The Fat Suit

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I was isolated during orientation week. Only Jade Sterling took the initiative to be my friend.

She used to say, Lacy Vance, you're way too shy. You need to hang out with me more!

Then, under the guise of helping me fit in, she suggested I wear a tiny crop top to a mixer.

During the freshman talent show, she pushed me to do a thirst trap dance. She claimed that was the only way the campus gods would notice me.

She even constantly fed me high-calorie junk food. She told me that the curvier a woman was, the more luck she had.

I became the university clown, while she was hailed as the Ultimate It Girl of the Century.

When I applied for a scholarship to pay for my medical bills, she framed me for using illegal appliances in the dorm. I lost the money for my surgery.

Before I died, I even heard her laughing at me with others outside my hospital room.

"Who told her she couldn't keep her mouth shut? She deserves to die of being a fat loser!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the first day of orientation.

1.

"Lacy, you need to hang out with us more and fit in."

Jade Sterling was the only girl in class willing to talk to me. I used to think she was my best friend.

"Come on, get up there and perform something. Let everyone see you!"

She shoved me into the center of the crowd.

"This student volunteered to perform! Let's give her a round of applause!"

The instructor's voice faded, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

I felt like a duck being roasted over a fire. I didn't know whether to move forward or back.

"Maybe... I could sing a song for everyone?"

I was acting a bit timid, just like before.

"No way! Everyone wants to see a dance. You need to do something sexy to catch the guys' eyes!"

Jade shouted at me. She kept egging the other students on to chant along.

In my past life, she used this exact method to force me into a corner. I was pressured to perform a suggestive dance in front of everyone.

I had zero coordination. The dance I performed was beyond awkward.

In the end, I lost all my dignity. The story of my terrible dancing spread like wildfire across the campus.

When I crawled back to my seat in shame, Jade shoved a high-calorie sundae into my hand. She didn't have one herself.

"Don't be sad. Here, eat something sweet and you'll feel better."

She pretended to comfort me. "Look, everyone is paying attention to you now. Especially the campus god, Finn Marshall. He looked at you several times. That's a good thing!"

I was overcome with shame and tried to refuse the ice cream. I didn't expect her to get angry on the spot.

"This sundae was expensive! I didn't even buy one for myself. I thought since you're a country girl, you'd never had anything this good."

She raised her voice on purpose so everyone could hear.

Suddenly, everyone was staring at me. Their eyes were full of judgment, as if I were an ungrateful brat.

I had no choice but to force the ice cream down.

She always used this method to make me eat all sorts of things. It made me gain weight every day and crushed my self-esteem.

Later, when our music department assigned a group project, my solo performance caught Finn Marshall's eye.

"Your voice is actually incredible. Interested in joining my group?"

That evening, he asked me out for dinner. Jade dressed up like a supermodel and insisted on coming along.

"Aren't you afraid he'll try something if you're alone? I'll go with you to keep you safe."

I thought she had a point, so I let her come.

At the table, she talked to Finn nonstop. I couldn't even get a word in.

The next day, Finn sent me a message.

"Sorry, Lacy. Our group is full. You should find another one."

I found out later that Jade had badmouthed me behind my back. She told him my performance only improved because of her training. She got into his group just as she planned.

They became the school's golden couple.

Meanwhile, I developed severe health issues. Then she framed me for the dorm violation, and I lost my scholarship.

Without that life-saving money, I died miserably in a hospital bed because I couldn't pay for surgery.

Right before I took my last breath, Jade was laughing outside my room.

"Who told her she couldn't keep her mouth shut? She deserves to die of being a fat loser!"

2.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at orientation.

"Dance! Dance! Dance!"

The crowd was clapping, and Jade kept pushing me.

"Go on! Everyone is waiting for your performance!"

I narrowed my eyes and let out a cold laugh. "If you want a dance so bad, do it yourself. I'm not going."

She never expected me to refuse. She stood there, completely stunned.

"How can you say no? You said you wanted to make friends. Finn Marshall is in our group today. This is a huge chance and you're wasting it..."

Jade gripped my hand tightly. "You country folks are so different from us city people. If you want to lose that tacky vibe, you have to fit in first."

I snatched my hand back. "Oh? So the city girl style is doing thirst trap dances in public?"

"Why don't you show us how it's done? I'm not really sure about the moves..."

Jade's face stiffened. "You know I got into the academy for my instrumental skills."

She was implying she couldn't dance either.

I pretended not to get it. "Oh, I know you're a master of all arts. If you play instruments that well, you must be a natural dancer."

"Go ahead and show us some city style. Let a country girl like me see how city people use their talents to make friends!"

The chanting around us grew louder. "Do it! Don't be a buzzkill!"

Seeing that I wouldn't budge, Jade had no choice but to head to the center of the circle.

I could clearly see her legs shaking as she walked...

3.

She ended up wiggling around awkwardly. The crowd almost laughed her off the field.

After that, she never tried to force me into a public performance again.

In my past life, when the freshmen held their first mixer, she dragged me along.

She was skinny and looked good in anything. I had a bit of a tummy and a slouch.

"Lacy, we're besties. Let's wear matching outfits!"

She pulled two identical, tiny crop tops out of her closet. She shoved one into my hands.

The shirt fit her perfectly.

On me, it squeezed my arms and made my stomach bulge over my jeans. It looked ridiculous.

I tried to change into something else, but she stopped me.

"Keep it on! It's cute. This is what's trending in the city. You'll look like a total hillbilly in your own clothes."

Jade took me to the co-ed mixer and sat me right next to her.

I was nothing but a prop to make her look better.

The guys across from us were whispering and pointing. "Look at that girl. She's trying so hard to be pretty. Her stomach is practically in another zip code. LOL."

I looked at my bursting seams and kept my head down. I was terrified that one move would rip the fabric apart.

I didn't know how to do makeup, but Jade had a full face of glam.

She tried to brainwash me. "I'm so jealous of your natural look. You're so brave to show your real face. I have to use so much makeup to fix my features..."

But at the mixer, she changed her tune completely.

"Don't blame Lacy for not wearing makeup. I tried to teach her, but she's just a bit messy and doesn't care about hygiene. I guess she just doesn't care what people think."

Jade acted so pathetic, as if I had spat on her kindness.

Compared to her, I looked like a zoo animal on display.

I was shy and didn't know how to defend myself. Everyone just believed her.

Because I was such a bad contrast, the guys gave Jade a nickname: "The Girl of the Millennium."

Later, the academy announced a Top Ten Singers competition. Jade intentionally hid the news from me.

But she didn't know I overheard other students talking about it. I successfully signed up the day before the deadline.

On the day of the auditions, she was shocked to see me in the waiting room.

"Lacy? What are you doing here?"

I smiled slightly. "Why? If you can compete, why can't I?"

Jade was flustered. "I told the class rep not to tell you about this..."

She realized she had slipped up. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that."

"I just know you hate performing in public. I told him not to bother you so you wouldn't feel pressured."

"See how much I care about you?"

She patted my shoulder with a guilty smile on her face.

"Students, prepare for the auditions," the judge announced.

Almost everyone in school knew Jade, the Millennium Beauty. They all looked at her through rose-colored glasses.

"Jade, I bet your voice is just as beautiful as your face..."

Jade shook her head modestly. "Oh, stop. I'm an instrumentalist. Singing is just a little hobby for me."

"That's even more impressive! You're not even a vocal major and you're this confident!"

The girls around her kept sucking up to her, making her lose herself in the praise.

After the first round, the teacher announced the final qualifier.

Jade's name hadn't been called yet. She was getting anxious.

"The final contestant to move on... is Lacy Vance."

Jade stood up abruptly. "That's impossible! You must have made a mistake. I'm Jade Sterling, not Lacy Vance."

She kept winking at the teacher as she spoke.

"No mistake. It's Lacy Vance."

The teacher gave her a cold look.

"Our competition is strictly based on merit. We don't allow any back-door nonsense here."

I followed the teacher into the next room.

I left Jade standing in the hallway, her face burning bright red.

4.

To celebrate making it to the finals, I treated my roommates to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Jade brought several plates of meat, mini cakes, fried chicken, and fries to the table.

"Singing takes a lot of energy. You need to refuel, Lacy. Eat up."

She pushed the plates toward me.

I never liked those greasy cakes. In my past life, she wore me down until I ate them every day. I ended up obese and sick.

This time, I pushed the plates back.

"Let's make a rule. Whoever grabs the food has to finish it. This place charges a fee for wasted food."

Jade was caught off guard. "But I can't eat all these cakes by myself..."

I grinned at her. "I thought you city girls knew all about buffet rules. Good luck!"

I grabbed some boiled shrimp, lean beef, and a mountain of broccoli. High protein, balanced nutrition, no weight gain.

Jade couldn't help but ask, "Lacy, are you on a diet or something?"

"No way. I just really love broccoli. We don't get much of this back home. That's why I picked this buffet, so I could eat my fill!"

Jade's expression soured.

"Well, fine. But don't you dare lose weight. Don't end up like meDso thin that a breeze could snap me in half."

"I'm so jealous of your curves. My parents always say a round face brings good fortune."

She pinched my cheek hard. "Look at you. You look like a lucky little doll. So much fortune!"

I sneered inwardly. Fortune? You literally killed me. Where's the fortune in that?

I ignored her. Jade started to get desperate.

"Lacy, please just help me eat a little. I really can't finish all these cakes."

I waved her off. A roommate nearby felt bad and stepped in. "I'll help you. Next time, only take what you can eat, Jade."

After that, I started working out every day.

To my surprise, the campus god Finn Marshall was also a fitness junkie.

I ran into him every time I hit the track.

Over time, he started noticing me.

"Hey. You look tired. Want some water?"

He approached me first and bought me a drink.

"I've been watching you for months. You've really leaned out."

"You've got some serious discipline."

I smiled. "You do, too."

Finn scratched his head, looking a bit shy. "Hey, can I get your number?"

Just like that, Finn and I became friends. we started scheduling our workouts together.

Jade kept saying she wished she were fat like me, but she actually stopped eating. She only took a few sips of water.

She didn't even dare to drink too much water for fear of bloating.

When she saw Finn picking me up for our run, she insisted on joining.

"Finn, Lacy is a bit heavy. She's really slow. I'm thin, so I can definitely keep up with your pace."

Finn ignored her, but she followed us anyway, thick-skinned as ever.

Once we hit the track, she didn't even finish two laps before she collapsed face-first.

It was a very ugly fall.

She tried to save face in front of Finn.

"Finn... I only fainted because I'm so thin. If I were as big as Lacy, I'm sure I could keep up with you."

Finn, who had been silent, finally snapped.

"Fat this, fat that. Lacy isn't even fat."

"Look at yourself first. You're like a stick. Those idiots call you a Millennium Beauty? You look more like a Millennium Mummy to me."

I didn't expect Finn to stand up for me like that.

5.

Jade's fainting spell on the track caused a huge stir in the department.

A bunch of guys rushed to the clinic to see her.

Jade saw her chance and started crying in front of them.

"People are trashing me on the school forum. They say I'm unathletic. I just wanted to exercise that day, I didn't know I'd pass out."

"I ran the 800-meter in three minutes flat last year. How can they say I'm not athletic?"

She looked so fragile crying there. The guys immediately started coddling her.

"Why did you faint? Was it low blood sugar because you're so fit and thin? I'll go buy you some food."

Jade grabbed the guy's hand. "I'm thin, but I don't have low blood sugar. The doctor said..."

"What did he say?" the guy asked urgently.

"The doctor said... it was food poisoning."

Everyone gasped. Jade seized the moment. "I think someone is jealous of how much everyone likes me. They did this to me on purpose..."

Suddenly, the fingers were pointed at me.

"Jade, isn't there a chubby girl in your dorm? It must be her. She's jealous and tried to hurt you."

I stood there, completely baffled.

I had no idea how a fake fainting spell turned into me poisoning her.

"I don't want to point fingers. Let the administration handle it," she sobbed.

Her eyes were red. The guys around her immediately called the counselor to demand an investigation.

After she was discharged, we went back to the dorm together.

The counselor was already waiting at the door.

We were told to open our lockers. The counselor started a search.

She pulled out a half-eaten loaf of bread from my closet.

Jade pointed at it, acting shocked. "I remember now! The night I fainted, Lacy gave me half a loaf of bread. But she didn't eat any herself!"

She started fake crying again.

"I can't believe my best friend would do this to me."

"Please don't be too hard on her. She was probably just scared that Finn Marshall liked me more. She just made a mistake."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

I walked up, snatched the bread from the counselor, and shoved a huge piece into my mouth.

"That's my sugar-free whole wheat bread. I never gave you a single bite."

"Also, if you're so sure this bread poisoned you, take it to a lab. Let's see if it's actually tainted."

Jade's face turned pale. She didn't expect me to react so fast. She still thought I was the pushover from my past life who would just take the blame.

"Maybe... maybe I remembered it wrong..."

"Counselor, I really can't remember what I ate that was dirty. I always eat so clean. My roommates can testify to that."

Suddenly, another roommate stood up.

"That's total crap. I saw you faking that faint. And food poisoning? You're lying through your teeth."

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