Chapter 3

The next second, Zach called me.

I ignored it.

He called three more times before finally sending a barrage of voice notes.

"Chloe, can you please stop throwing a tantrum?"

"That's just how the game works. I lost, so you temporarily become Ethan's partner. It's over after three simple challenges tomorrow night."

"We're all classmates here. Don't make me look bad."

I was so angry I laughed.

He gave me away like a piece of property, and now he was blaming me for making him look bad.

I opened the shared group file.

The so-called "couple's challenges" consisted of three things:

First, feeding each other cake in public.

Second, holding hands for a photo and posting it to the main freshman group.

Third, the guy had to carry the girl in a bridal carry for ten seconds.

Some people in the chat were already mocking Ethan.

"Who came up with the third one? That's straight-up attempted murder!"

"Even Ethan at 6'2" can't lift 220 pounds, right?"

"It's fine. He only lost a game, at worst he'll just lose a spine."

The guy named Ethan hadn't said a single word from beginning to end.

His profile picture was just a black screen, and his Instagram was completely empty.

But everyone in the chat seemed to respect him, or fear him.

They were vicious when mocking me, but when they tagged him, they only joked around lightly. No one actually dared to push him.

Just as I was about to close the app, my best friend Maddie FaceTimed me.

The moment she picked up, she went off.

"Chloe! Is Zach's brain in his ass?!"

"Losing his girlfriend in a game? What is he playing, hot potato?"

I was startled. "How do you know?"

"Screenshots of that group chat have already spread to our high school alumni group!"

Maddie was pacing back and forth on the screen, practically fuming.

"I've already memorized that guy's name. When school starts, I'm putting a trash bag over his head, and you can keep watch."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing that I could still laugh, she felt even worse for me.

"What are you going to do? Just post a picture of yourself right now and slap them all in the face?"

"No."

"Why not?"

I opened my closet, my eyes scanning the dresses hanging inside.

"Pictures are boring."

They could say it was photoshopped, stolen, or fake.

As long as they didn't want to admit it, they'd find a hundred excuses.

I wanted them to see me in person.

With their own eyes. And regret it.

Maddie caught on instantly, her eyes lighting up.

"You're actually going?"

"Of course. I already put five hundred dollars down."

"Hell yes, you're going!" She slammed her desk. "Not only are you going, you're going to look so gorgeous they'll collectively lose their minds."

"Zach bet a thousand dollars that you wouldn't dare, right? Let's take his money first, then watch him get humiliated."

Just as she finished speaking, there was a knock on my door.

My mom came in with a plate of sliced fruit.

She paused when she saw the dress laid out on my bed.

"A party tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

She hesitated for a few seconds before asking gently, "Are you meeting that boy you met online?"

I went silent.

For Zach, I had spent a whole year losing weight.

At my worst, I ate only a few lettuce leaves a day. I was so hungry at night that my stomach cramped, and I had to sleep clutching a hot water bottle.

Later, when my medical check-up showed issues, a nutritionist forced me to stop the extreme dieting.

Only then did I start proper carb control and strength training.

220 pounds.

180 pounds.

140 pounds.

And finally, 110 pounds.

My mom had helped me exchange clothes through seven different sizes.

She had also seen me stand on the scale countless times, my eyes red but too afraid to cry.

She knew how much I had been looking forward to tomorrow.

But she didn't know that my anticipation had already turned to ashes.

My mom set the fruit plate down.

Before leaving, she gently stroked my hair.

"Chloe, no matter what anyone else says, and whether you are thin or not, you are always my beautiful baby girl."

The moment the door closed, my nose stung with tears.

But then, my phone buzzed.

In the group chat, Ethan had finally appeared.

He didn't acknowledge any of the teasing. He only sent one short sentence.

"She is not a prize."

The group chat instantly went quiet.

A few seconds later, he tagged me.

"If you don't want to come tomorrow, you don't have to."

Zach immediately popped up.

"Ethan, it's just a game. Don't be a buzzkill."

Ethan didn't reply to him.

I stared at that sentence, "She is not a prize," and for the first time, I clicked on his profile.

For some reason, this guy felt a little familiar.