PERSONAL: A Stepbrother Sports Romance Read Free

she… went away to lose weight at some health resort. She didn’t come back for the funeral,” I explained quietly.
    My therapist nodded in deep introspection.
    “I see, and does that make you angry? Is the unresolved anger that resurfaced today something you’d like to address in today’s session?”
    It didn’t make me angry that she didn’t come to the funeral. She barely knew the man after all. I had a feeling it had to do with funerals in general and what they meant to her.
    How could I explain to my therapist our complicated past?
    The only way to do so was to tell her.
    Everything.
     

 
     
     
    Four years ago….
     
     
    CAT
     
     
    “Between you and me, I’d die if I’d forever be known as the ‘fat funny girl.’ Sure it worked well for Jenny—that actress from Gilmore Girls- but she’s an actress. Cat being an actress would never happen in a million years.”
    Makeup shuffling in a cosmetic bag filled the silence as I held my breath in the bathroom stall. My entire being froze. It felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice over my head. How dare this bitch!
    I had waltzed in feeling on top of the world: I had been voted class funniest, which meant people saw more than just my big body. They heard me. And I liked making people laugh.
    “Yeah, I mean. It’s not that hard to be funny, right? You can eat anything you want and make people laugh, ha, ha. But looking hot? Now, that takes a lot of work. I mean hours . But this is perfect, you know? It’s just what I need.”
    That fucking bitch!
    My blood boiled. I wanted to swing open the bathroom stall and stand up for myself.
    “Well, I’m just happy to that my hands and I have Ramon all to ourselves. I’ve been enjoying rubbing them all over Ramon’s body. I’ve been eyeing him all Junior year but he was taken by that slutty freshman that moved away. God, he’s hot! They’re taking our yearbook photo by that oak tree near the school sign.”
    The voice sighed wistfully before continuing. “I’m just happy that my future kids will see these photos and remember how hot their mother was. I want him to get the idea in his head that we should be together, ‘cause that’s what good-looking people do. We totally belong together. Hell, we look fucking hot together. We should go to prom together. Maybe I should show him a bit of my leg? Or my cleavage? Get him thinking about my body.” The princess sighed. “It’s hard work looking like this every day.”
    Um, hello? Shallow?
    On that note I kicked the door open, dramatically. It swung open like a wild animal.
    Her heavily colored eye shadow made her blue eyes pop open wide. To my surprise the bitch was talking to herself like a crazed lunatic. By herself.
    “Who talks to herself?” I crossed my arms. Oh yeah, we were in a square-off.
    “Um, she who is snapchatting? Like duh. So on top of funny, you’re also weird?” She tossed her lipgloss into her makeup bag and eyed me up and down with a bitchy expression, as if to say “Whatever. I’m still hot.”
    After calming down, willing myself not to cry, and trying to stay happy about finding out I was class funniest, I opened the bathroom stall determined to ignore the jab. But once I walked out of the bathroom to see everyone talking about McKenzie’s SnapChat story – and how they saw me bursting open the stall door to confront her. Forget the shallow talk she just had.
    People weren’t laughing with me. They were laughing at me.
     
     
    TWO WEEKS LATER
     
    January 16 th
    Dear Diary,
    Two words. Ashley Peterson.
    Plus size model – and beautiful. My icon. #icandoit
    Our senior trip is in five months. I’m determined to do whatever it takes to not wear Spanx under my swimsuit.
    And when I take my senior photos in April? Well, let’s just say: look out world! I’m not just the funny girl anymore.
    Today begins my new life.
    Today begins my new bod.
    Today I have my first session at the elite gym everyone raves about.
    McKenzie,