Page 45 of The Revenge You Seek

"I'm more than happy to take on both if you two pussies don’t want to get involved. Let?" he adds, his eyes locking on mine. "There's more than enough of me to go around."

"You're a fucking idiot," Ella squeals as he slaps her ass and she scrambles away from him.

"That's a good look, girl. You look hot." He blows her a kiss as she walks to me.

Her curlers are everywhere and the junk on her face mostly rubbed off on Violet's bedsheets.

"I guess I should have that shower now then, eh?" Violet asks, unattaching herself from Brax and walking toward her bathroom. He quickly follows. "Alone. Thank you."

"It's like none of you want to sleep with me," he mutters, pulling a sad puppy dog look.

"That would be because we don't," Ella announces.

"But you're all about the players, baby." He runs his eyes down her robe-clad body.

"Hmm… not this player. I've seen what you're hiding down there, and I've got to be honest, I wasn't all that impressed."

Everyone in the room falls about laughing before we all turn to leave Violet alone to shower.

"I can't help that I'm a grower," Brax barks, causing us all to laugh again.

"I swear to God, we have the best dorm on campus," Ella says, walking to her own bathroom to wash her face.

When she returns her skin is clear and her blonde hair is hanging around her shoulders in soft waves. She's really beautiful.

She walks to her closet in just her underwear, not batting an eye about me being here. Her confidence reminds me of how I used to be. But since losing as much weight as I have, I do everything I can to hide my body.

Reaching for my drink once more, I down the contents, hoping the alcohol will help me find the old me who would have owned that dress like a fucking queen.

"This or this?" she asks, spinning to me with two equally revealing dresses in both hands.

"Because you're making me wear that." I point to my scrap of fabric. "I say that one." I wiggle my finger in front of the one that looks the smallest.

"Done. It should at least get me some attention." She drags it on and flicks her hair over her shoulder.

"Y-yeah, it should do that." She looks like a freaking model. My shoulder slump knowing that I'm never going to match up to her.

"Don't," she barks. "Get those stupid thoughts out of your head right now."

My lips part to argue but she pins me with a look that tells me she understands exactly how I feel.

Turning around, she pulls a scrapbook from her top drawer, flips it open and passes it over.

I look down at a photo of a teenage girl sitting on a porch. It's immediately obvious that it's Ella because her honey eyes shine just like they do now but her face doesn't show the happiness I’m becoming used to.

"I haven’t always looked like this. I was the school's chubby girl who got bullied every day of her life. I know you're not happy about how you look right now. But it's not forever. Only you can make it so you love yourself."

"I used to, that's what's so hard. I used to be like you now."

She drops down beside me and takes my hand.

"What happened?"

"I lost myself."

She's silent for a beat as if she's expecting me to say more, but she'll be disappointed because that's all the sharing I intend to do. I want to enjoy tonight, not fall back into the past.

"Okay, so let's work on making you love you again. I go to yoga twice a week, you should come with."