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Don’t Judge Me by the Scale
Novelix
Completed
"I was a 198-pound girl, and I had liked Caleb Grant, the campus heartthrob, for three years. At his birthday party, I lost a game. Someone started cheering and told me to kiss the person on my left on the cheek. I looked at Caleb, full of expectation. He turned his face away in disgust. “Don’t make me sick. I don’t want to get mauled by a pig.” My roommate Chloe Hart immediately jumped in to defend him. “Exactly. Who’d want to be kissed by a fat pig?” Then the boy sitting on my right spoke. “I would.”"
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
I was a 198-pound girl, and I had liked Caleb Grant, the campus heartthrob, for three years.
At his birthday party, I lost a game.
Someone started cheering and told me to kiss the person on my left on the cheek.
I looked at Caleb, full of expectation.
He turned his face away in disgust.
“Don’t make me sick. I don’t want to get mauled by a pig.”
My roommate Chloe Hart immediately jumped in to defend him.
“Exactly. Who’d want to be kissed by a fat pig?”
Then the boy sitting on my right spoke.
“I would.”
…
Caleb’s birthday was a week away.
I had specially learned how to do makeup, put on the new dress I bought, and turned once in front of the mirror.
The dress was a little tight. The flesh around my waist was squeezed out.
I took a deep breath and sucked in my stomach.
The person in the mirror had not changed much.
But at least she looked a little better than before.
The door opened.
Chloe Hart and my other two roommates came back.
As soon as Chloe walked in, she burst out laughing.
“Oh my God, look at her. What’s gotten into her today? A dress and makeup?”
She pointed straight at me.
“Even pigs are learning how to dress up now. Is this some kind of transformation?”
The other two roommates laughed along.
“She looks disgusting but dreams big.”
“That dress makes her waist look like a barrel. Hideous.”
“She doesn’t seriously think makeup will make her pretty, does she?”
“Stop, I’m going to throw up.”
When I stepped on the scale, it read 198 pounds.
They were right.
Only girls as thin as them deserved to wear dresses.
I took off the dress, folded it neatly, and put it back on the top shelf of my closet.
Then I went to the bathroom and washed off the makeup.
I changed back into my usual T-shirt and long pants.
The person in the mirror became the version of myself I knew best—the one who curled up quietly in a corner.
Chloe glanced up at me.
“Well, at least you know your place.”
I knew she meant the makeup and the dress.
I said nothing.
I lowered my head, took out my phone, and messaged Caleb.
Maybe I shouldn’t go to your birthday party.
He replied quickly.
What’s wrong? Something came up?
How could I explain?
Should I say I felt too fat and was afraid I would embarrass him?
I typed several lines, deleted them, typed again, and finally sent:
Nothing really.
He replied:
Good.
Before I could answer, another message came through.
I already booked the place.
Nova Karaoke, Room 406. This Sunday at six.
Just come straight there.
I swallowed the refusal back down.
Of course I wanted to go.
Who wouldn’t want to spend the birthday of someone they liked with him?
Chapter 2
On Sunday, Chloe got ready in the dorm.
A sequined dress, loose curls, lashes curled high and long.
I waited until it was time, picked up the gift on my desk, and prepared to leave.
Chloe saw me and called out.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
I said nothing.
She looked me up and down.
“Oh, I get it.”
I instinctively hid the box behind my back.
She took a step toward me.
I stepped back half a step and pressed my hand over the box, afraid the corners would get damaged.
“So that’s why you were putting on makeup and a dress the other day. You wanted to go to the campus prince’s birthday party.”
The other two roommates came over when they heard her.
“No way. She has no shame.”
“If she goes, won’t she ruin Caleb’s mood? Who wants to see a pig on such a happy day?”
“And what is that gift? It looks so cheap. He’ll probably throw it in the trash right in front of her.”
“He wouldn’t,” I argued softly.
“He’s a good person.”
Chloe laughed.
“He only gives you the time of day because you went to the same high school. He’s being polite. Otherwise, do you think you’d ever get near him?”
“He’s Caleb Grant. He can have any girl he wants. Why would he need someone like you?”
“If you had any sense, you wouldn’t go. Otherwise, you’ll drag everyone down with you.”
I took a breath.
My voice was louder than before.
“I promised him I’d go.”
Chloe stopped blocking me.
She turned back to her mirror and kept applying mascara, tossing me a look through the reflection.
“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I ignored her, opened the door, and left.
When I found the party room, there were already more than twenty people inside.
People were chatting, singing, and laughing.
I stood at the door for a while.
It had not been shut completely, and laughter spilled out in waves.
I looked down, straightened my clothes, and hugged the gift box a little tighter.
For this plush rabbit, I had spent two nights choosing fabric, redone the face three times, and pricked my fingers with the needle seven or eight times.
I took a breath and pushed the door open.
Chapter 3
Colored lights spun across the ceiling. The coffee table was covered with bottles, snacks, and fruit plates.
I looked around for Caleb.
On the left side of the couch sat several people.
At the end, a boy in a black hoodie leaned alone against the armrest, holding a cup. He wasn’t talking to anyone.
He seemed to be looking at me.
I instinctively looked down at myself.
He was probably staring because I was too fat.
I pressed my lips together, looked away, and continued searching for Caleb.
Before I found him, Caleb’s friend Evan Carter spotted me first.
“Well, well. Isn’t this Caleb’s little high school junior?”
His voice was not quiet.
Everyone turned to look at me.
In an instant, I became the center of the room.
The good news was that following their gaze, I finally saw Caleb.
Scattered voices reached my ears.
“Who is that? She’s huge.”
“She has to be over two hundred pounds.”
“More than that, probably.”
“She came to a party dressed like that? Doesn’t she know she’s embarrassing Caleb?”
“Can anyone just walk into this party? And look at that gift. It looks cheap.”
“Does she think Caleb invited her because he likes her?”
“Probably. Look at her face. She can’t take her eyes off him.”
Hearing those words, I stopped.
But today was Caleb’s birthday, so I gathered my courage and walked up to him.
I lifted the box and handed it over.
My hands trembled slightly, and the lower edge of the box tapped against the table.
I quickly steadied it.
“Caleb, happy birthday. I hope you’re happy every day.”
Caleb glanced at the gift box in my hands.
His gaze paused on it for a second, then moved away.
He did not take it.
He lifted a hand and pointed toward a corner.
“Thanks. Just put the gift over there.”
I followed the direction of his finger.
That corner was full of birthday presents.
Velvet boxes, gold-stamped bags, silk ribbons. Every gift looked delicate and expensive.
They did look much better than mine.
I pulled the box back into my arms.
“Okay.”
A little disappointed, I walked toward the corner.
Behind me, I could still hear quiet comments.
“What is that? I can’t even tell what brand it is.”
“Brand? You’re kidding. That’s either from some discount store or wrapped by herself.”
“No way. She dared give Caleb something like that? Is she trying to insult him?”
“Caleb’s gifts are all designer. That’s so embarrassing.”
