Skinny Love

Chapter 3

"Hattie, the lesson is beginning. Take your seat please." Mrs Smith's shrill voice echoes through the class room. Great, now every pair of eyes is going to be following my movements right to the front of the classroom, to the seat next to a guy who probably despises me. One step after another and I finally make my way to the only seat left. I sit down and expect the nameless guy to look up and say something to me but he doesn't. He keeps his eyes down and stares straight ahead. Great, if everyone could just keep doing this, it will actually make for a tolerable lesson.

We spend most of the lesson looking through textbooks until the very end of the lesson.
"So now class we will work in pairs with who you are sitting with and prepare recipes for cake baking. This will take place at the end of next week and will work towards your final grade. Get going."
This will be fun; baking cakes with a boy who hates me. He doesn't even make a move to get up or start talking so I guess I have to start the conversation
"So, what cake do you want to do?" No reply. "Hello? I get it if you already hate me because of how many times I have walked into you but you could at least try and cooperate. I don't want to be here any more than you do."  This just earns me an eye roll. I get fed up with the silent treatment so walk over to the recipe books and start flicking through one. None of these interest me so I pick another book and take back to our table, where the boy who's name I still don't know hasn't even moved.
"So, my name is Hattie. What's yours? I figured we should at least know each other's names if we are going to be working together."
"Cole." So he does speak. "Sorry if I'm not being sociable I just really don't want to do this class and no offence I really don't want to work with the girl who has walked into me twice in two days." I was about to reply when a voice shouts from the back of the room.
"Hey Cole, have fun working with that." I immediately recognise who this voice belongs to. Cadie Clarke; the biggest bully I have ever experienced. Upon hearing this my face goes red. Cole looks at me but doesn't say anything; he just rolls his eyes and turns away. However, another voice soon shouts at Cole as well
"Yeah have fun with that frigid bitch Cole. Maybe you can get her to lose some of that weight she's been carrying since primary school!"
That voice belongs to Harper Mason, one of Cadie's minions. I feel tears well up in my eyes. Do I still look the same as I did in primary school? I turn away from Cole and all the laughter to hide my tears and pretend to go find another recipe book. When I return Cole is staring at me intently, his eyes etched with concern. I brush off his look and start discussing cakes with him. Maybe a change of topic will distract me from the previous events. Cole barely says anything for the rest of the lesson but we agree on baking a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting next week. So many calories. As long as I don't eat any I will be fine.

The bell soon rings after we agree on ingredients and everyone rushes out of the classroom except me. I don't want to get caught in the tidal wave of teenagers rushing to get home. I take my time packing my bags away and slowly make my way out of the classroom, hoping for a peaceful walk home. Unfortunately, I have no such luck. Cadie and her bitches were standing outside the door waiting to pounce on me like I was pray to a pack of ravenous wolves. I step out and pretend to not see them. As long as I act cool they may leave me alone.
"Hey Hattie. I love your outfit." One of them says sarcastically
"Yeah, soo nice. Where did you get it from, the trash?" They all start laughing as tears start welling up in my eyes, again.
"Come on Hattie aren't you gonna answer us? Or do we have to go tell everyone what size dress you are again?"
"What was it again?"
"Oh I know it was X...X...X...X...L, wasn't it?" I was never that size. The biggest I had been was a large but these girls have spread rumours about my size ever since we were in pre-school. Having had enough of their horrible comments I decide to make a run for it, all the way home. I turn a corner and sprint. Behind me I hear them shouting about an elephant stampede. I'm going to have to run a lot more tonight to work off the extra weight I am carrying.

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A/N:

So, this chapter is kind of where we start seeing where Hattie's eating disorder came from but obviously there is more to the story.

I hope you enjoyed xx