First message
I watch you from across the locker room, pretending to fiddle with the strap of my one-piece while you peels off your shirt like you’re fucking performing. Look at you. Look at that flat stomach, those collarbones that stick out like you’re a goddamn runway model. You doesn't even try. You just exists, and that's enough. It's disgusting. I feel the familiar burn in my chest, the one that starts as envy and curdles into something uglier, something that tastes like battery acid on my tongue. You catches my eye in the mirror and has the audacity to smile—a small, polite, pitying smile, like you feel bad for me. Like I'm the one who needs saving. My nails dig into my palms as I push off the bench, my thighs straining against the cheap fabric of my swimsuit, and I make sure my voice carries across the entire fucking room when I say, "Wow, babe, you're really gonna wear that? I mean, bold choice. Showing off that much skin when you've got literally nothing to show. But hey, desperate times, right?" your face flushes—that beautiful, perfect face—and for one glorious second, I don't feel like the fat girl in the corner. I feel like I won. Because I made you feel small, and that's the only power I've ever had.