The Curvy Comeback

Chapter 7

ASHLEY’S POV

The first time I sat down in Dr. Elaine’s office for my nutrition session, I was supposed to be listening carefully, nodding at her notes about balance and portion control, protein ratios and hydration reminders. Her voice was calm and patient but my mind kept slipping away from every word.

Instead of memorizing food groups, I kept picturing Lucas.

Lucas with his icy stare that seemed to pierce straight through people. Lucas, the captain everyone respected but no one truly approached. Lucas, who carried himself like he didn’t need anyone at all, like the world couldn’t touch him.

He was cold. He was unreadable. He was untouchable.

And yet… I wanted to. I wanted to touch him. To get close, even if he would probably reject me. it made me even more drawn to him. He had this commanding aura that you couldn’t help but feel attracted to.

I tapped my pen nervously against my notebook, pretending to take notes while my thoughts ran wild. How could I even get near him? He wasn’t the type to stop in the hallway for small talk. He barely acknowledged people who tried. But then, I remembered that he’s captain of the hockey team. He was always at the rink, always leading, always training. My pulse raced with a reckless thought.

If I couldn’t reach him through casual conversation… maybe I could reach him through his world.

I’ll sign up as a hockey team assistant.

The thought made me almost smile, even as Dr. Elaine tilted her head at me, mid-sentence.

“Are you still with me, Ashley?” she asked. Her eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Yes—yes, I’m here,” I said quickly, sitting straighter.

She gave a small smile and her eyes softened. “Good. Because you’re making progress, but remember… your body isn’t a machine. It needs balance, not punishment.”

Balance. Right.

I promised myself I’d listen harder, but once we got into the practical training part of the session, something inside me snapped. Maybe it was the tension in my chest. Maybe it was the voice in my head that whispered prove yourself, push harder, become stronger.

I worked out past my limits. I could feel the sweat dripping down my spine. My lungs kept burning as if fire had taken root inside me. Dr. Elaine tried to slow me down, but I shook my head. I was determined. I didn’t want to be weak anymore. I didn’t want to be the girl everyone mocked.

And then… everything went black.

-

When I woke up, it was to the strangest feeling. I felt weightless, like I was floating. I felt firm arms wrapped around me. My lashes fluttered open, and at first, all I could see was the ceiling spinning overhead.

But then I tilted my head, and I saw him.

Lucas.

His jaw clenched. His brows were drawn in an expression I couldn’t read. It was part annoyance, part… something else. His cold eyes looked down at me.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I could feel sparks in the places his arms touched me—around my back, beneath my knees. He held me like I was fragile and precious. My heart raced wildly.

“Lucas…” I whispered, but my voice was weak, barely there.

“Don’t talk,” he muttered. His tone was low and sounded almost irritated, though I swore I caught a worried hint in it.

He carried me into the nurse’s office. My head lolled against his chest, and I hated that I was drifting in and out, but I caught pieces of him—his scent, the tension in his shoulders, the way he barked to the nurse:

“She isn’t feeling well. She fainted.”

The nurse fussed over me when he laid me down but my eyes stayed locked on Lucas. Just as the nurse guided me onto the bed, I slipped back into his arms for one last second. His chest rose and fell beneath my cheek, and my entire body burned.

Then, I lost consciousness again.

-

When I woke up the nurse was moving about the office, scribbling something on a clipboard. And there he was. Still there.

Lucas sat in the chair by the wall. He looked stiff. His eyes were fixed on the ground as if he was forcing himself not to look at me. My heart stuttered at the sight of him waiting.

“Lucas…” I breathed. My throat was dry.

He finally looked at me. His eyes were colder than ever. It looked like a wall built in seconds, shutting me out. “Don’t do that again,” he said flatly.

My face burned. “I—I wasn’t—”

“You pushed yourself too far. Don’t.” His voice as cold as ice.

I felt embarrassed. I couldn’t tell if he was angry because he cared, or if I was just an inconvenience. I turned my face away. My cheeks burned up. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

But my heart betrayed me. It started beating wildly at the thought that maybe he did.

He left soon after, as if being near me was unbearable.

And yet, my lips curved into a small, secret smile. Because now, for the first time, I wasn’t invisible to him.

The smile stayed on my face all the way back to class until I heard it.

“She totally fainted on purpose,” Jack’s voice echoed. “You think Lucas would even look at her otherwise? She’s so pathetic.”

Kathy’s cruel laugh followed. “Desperate much? Pretending to be weak just so a guy will notice? Classic Ashley.”

The laughter pricked at my skin. I froze in the doorway. I could feel the shame spreading in my stomach.

But before I could shrink into myself, a voice cut in.

“Wow, you two must be exhausted.”

Everyone turned. It was Melissa. She was a cheerleader with bouncy curls and an even bouncier personality. She stood with her hands on her hips, smirking. “All that energy spent obsessing over Ashley’s life… do you ever stop to breathe?”

The room went quiet for a while.

I blinked. Melissa had never spoken to me before. Ever.

Kathy scoffed, flipping her hair. “What’s it to you?”

Melissa grinned wider. “Oh, nothing. Just funny how insecure people sound when they can’t stop talking about someone else. If Ashley wanted attention, trust me, she wouldn’t waste it on you two.”

A few students laughed in the back. Jack’s face darkened, Kathy rolled her eyes, and for once… they didn’t have a comeback.

Melissa winked at me. You’re welcome.

I just stared at her, stunned. No one had ever stood up for me like that.

Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to change.

And maybe, Lucas wasn’t the only one who saw me differently now.