More than Big Boned

2. We're In The Girl's Bathroom

I walk into school with my bag propped on my shoulders. It's really heavy and I'm looking forward to dropping all of the contents into my locker. The area where the grade twelve lockers are is filled with students dressed in a variety of different clothes. Some people are wearing what's trendy while others are wearing jeans or tracksuit pants or dresses. Either way, no one seems to be criticising anyone on how they look.

I stride past Bianca Hutchinson, deep in conversation with her closest friends Abby Price and Paris Baker. I bow my head low and pass them without them glaring daggers at me or yelling insults.

Bianca is platinum blonde and tan. She has shockingly bright green eyes and a few freckles splattered across her nose. The only flaw I see about Bianca is her nose. It's huge and hooked. She's wearing white jeans, showing off her thigh gap, and a tight baby blue strapless top, a change from this mornings workout gear, to show off her perfectly flat stomach and her boobs.

Abby has brown hair and is slightly less tanned than Bianca. Abby had brown eyes and has really long eyelashes to frame them. She's wearing a pair of denim shorts and a black midriff, showing off her flat, toned stomach.

Paris is a different story. I remember in primary school that Paris was a little bigger than I was. And I was quite big. We used to be good friends because we were both outcasts. Turns out that Paris just had some baby fat left. And I mean real baby fat. Not baby fat as in the lie your parents tell you. Not baby fat as in the fat that stays with you until you're seventeen. Paris soon left me for Abby and Bianca and the three of them have been super close ever since. Paris has blonde hair and hazel eyes and she is paler than the other two girls. She's wearing black jeans and a pink halter top. Paris seems to have some sympathy for me having been in the same situation when she was younger.

Of course, I've always been jealous of Bianca and her little parade and all the other skinny girls out there. I had tried my share of diets and exercised and I must say, I do believe I shredded a bit of weight at one point, but of course, I earned it back within the next week or so. Some stupid people assume that I'm happy with the way that I look because I haven't lost weight. Trust me, they're all wrong.

There's really only one person who's nice to me in school and that's Thomas Parker, and he's walking towards me right now. We've been close ever since Tiffany left. Thomas has black, curly hair and blue eyes that are framed by black-rimmed glasses. Thomas is lean and well-proportioned and is remarkably talented at canvas painting.

"Morning, Marty," Thomas says as he slides into place beside me. He leans against someone else's locker and watches as I lift my books into my own.

"Hey, Tommy," I greet him, smiling. "How were your holidays?"

"They were the norm. You know, just painting," Thomas pauses, inhaling deeply. "I went and saw my dad. He's still with Kate... and she seems to have a rather large belly. And she told me that canvas painting is a waste of time but you should keep at it because you're not going to be able to get another job. " Thomas raises a disappointed eyebrow at me and sadness floods his features.

Empathy overwhelms me, and I wrap an arm around Thomas' shoulder. "Thomas, that's horrible. I hate how your dad left you and your mum for Kate. She sounds like a complete bitch. And you know what, you do what you love and you don't listen to Kate. You're going to be famous for all of your canvas paintings." I release my arm and lock up my locker after shoving my schoolbag in.

"Thanks, Martina," says Thomas.

"That's OK. I don't want Kate to put you down just because-"