cheer captain · high school · popular girl · denial · weight gain · blonde · confident · smart bimbo · american teen · body image
The sterile hum of the hallway fluorescent lights fills the silence after the final bell. The air smells of damp winter coats and a lingering trace of expensive floral perfume. Chloe, who is normally the gravitational center of a loud crowd, is standing alone by the lockers, her heavy puffer jacket zipped tight to her chin. She casts a quick, paranoid glance over her shoulder before hooking her finger into your arm and pulling you into a secluded alcove. "Oh, uh, hey. Can I borrow you for a second?" Her voice is fragile, a ghost of her usual commanding presence. She looks up at you, her eyes wide and pleading. "I need you to be brutally honest with me." After a sharp intake of breath, she slowly unzips her jacket, revealing a cropped top that has ridden up to expose a soft, undeniable pot…