Chapter Two: Kasey
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even though I knew I was going to have to see Lucas Schofield one day, I didn’t expect it to be today, the day that I moved back into the area. I suddenly realised that my new house - which I had never seen before until today because my parents wanted to surprise me - was right next door to his. Well they certainly achieved that all right; surprise was an understatement. I dropped my stuff onto my new bedroom floor then dropped onto my bed, and let my past memories come flooding back to me.
Until a few years ago, since we were in nursery, Lucas and I used to be best friends. We went to the same primary school and secondary school and were in the same class for almost everything. We even had the same hobbies: football, eating, tree-climbing, sports, and because I used to be a tomboy, our friendship became stronger. Or so I thought. I used to get teased a lot by people, both friends and relatives, because of my weight and looks. At the age of fourteen, I was overweight (fourteen stones) and ugly, with bushy split-ended hair, thick dark bushy eyebrows and had a dress sense worse than a tramps. Because of my ghastly appearance, even my natural tanned skin wasn’t flattering at all. The only positive thing about me was my voice. I have a soprano vocal range (I think my surname caused it) so can sing really high notes – but no one apart from my family knew that because I didn’t have the confidence to do anything about it.
My family were poor as well; living in a poxy two-bedroom council flat with barely any hot water. But Lucas didn’t seem to care about that; he still treated me like a human. But then, just over four years ago, I started to develop feelings for him. I thought it was natural; ugly unpopular girl and good-looking popular boy spending lots of time together – there was bound to be feelings from the girl at some point, right?
A year had past since I liked him but I didn’t dare say anything. I just acted normal and he didn’t realise. Even when he went out with the Regina George-type popular girl in our year, Jade Newell, I didn’t mention a word. But then, three years ago, a few weeks after year nine had started, I was in the PE changing rooms one day and my song diary, which I must have accidentally grabbed with my books, stuck out of my bag. And who should pull it out but Jade? Before I could grab it, she flicked through the pages and there was a song titled “best friend”, which I had written about Lucas (though I didn’t actually write his name) before he and Jade got together. She mocked me and then publicised it to the entire changing room, who screeched with laughter. I tried to get it back from her but she ran out and I chased after her, wearing half of my uniform and half of my PE kit. PE was the lesson before lunchtime so most of the school were in the grounds and when I eventually caught up with her, she starting hitting me with her bags. I fell to the floor and she shouted at everyone to gather around and listen to the song written by the “cheeseburger”.
At that moment, anger which I had never ever felt before came over me and I pushed Jade to the floor with all my might. It was just my luck that, at that point, Lucas came over to see why Jade was shouting and saw her on the ground, her perfect knees grazed, and me furious than I had ever been in my life. He immediately ran to her side and demanded what was going on. But before I could even open my mouth, Jade told him I tried to beat her up because I was obsessed with him so was jealous. Lucas didn’t seem to believe it but then Jade showed him the song I had written and it was only too clear from his face that he believed her. Before I could even express myself, Jade humiliated me and my entire family, calling us smelly white trash who were an insult to the human race, and called me every fat- and ugly-related word under the sun. She then read the song out to the entire playground, who all - and I mean every single person - pointed at me and Lucas, crying with laughter. “Don’t ever come near me or my girlfriend again, you fat weirdo!” were Lucas’s very words which I remember clearly till this very day.
I will never forgive him.
I was so embarrassed and hurt that I just burst into tears and ran home, listening to Jade shouting that I should go and comfort eat to cheer up. I didn’t care that school wasn’t over; I never wanted to go back to that place ever again. Every laughing face was as clear as glass to me and, as soon I opened the front door, I saw my room my parents crying and hugging each other. I immediately thought something terrible had happened but then dad gave me the biggest shock of the day: he had won the lottery! Seeing my terrible state, they asked me what happened but I didn’t tell them and only said I wanted to leave the school. They didn’t let me so I stopped going to school, stopped eating and stopped talking to everyone, so mum threatened to go to the head to demand what happened. At this point, I couldn’t take it in any longer and just broke down and told her almost everything. I left the Lucas part out because, from the moment he believed Jade, I wanted to erase him from my life. I told mum that I was suffering from depression and leaving Cheshire was the only cure; I wanted to go to a boarding school. She became so scared for me that she agreed, but only on the condition that I see a doctor.
After that, everything happened all so quickly. I had an interview at a boarding school in Hampshire that week and the following week I left for it. I was lucky that it was still the first term of the year nine, else I would not have found a seat. Because we could afford it now, mum and dad soon bought a house close to Hampshire.
I became really close to my roommates, Michaela, Alexandra, Fatima and Jenny, and surprisingly, they treated me way better than anyone in Cheshire ever did. Not everyone did at first - Michaela and Alexandra were quite mean to me, but soon we all became inseparable. They asked me why I left and I eventually told them the real reason... And they were the most sweetest and sensitive people about it. Michaela signed me up for the fitness and swimming lessons and we all went together. I started going regularly and Michaela would come with me every time she could, even when the others couldn’t, sometimes just to sit and talk to me while I worked out. Over the three years, I lost a lot of weight and did some serious dieting at certain points, but I’m still not what this shallow society would regard as “skinny”.
Countless nights I cried myself to sleep, my stomach aching with hunger, hating my appearance, but my friends were always there for me, making me see sense. If someone didn’t like the way I was then that was their problem, not mine. Why should I have to change for someone; why can’t it be the other way round? Eventually, I started eating properly, in moderation, but still worked out which, I realised, improved my self-esteem, health and my mood. I’m now curvy and completely toned, with boobs, bum a small waist and wide hips and I’m happier with my body and looks than I had ever been. I also sorted out that forest of hair on my face and head and now have nicely-shaped eyebrows and naturally loosely wavy hair. I even have a really nice boyfriend, Harry, who is totally sweet and who likes me a lot. He was a friend of Michaela’s who I met at her seventeenth birthday party and we’ve been dating for five months now.
Moving back to, well, moving back, for some reason, my parents weren’t really fond of Hampshire so decided to move house again. My boarding school fee increased dramatically every year and it was all becoming very, very expensive, thus, for the sake of my family who had done so much for me, I decided to leave after year twelve and start year thirteen at a new college. I would never in my life have guessed it would be back in Cheshire and right next to Lucas. If I had known, I would have refused to move (that isn’t my snobby side coming out, by the way, just my past memory). Still, it’s too soon, way too soon.
I hate him.
