The Curvy Comeback

Chapter 4

ASHLEY'S POV

The whispers began the second I stepped into the school hallway.

“Wait—who’s that?”

“Is she new?”

“No, i***t, look closer. That’s Ashley!”

“No way. Ashley? Our Ashley?”

“Damn… she actually looks… good?”

The shock in their voices was like music to my ears. I smiled widely. Phones lifted discreetly, snapping pictures.

A group of boys walked past. Their eyes raked shamelessly over me. One of them let out a low whistle. “Looking fine, sweetheart.”

I rolled my eyes but lifted my chin, walking confidently. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t shrinking from their stares—I was owning them.

And then, Jack appeared.

He stepped right into my path. His face twisted with annoyance. His hair was styled perfectly. His uniform was slightly unbuttoned to show off his chest. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He was always the attention-seeker.

Around us, students began to gather instantly, sensing drama.

“Well, well, well,” Jack said, folding his arms across his chest. “Look who finally decided to show up.” His voice was filled with his usual arrogance. “I was wondering when you’d come crawling back to apologize for that little stunt in class last month.”

My lips twitched. Crawl back? To him? The very thought made me want to laugh. He thought he was still dealing with the old Ashley. That girl was dead and gone. He had no idea.

He looked me up and down then, and for the briefest moment, his eyes widened. His smirk faltered. “So… that’s what this is, huh? You’ve been starving yourself and working out… for me?”

The words stabbed me, dragging me backward into another lifetime.

I had heard them before—Jack’s voice. It happened one night, the night of a school party.

That night, I had been so full of hope. I remembered the way I stepped out of the car, clutching my tiny purse. My heart beat like a drum in my chest as I smoothed the pink satin of my dress over my hips. It was a little tighter than I wanted, but I had convinced myself it looked “fitted,” elegant even.

For weeks, I had starved myself, skipped meals, walked for hours until my legs felt like lead—just to shed a few pounds before this night.

Jack will notice me. He has to.

The entrance hall was fully decorated. Everything looked amazing. I looked at the other girls in their sleek gowns. For once, I wanted to fit in. For once, I wanted to belong.

Then I saw Jack.

He stood near the refreshments table, surrounded by his friends and Kathy. She was dressed to kill as always. She leaned against him like she already owned him, but when his eyes flicked to me, my breath caught. My cheeks burned, but I smiled, making my way toward him.

“Jack,” I whispered when I reached him. My voice was shy but eager. “Hi… I—do you like my dress?”

He looked me up and down with a small smile. Kathy giggled, covering her mouth with her manicured hand.

“Your dress?” Jack snorted, loud enough for the students around him to turn. “It looks like it’s about to burst at the seams. Did you borrow that from a circus tent?”

Laughter exploded around us.

Heat rushed to my face, but I shook my head quickly, trying to defend myself. “N-no, I… I thought it was—”

The words caught in my throat. My voice sounded so small, so pathetic. I could barely hear myself because of their laughter.

Kathy leaned closer. “Careful, Jack. If she sneezes, the stitches might give way. Boom!” She clapped her hands together, making a loud popping sound, and the crowd laughed again.

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. My palms were slick, and my throat burned as I forced a smile, pretending their words didn’t cut me to pieces.

Just laugh it off. Just laugh. Then he’ll see you’re not weak.

But then it happened.

As I shifted awkwardly under their stares, I felt the seam at my side pull tight—too tight.

Oh no. not again.

The sound tore through the hall like a whip. Rrrrip.

Gasps filled the air. My dress had split right along my waist.

For a second, silence. Then Jack’s laugh broke it like thunder.

“Oh my god!” he howled, clutching his stomach. “She really popped it! I was just joking—look at her! She’s too fat for her own clothes!”

I froze. My body stiffened as hands flew to cover the tear, but it was useless—everyone had already seen. The laughter rolled over me like waves, crushing, suffocating. Students pointed. Some doubled over with tears in their eyes from laughing so hard.

Kathy’s voice echoed “Ashley, maybe next time they should sew your dress with steel cables instead of thread. Or better yet, buy you a tent!”

The hall roared again.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to vanish. But all I could do was stand there, trembling, with my ruined dress slipping around me. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them back. Crying would only make it worse.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t let them see you break breath warm and sharp with mockery. “You’ll never be enough, Ashley. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

The words sank deep, deeper than any wound. My heart clenched as if someone had crushed it in their fist.

And I believed him.

The crowd broke out with chuckles.

“Oh my God, she’s still obsessed with him.”

“She really thinks she has a chance.”

“Pathetic.”

Their words used to hurt me but this time, they slid off like water. I didn’t give a f**k what people thought anymore and I was going to show them.

I tilted my head, staring right at Jack. “For you?” I let out a sharp laugh. “Please, Jack. Don’t flatter yourself. My life doesn’t revolve around the son of a butler who survives off scraps.”

The crowd gasped in unison.

Jack’s face froze. His smirk fell clean off his face. His cheeks went red with embarrassment.

“What did you just say?” he hissed.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice just enough that only he and the first few rows could hear. “You heard me. Spineless parasite. You live under someone else’s roof, leech off their wealth, and strut around like you’re important. Tell me—what exactly do you have that’s yours?”

The whispers grew louder. The shock spread like wildfire.

“She called him a parasite!”

“No one talks to Jack like that.”

“She’s… bold now. What happened to her?”

Jack’s eyes blazed with fury. His hands clenched into fists. His jaw twitched as if he was about to explode. He opened his mouth, ready to lash out—

But then, the sound of steady footsteps echoed down the hall.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The atmosphere shifted instantly. I could see a wave of tension pass through the students. Heads turned. Conversations hushed.

And there he was.

Lucas.

He walked with the kind of quiet authority that didn’t need to announce itself. He was incredibly gorgeous, tall, broad shouldered. His uniform was crisp to perfection. His dark hair fell perfectly over those cold intense eyes of his. He didn’t look at anyone, yet everyone looked at him.

My heart skipped a beat.

The man who had avenged me when I was gone. The man I never got to thank.

Back then, when everyone turned against me, he was the only one who sought justice. The only one who didn’t laugh when I was mocked, who didn’t stay silent when I was destroyed. I remembered how he exposed the truth after my death—how he made them all pay.

But why? Why me?

We were nothing more than strangers. He had never spoken a word to me, never once looked my way, yet he carried my pain like it was his own. Why would a man like him risk everything for a dead girl he barely knew?

Even now, the thought unsettled me. My feelings toward him were tangled: confusion, curiosity, and above all, gratitude. I never knew his reasons. I never knew his heart. All I knew was that I owed him. And that someday, I needed to understand

And now—he was here. He was real and alive. He was walking toward me.

Jack’s anger faltered a bit as he noticed him too. His posture stiffened. The crowd shifted aside, giving Lucas a clear path.

And me?

I couldn’t breathe.