Chapter 2

I stared at the group announcement for a solid ten seconds.

"Congrats to Ethan on winning his brand-new, 220-pound girlfriend!"

With over a hundred people in the chat, the messages were flying by fast.

"Zach took a massive loss on this one."

"A loss? He got rid of a fat girl. That's a massive win, bro."

"@Ethan, Ethan, come out and give us your victory speech!"

Then, a photo was dropped into the chat.

It was taken during my sophomore year sports day.

Back then, I weighed nearly 220 pounds. My clothes were bursting at the seams as I sat on the last row of the bleachers, keeping my head down while eating a bagel.

The person who took it was clearly far away.

But no matter how blurry it was, there was no hiding how shockingly heavy I used to be.

The person who posted it was none other than my online boyfriend.

Zach.

Just a minute ago, he was still sweet-talking me in our private Snapchat DMs.

"Babe, it's just a joke among friends."

"I just lost a game and sent your Snapchat to Ethan. It's just for a silly couple's challenge. Don't take it seriously."

I didn't reply.

The group chat was laughing its head off.

"Damn, with that size, Ethan's going to need to rent a U-Haul to pick her up tomorrow, right?"

"What's the couple's challenge again? A bridal carry? Is Ethan trying to end up in the ER with a broken spine?"

"Maybe they should change it to 'heavy lifting.' Might be easier."

Zach sent a facepalm emoji.

"Go easy on her, guys. Don't make her cry."

He pretended to defend me, but in reality, he was just trampling my dignity even harder.

My fingers turned cold.

We had been dating online for eleven months.

When he had insomnia, I stayed up all night playing Valorant with him.

When he lost his games, I comforted him from midnight until dawn.

When he was stressed before the final exams, I recorded voice notes every day to cheer him on.

I even put Coastal State University as my first choice on my college application.

Because he had told me.

"Chloe, let's go to the same college."

"When the semester starts, I'll bring a huge bouquet of flowers to meet you."

And now, the day before college started, he had treated me like a cheap poker chip and lost me to someone else.

Soon, someone set up a betting link in the group.

"Will Chloe show up at the freshman mixer tomorrow night?"

The pot kept growing.

The amount of money betting that I wouldn't dare to show had already passed three thousand dollars.

Zach immediately put down a thousand.

"She won't show."

"She's super shy. She cries if you even raise your voice at her."

I finally laughed out loud.

So, he knew I would cry.

Yet, he still brought over a hundred people to watch me break down.

Just then, a new message popped up in the chat.

Serena: "Guys, don't talk about Chloe like that. Being a bit chubby is totally fine, as long as she has a good heart."

She was the undisputed campus queen of our freshman class.

Just two days ago, she had posted a set of beach photos on her Instagram.

She tagged me.

"Chloe, you'll be there tomorrow night, right?"

It looked like she was trying to help me out.

But then she immediately added another line.

"Everyone really doesn't mean any harm. Don't feel insecure about your looks."

The group chat instantly filled with praises of "Our campus queen is so kind-hearted."

I didn't rush to reply. Instead, I clicked the betting link.

Five hundred dollars.

Betting that I would show up on time.

The group went dead silent for two seconds, followed by a screen full of question marks.

Zach privately messaged me.

"Are you crazy?"

"They have brutal mouths. Why are you coming?"

I looked at myself in the mirror.

My long hair fell over my shoulders, and my waist was so tiny it looked like it could be held with one hand.

The features that had been buried under baby fat in high school were now sharp, striking, and almost intimidatingly beautiful.

Over the past two months, whether I was at the mall, the subway, or the gym, I had been asked for my Snapchat twenty-seven times.

A talent scout had even cornered me for half an hour, begging me to shoot a commercial.

Zach knew absolutely none of this.

Because I had wanted to save the best version of myself for the day we finally met in person.

But now?

He didn't deserve this surprise.

I wiped away the single tear that hadn't even had the chance to fall, and replied to the group with four words.

"A bet's a bet."