I have a twin brother. Max. You already know about my mother- grandmother. My dad works for some company I am too preoccupied to care about. My mom works with a different company. Something about foreign trade... look. Just stop me from talking like this before I make a fool out of myself. Please." James laughs.

"Sure. You like any sports?"

I snort. "No. Obviously not."

I start to see Mikey and Vic make their way over. "Guys." I wave at them. "This is James."

The two of them walk over. Vic smiles, and Mikes gives his usual awkward one too. Vic looks at him, then at me. "Ooh. He looks even nicer in person than on his Facebook page."

I will kick her when I get the chance. I really will.

Vic sees my venomous look. "Sorry, " she says. Aimee told me you'd be coming with us to the Pond. I just looked you up because I'm creepy that way."

James smirks. "Okay then." Mikey sort of stands behind Vic and avoids all eye contact. He never has been competitive with other guys. I kind of like it better that way because Mikey has always been in a different league to most people.

"So," James looks at Vic and Mikey. "You guys want any food?"

Vic starts squinting at a guitar pick with an eagle in it on the ground beside his basket. "Isn't that a limited edition Gibson pick that you can only get by mail order?" She asks gob smacked.

"Yes," His mouth opens. "How on earth did you know that?" "I have the same one!" Mikey and I sort of quietly make eye contact for the rest of the conversation.

A nervous feeling in my stomach disappears however, when all four of us settle into a fiery argument about screamo music versus the world. Vic and I were in the same side, saying it was mediocre but can sound good when placed properly into songs, Mikey said he just didn't like it because he just didn't get it, and James said it was better than anything else and that all of our opinions were bull (in a non-threatening way of course).

Before long, it gets dark. We're all laughing with each other about this story about how one time James was dared to skinny dip in a public beach.

I realize that it's almost six, so it gets dark earlier in the evening. We finish up our food and decide to pack up. "Hey," James picks up one basket. "I'm just gonna walk to my car with this. Would you guys mind helping me put the cans in the trash?" We all agree and get up. Vic helps James load the stuff into his car, while Mikey and I try to locate the bins.

"Okay," I breathe. "Where's the trash again?" Mikey points to the woodsy section of the park. "Over there past the nature walk. I'll go for you if you'd like."

Something's telling me this is wrong.

"Mikey, look don't go alone. It's getting dark. I'll come with you." I follow Mikey and jog a little to catch up with him. "So," he looks at me. "How do you think it went with James?" He asked.

I smile at the sky which is getting darker as each second passes. "Well, it got off to a slow start. I was cringing so much at everything I said."

Mikey laughs in response. "I think he likes you a lot."

"You really think so?" I ask and watch as he nods.

"I do."

We head towards the unpaved part of the lake. It glistens and ripples as we continue walking. A soundtrack of crickets and grasshoppers and whatever else is chirping sings.

We walk a little further into the small path and pass a few trees. I hear one snap, and then a whole series of snappings as Mikey stumbles and trips over a tree's root. "Mikey!" I try to help him up but it's hard for me to do as I'm not strong enough. He adjusts his position to a more comfortable place.

He hisses in pain. "I think I broke something." I sit down beside him and look. "Do you think it's bleeding?" I ask.

I dump the stupid cans on the ditch to help him.

"I can't tell," he says. "I'm so stupid. Remind me, please, that I am just a stupid guy." He shakes his head.

I nod in agreement. "Mikey, you're a moron. Absolutely. And you should've worn your glasses." I scoot closer to him.

"I know that." He replies, playing with his hands.

I try to keep myself from laughing at how hard he's trying to act like he's not in pain. "You don't need to look different to be with her, you know. You should just be 'glasses wearing Mikey who says peculiar things and sticks forks in toasters'."

Mikey smiles. "I learned from the toaster mistake. It was just that one time." I giggle.

"For a straight-A student, you have no common sense."

Neither of us talk for a second. "I know this sounds extremely cheesy, but you're brilliant Aimee. You are an amazing person."

I grin. "Well some people just like cheesiness."

I'm just after noticing the sky is settling beautifully with lilac on top of the usual daytime blue. Pink and purple are beginning to mingle with the other hues, making it the perfect sunset.

Its's beautiful.

Mikey stares at my shoes, and I stare at his hands. Earlier, those same hands were holding Vic's. Earlier when I felt butterflies at the sight of him and her, it was probably because I was nervous for him.

I glance at his face. I see out of the corner of his rucksack his glasses. He watches what I'm doing as I reach and pull the glasses out of his bag. I unfold them and smile as I put them on his face. "Perfect," I smile a little at him. He smiles a little too and puts his hand over mine.

We both lean forward.

Not quite aware in that particular moment, we get closer and closer until our lips meet. Immediately, I feel blushy and warm... and happy. Like, extremely happy.

Ecstatic.

Every worry I've been carrying, vanishes. As we're kissing, he smiles, which makes me to smile too.

His glasses slide downwards and I take them off for a second. I peck him on the lips before putting them back on him.

"I don't know what to say really..." I blush quite a lot. Mikey does the same. "Neither do I. But that's not a problem."

He kisses me on the cheek. And grins at me. "Really, though. I have no idea what to say. So let's just not say anything for now, okay?"

"Okay,"