The Meal Plan

Chapter 2

Copyright © Sharanya Mullassery 2012

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 Three hours, three XL Cheese pizzas, two buckets of Ben and Jerry's, two bottles of diet coke and eight packets of Lays later, I felt like crap!

Why can't you eat like a normal person or at least look normal?

I was a normal child till fifth grade. I used to be thin and cute. My cousins even used to call me a twig. Those were good times. Around the age of ten, my body changed. I became the fattest girl in our class with a pizza face and hairy limbs. Suddenly, my world became cruel. It started when a girl named Julie in the PE class called me a thunder duck. Gradually, her role was taken over by almost everybody in middle school. Those constant taunts were too painful for my ten year old heart. With time, I turned into an introvert. Books and food became my best friends. Books took me to an alternate world which had no connection with reality while food filled a deep void inside me.

After two years, I moved to St. Xavier's High School. I expected people to be crueler there. From stories I heard, I was convinced that high schools were filled with bullies, bitchy cheerleaders, cliques and everything else that made one’s life a living hell. But life in St. Xavier's was not that bad! Unlike what I heard in stories, people were more mature and nice to me. Although there were a few rotten eggs, who would call me names, people were good in general and I was a well liked person. I met Sean in my freshmen year and we took an instant liking to each other. We became best friends soon and we started dating in the sophomore year.

Why can't you eat like a normal person or at least look normal?

I opened the fridge... I was not normal.

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The next day, I took extra care while dressing up for school. I was sure that I would run into Sean at some point of time. I didn't want him to know how weak and tired I was. I took a long warm bath to make sure that I didn't stink like a rotten egg and made sure that I looked pretty. Since I took too much time dressing up, I was late for school. I didn’t tell my best friends Mia, Louis and Trina about the breakup. I didn't have the heart to call them up at midnight and cry over the phone. I wanted to tell them face to face without being a whiney baby.

Mia had the strongest personality in our group with a slight tone of bitchiness. She was scary and bossy whenever she wanted. After all, she was the head cheerleader. I smiled at that thought. Trina was the emotional one while Louis was the carefree one. He hated emotional dramas.

When I entered the deserted school hallway, I noted that two figures lurked near my locker. I was surprised to see Trina and Louis waiting for me.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Weren't they supposed to be in class? I wondered.

"We were waiting for you" Trina replied quietly.

"What's wrong?" I asked them worried. Why were they not in their respective classes? Where was Mia? Did something bad happen to her?

"You don't look like someone who's been dumped" Louis bluttered out resulting in an angry scowl from Trina.

How did they know? I didn't tell them. Did Sean tell them? Why would he do that?

"How did you know?" I asked them, surprised.

"The whole school knows" Louis muttered.

The whole school knew? Sean told everybody in the morning itself? Something was definitely wrong.

"He broke up with me yesterday evening. Apparently, I am too fat for him" I said uncomfortably while I tried to stop that burning sensation in my eyes. Girls like me never cried in front of others. We were strong.

"IS THAT WHAT HE SAID? I am going to put an end to his pathetic existence" Louis shouted and stomped off. Louis never acted this way before. He was funny and witty, not scary. Trina looked at me with even wider eyes. For a moment, it appeared as if she went into shock.

"Is that what he told you? What a jerk. He was lying to you, Neveah" She sighed heavily.

He was lying to me? But why would he do that?

"What are you saying, Trina?"

"He didn't dump you because of your looks, Honey. He dumped you for Mia. They arrived in school holding hands this morning.”

“WHAT?”