The Adventures of A Fat Girl

"Hazel, get up sweetheart. You don't want to be late for you last at school, do you?", my mom's melodic voice interrupts my dreamless sleep.  "I'm up", I reply in a hoarse voice and mom leaves after closing the bedroom door softly behind her.  I make my way towards the bathroom and splash water on my face. As I look at myself in the mirror, my hair look like they've undergone a shock treatment, I've dark circles under my eyes, acne on my chubby cheeks and a double chin. I let out a sigh and continue getting ready for the day.  "Good morning", my dad looks up at me and smiles warmly. My father, Rick Campbell is a lawyer just like my mother, Carla Campbell. They both are amazing at their jobs and that's why they got job opportunities in New York and that's where we will be moving. All the things are packed and ready to be shipped out today. They both are mostly busy but that make it a point to have breakfast and dinner with us.  "Hazel and Ace eat your breakfast. Dad is going to drop you off at school today", mom says and serves me the delicious pancakes with maple syrup poured on it.  "Thank you mom", Ace and I start eating. My baby brother is just an year younger to me but he's mature for his age. He's 16 and is really intelligent. He looks just like my mom with the same blonde hair, the blue eyes and a round face. I am more like my dad. I'm a brunette with brown eyes and chubby cheeks. "We are leaving now", dad hollers from the living room and we both scramble out of the kitchen after kissing our mom on her cheeks. As we get in the car, dad zooms out of the parking lot and Ace turns on the radio. 'Why by Sabrina Carpenter' starts playing and I get lost in my thoughts. Dad and Ace's conversation in like a buzz in the background. Let me start by introducing myself. I'm Hazel Campbell, 17 year old, a senior at Robinson high, located in the small town of California. I would say I'm normal but others don't make me feel that way. I'm overweight and because of that, I get bullied at school on daily basis. My overweight is not the result of me eating a lot of food but because of the medical condition that I have. It's called, hypothyroidism. In much simpler words, it is a condition in which, the thyroid gland does not secrete the hormones as it is supposed to be. And one of the side effects of having hypothyroidism is gaining weight more than the others. People except for my family do not know about this and I would like to keep it that way. My parents think that I have a lot of friends but in reality I've only one friend. Others are just bullies but my parents don't know that.  "We are here kids", dad's voice breaks the chain of my thoughts. I look at the school that I went to for thirteen years and felt no sadness. All of my memories of this school are about me getting bullied, tormented by the people who were supposed to understand me and become an important part of my life. We were supposed to create sweet memories but instead all I have are nightmares and sad memories that sadden me. People think I am strong and I stand up for myself but that's just a facade that I like to show the world. I would rather they see me strong and not depressed. This will give them the satisfaction and I don't want them to have it.  "Honey, you need to get out of the car", dad's soft voice interrupts me and I look at him and smile.  "See you later dad. Love you". "Love you more baby", I get out of the car and dad leaves the campus. Ace stands beside me holds my hand.  "You ready?", he asks. Ace knows about the bulling but I told him to keep it to himself. Our parents don't need anymore stress than they already have. "Born ready. Let's go", we make our way inside the building. I can hear the snickers coming from the my fellow classmates as I pass them. I keep my head high and refrain from commenting on it.  "Oh, the fatty has arrived people", comes the obnoxious voice of the one person I hate more than anything.  "Ace, go to the locker room. I'll be there soon, okay?", he nods hesitantly but leaves. I turn around to face the asshole who is one of the people who is responsible for the hell of a life I have here.  "Still poking your obnoxious nose into other people's business, Tobias?", I glare at the boy standing in front of me.  "Fatty, I just think you should loose some weight. I hate to see you paddling around", he says, pretending to be worried about my health. I let out a snort and take a step forward.  "None of your business, asshole", I spat at him and his nostrils flare like that of the dragon's. If this was a fantasy world, he would be breathing fire.  "You have the audacity to back answer him fatty", River, the second in command of Tobias comes forward. "Oh, the minion number one is here, I see. Where the number two River?", I ask him in a baby voice and bat my eyelashes.  "You b***h —", before he could say anything else, Tobias puts a hand on his shoulder and stops him.  "I really hope you don't go crying back to your daddy, fatty", saying so, he pours the cans of coke on me, drenching me from head to toe. I look up at him, shocked and unable to say anything. As I gather myself, I am about to slap him across the face, but another voice interrupts us.  "What the f**k?! Why did you do it Tobias?!", Finn, another of his friends but alot nicer than him asks Tobias, while his girlfriend and a friend of mine hands me a handkerchief to wipe myself.  "She deserves it Finn", Tobias answers with a shrug and smirks at me.  "WHY DO I DESERVE THIS?!", comes a booming voice and everyone looks stunned. I realise its me who shouted at him.  "You dare —", before River could complete his sentence, I glare at him.  "You will be f*****g quite. I'm talking to him and I don't want you opening that mouth of yours", maybe it's me glare that silences him or the way Finn is glaring at him, daring him to say a word. It's the latter, I'm sure.  "You, Tobias Archer, answer me! Why do I deserve the bullying?! You don't even know me. You don't know what I go through! I have never crossed your path. I'm about to leave this godforsaken school forever, I only asked you one thing. Answer me!" "Because you're a nuisance. You have no standard. Even though your parents are rich, you're a nobody. No one cares if you're alive or dead. You're just a burden on this earth", all the words that he just said pierce right through my heart but I don't show it. I am not going to cry especially in front of my bully. I won't give him that satisfaction.  "How can you say something like that to her?!", Finn roars.  "Let's go Hazel", Willow says and tries to pull me in the opposite direction. I shake her off and stand tall. "If I have no standard, you think you do? Do you have any idea how much these people hate you? You are a bastard who plays with girls until they satisfy your needs and then throw them away like tissues. Your personality stinks and the way you behave, your standard is much more lower than mine", saying this to his face, I leave the school premises.  As I start walking I realise where my feet are taking me. The big old tree. The tree has witnessed my anger, frustration, tears and has endured my screams and my punches. The tree is like a support system for me. It doesn't say anything just keeps me safe from the people who want to hurt me more than anything.  I reach there and sit, my back against the bark of the. I pull my knees close to my chest and rest my head back. I feel something wet on my cheeks and I realise that these are the tears that have been blocked by eyes from falling down but now, the barrier has been broken and they are staining my cheeks.  I rub my eyes, trying to stop the tears but can't. As I was about to rub them again my phone rings. The screen flashes my mom's name and I pick it up after clearing my throat.  "Hey mom", I flinch at my cracked voice. She'll know I have been crying.  "Hazel,  thank god you picked up the phone. We know what happened at the school, the teacher called us. We were searching for but couldn't find you. Please tell me you're safe baby", I can hear the desperation in her voice.  "I'm fine mom", I reply and I could hear the sighs of relief.  "Baby, please tell me where you are. I am coming to pick you up, my love", I hear my dad's loving voice and the tears start flowing again. I start sobbing hard, my breathing is uneven and I know I am having a anxiety attack.  "Hazel, honey, breathe. Dad is coming to get you love. Take the pills from your bottle, can you do that for me baby girl?", he asks and I could hear the car start.  I take one pill from the bottle and start breathing deeply. My breathing improves and the sobs get under control.  "Honey, you okay now?", mom asks and I hum in response.  "Now, tell us where you are so we can come and pick you up", dad's soothing voice calms me down and I tell him the address.  In about fifteen minutes I hear my parents calling my name and I open my eyes. I see the three of them hovering over me, concern itched on their faces.  "Hazel, honey, why didn't you tell us before?", mom starts sobbing.  "We can talk about this at home. Come on baby, let's go home", dad helps me stand and engulfs me in a hug which radiates relief, concern and an infinite amount of love and affection.  As we make our way towards the car,  I can only think of one thing. Leaving is the easy part when you have nothing to hold on to.