Their Favorite Victim, Their Worst Nightmare

Chapter 1 : A Broken Promise Lena: "You're nothing but a stupid fat cow." "Everything about you is as ugly as your chubby body." "You don't belong here. You stick out like a sore thumb!!!" "You don't deserve to be at this academy, you fat loser." I can barely breathe from hearing those words over and over again in my memory. I can still see myself walking through the school gates. All along the way, I could feel their dark stares, hear their mocking laughter, and feel that rejection that seemed to follow me everywhere, right down to my bones. I struggled to keep walking, and above all, I hoped with all my heart that I wouldn't run into Crystal and her group. Unfortunately, I felt like they were always waiting for me. They took pleasure in giving me cold looks, watching me beg them, pleading with them not to hurt me, to let me in, and promising that I would do everything I could to stay out of their way. Everyone knew that Mom and I weren't rich. She had fought with all her heart to get me into this prestigious school because she wanted me to be happy. But everyone also knew that we were nowhere near as wealthy as they were. Sadly, I was the dark stain, the ugly duckling of that academy: too modest, not very pretty, and overweight. I was a "stain," just as they had constantly thrown in my face. And now, my time at that academy had been more traumatic than anything else. I had lost myself, while they had won. I hate myself more than ever. But my hatred for them keeps growing day after day. Every single thing they did is still etched into my skin. Every insult and every humiliation they put me through remains stuck in my mind and in my heart. The pain is so deep that I wonder if I'll ever be able to close that chapter and let the wounds heal. Here I am, putting myself through therapy sessions, lying on a couch and hoping for a miracle to happen so I can finally move on... at least, that's what Mom hopes for. Not me. "What is stopping you from moving on today, Lena?" my psychologist asks. "Everything. That's all." "After all these months, how do you see yourself when you look in the mirror? Who is Lena today?" "Lena is deeply hurt. Every session I have with you and every workout I do only make me want to demand back what was stolen from me." "What could have been so precious to you that losing it has made those humiliations stay so deeply rooted inside you?" "I lost my dignity. I don't even know who Lena is anymore or why I didn't die after hearing them tell me over and over that I wasn't good enough. I can't just forget everything like that." "What could help you move on and feel better?" My chest tightens, and in my mind, I see them again and again. That same rising heat and the extremely fast, almost unbearable pounding of my heart return just from thinking about it. "No. I can't move on! It's way too easy. Moving on would mean betraying myself... betraying the Lena who needed help. Betraying the Lena who promised herself, who swore she would get back her honor and dignity, the very things they took pleasure in destroying, as if I were nothing but a piece of trash. All because I didn't fit into their world. I wasn't good enough for them or for anyone else." "Don't you think it would make you feel better to forget everything?" "No!! I need to see them beg me!! They have to beg me to forgive them... or at least, I want them to admit everything they put me through because I didn't deserve any of it. Nobody does." The session ends, and as usual, my answer remains the same, much to the disappointment of my psychologist and Mom. Mom is waiting for me at the reception desk. "How did it go?" she asks. "I have training..." "Ma'am, could I have a moment of your time?" the psychologist says. ...And as usual, she will give Mom feedback about the session, and Mom will once again realize that I'm not ready to move on. Inside the car, everything is quiet, but my mind is racing. I think about every step. My transformation is the first of many. From now on, I'm continuing my education at home. It's a personal choice, maybe because of everything I've been through. But this choice allows me to stay focused. Several months have already passed since I left New Star Academy with nothing left. And the worst part is that nobody did anything to help me. Not the principal, not the school supervisor, and certainly not my classmates. Especially Steven. Steven, who promised me he would always be there, but betrayed me at the first opportunity. He took part in their favorite game: humiliating me. Steven, another rich kid who played me. Who let me walk into that room only to throw me to Crystal and her friends. I loved him, even though I'm not sure that word is really the right one. To be honest, he was the one who broke me the most. I remember that moment as if it happened yesterday. One year earlier: "Here comes the fat girl again. Move aside. You might suffocate under her weight!!" "The floor might collapse. The whale is causing a disaster!!" I could hear the laughter that came with their words, but I kept my head held high as I walked. Because I also knew that, through all of this, I mattered to at least one person. And that person was Steven. "Lena!!" His voice at the end of the hallway was enough to bring a smile back to my face. "Steven!" A big smile lit up my face and made me forget everything, as if their words no longer hurt me... not even Crystal's hateful looks and insults. "Don't listen to them. Anyway, you're way better than they are. You're smart, and you have a heart of gold," he would tell me. And I believed him so much that I repeated those words to myself every time they put me down and insulted me. A little reminder that brought joy back into my heart, despite the painful shadow of sadness they tried to fill me with every time. Even when facing Crystal and her group, he kept his cool, and that made me admire him even more. We sat together. He would sit behind me so I wouldn't feel alone. He held my hand and walked with me through the hallways despite the whispers and disapproving looks. "So, the chubby girl has a bodyguard now?" "Crystal, that's enough! Leave her alone once and for all!!" "Or what, new guy!! What are you doing with a piece of trash like her?!" His expression hardened, and his grip on my hand tightened so much that I could feel the pulse in his arm. Without showing any fear, he stepped in front of them and looked them straight in the eyes. "It's obvious you have a pretty shitty life." "What?" "YES!! Maybe it's time you admitted that Lena—just so you remember, that's her name, not 'the chubby girl'—is way better than you and your whole group. The proof is right there. You should learn something from her." He had stood up to them within just a few months of joining the academy, and that only made me admire him even more... But that day, when he asked me to meet him in the tutoring room because he had something important to tell me, away from everyone's eyes, if only I had known, I would never have gone there. The humiliation was even worse. A real nightmare. "Lena, I have something I really need to tell you." My heart was pounding. His eyes looked different from usual. They were way too intense. His lips were trembling. I could see him sweating, and I was starting to get scared... until his words shocked me. "I love you. Do you love me too?" My heart was beating so fast, but deep down, I felt the same way. So I answered in a shaky, innocent voice. "Yesss. Yes, I love you too." At that moment, he took a step back, and his eyes went blank. "But it's better for both of us if you stay away from me." I barely had time to process his words when suddenly, the doors flew wide open. Crystal, her group, and all the other students walked in, laughing at me. And this time, Steven was no longer by my side. He left me standing there in the middle of everyone, completely helpless... That was the exact moment I understood that, for him, all of this had been nothing but a game, and once again, I was the fool who had fallen for it. And I'm supposed to forget everything and pretend none of this ever happened? No way.