Chapter 1

"Fuck a whale like that? Dude, I'd need a goddamn forklift to dig through the rolls and find the hole. You could pay me a grand and I still wouldn't touch it. This isn't dating—this is like that show Fear Factor."

The words boomed from the speakers on the second floor of the Delta house just as I stood in the middle of the living room, holding a red velvet cake covered in frosting.

The deafening hip-hop music cut out instantly. A hundred pairs of eyes locked onto me.

No sympathy. Just anticipation. Disgust.

Up on the second-floor balcony, Bobby gripped the mic. That pretty-boy face—the one plastered on every campus magazine—wore its usual careless smirk.

Three hours ago, in the backyard of this same house, he'd looked into my eyes and said: "Leona, there's something special about you. You're way more interesting than those girls who just paint their nails all day."

Now he was waving a hundred-dollar bill at the crowd below. "So whoever nails this jumbo-sized pig by finals—the hog fund is yours!"

"Prize pool's at five hundred bucks now, boys. Go get her!"

Roaring laughter. Every sound a needle in my ears.

My head buzzed. The cake I'd stayed up all night baking for Bobby's birthday was burning my hands.

"Aww, look at our little piggy. She's gonna cry."

A sharp voice cut through from the stairs.

Jennifer descended in a skintight sequined dress and heels. Alpha Chi president. Bobby's actual girlfriend.

She stopped in front of me, eyes raking over my cheap dress straining against my body, her face twisted in disgust.

"Leona, you didn't actually think Bobby could want something like you, did you? Something whose thighs rub together so hard they could start a fire? Don't you look in the mirror and gag?"

"I—"

My throat closed. I couldn't make a sound. My eyes burned, but I bit down hard on my lip.

"You what?" Jennifer's hand shot out and knocked the cake from my grip.

Dark red cake and white frosting exploded across my chest, sliding down my dress before splattering on the floor in a ruined heap.

The crowd erupted in whistles and cheers.

"Oops. My bad."

Jennifer covered her mouth in mock apology. "But honestly, it suits you. Pigs belong in the mud anyway. Go ahead, eat up. It's your favorite—carbs."

She lifted her heel and ground it into the cake, smearing it into paste.

My breathing turned ragged. I stared at the destroyed cake, at Jennifer's smile, at Bobby watching from above like it was prime entertainment.

Favorite carbs?

Nobody knew I hadn't touched sweets in three years. This red velvet cake I'd baked through the night—I hadn't even licked the frosting off my fingers.

I wasn't fat from eating. At thirteen, a severe autoimmune disease forced me onto high-dose corticosteroids for years.

Those life-saving injections destroyed my metabolism completely. Like a curse, they turned my body into an out-of-control balloon that just kept inflating.

Even on nothing but boiled vegetables, I was still the whale whose thighs supposedly sparked fires.

For nineteen years, I'd been the people-pleasing fat girl. Writing papers for them, running late-night food errands, even laughing along when they made fun of my body—all just to stay in the circle.

I thought if I was kind enough, worked hard enough, they'd eventually see what was inside.

I was wrong.

In a world that worships looks and power, weakness and ugliness are sins. And I was just trash for their entertainment.

Tears welled up, but I swallowed them. I lifted my head and looked Jennifer dead in the eye. The fear was gone. Only numbness remained.

Jennifer flinched, stepping back before catching herself. "What are you looking at? Get the hell out of our party! We don't want a human dumpster here!"

I didn't answer. I turned and walked out through the jeers and laughter.

Cold air hit me outside, hardening the cream stuck to my chest.

People turned to stare as I passed, but I didn't head back to my dorm. Still covered in cake, I walked straight to the old 24-hour gym on the far edge of campus.

I shoved open the rusted door. Dim lights flickered inside.

I walked to a treadmill. Kicked off my flats and left them by the base. Didn't change. Didn't wipe the frosting off my face. Just stepped onto the belt barefoot and slapped the button I'd never dared touch before: 6.

The belt started spinning. I stepped on. My heavy body jolted with each step. The rough belt tore into my bare soles immediately, hot pain shooting up with every impact.

My inner thighs burned, flesh rubbing against flesh with every stride. My knees—trashed from years of steroids—shook under my own weight.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the hole in my chest.

"Too slow." I slammed my fist down. Speed 8.

My steps turned clumsy. My lungs caught fire. My overworked heart felt ready to explode. Tears finally broke through, mixing with sweat and frosting, blurring my vision.

The belt beneath my feet was streaked with faint bloody smudges now, dark against the black rubber.

But I didn't stop. Bobby's voice echoed in my head. Jennifer's heel crushing the cake.

"Forklift." "Whale." "Human dumpster."

My legs gave out from exhaustion. My right foot slipped off the belt. My body tipped backward. The spinning track was about to launch me across the room.

Then—

SLAM.

A hand shot over my shoulder and smashed the red emergency stop.

The belt screeched to a halt. I pitched forward, barely catching the handlebars.

I was shaking all over, gasping for air, heart pounding as I turned around.

Gray hoodie. Francis. Athletics recruit. He worked nights.

His hand steadied my arm, keeping me upright.

Those dark eyes took in my pale, tear-streaked face. No pity. No judgment. Just cold assessment.

"Keep going like this, you'll kill yourself on that thing."