Chapter 01

Nathalia

My best friend Fabio spent every night in my bed.

Every single day, he'd lean a ladder against my window and climb into my room after everyone was asleep. Before anyone woke up, he'd be gone.

Even though we spent every night together, I never gave him my first time.

But with one week left before high school graduation, I decided to give myself to him.

I wanted to make it special — a note confessing my feelings and telling him I'd be waiting in my room that night.

I slipped the envelope onto his desk, hoping he'd find it quickly. Instead, his friends found it first.

That's when the mocking started.

"Hey, Fabio! You seriously wanna get in bed with that fat girl?"

Fabio looked completely mortified. He glanced at me, then said:

"Of course not! Who'd wanna sleep with a girl who looks like a pig? I love Emma, and she's the one I want."

He grabbed Emma by the hand — the most popular girl in school — and kissed her right in front of me.

I was devastated. In that moment, I finally understood why he called me his "friend" and kept it a secret that he came to my bed every night to kiss me.

The mockery shifted and zeroed in on me alone.

Within hours, the entire school knew that I'd invited the football captain to have sex.

They hurled insults and threw fruit at me, calling me "pig" — a nickname Fabio himself had coined.

I went home covered in filth and bruises from the fruit that hit me.

My mother took one look, pinched her nose, and told me to go clean myself up.

My father complained that I didn't know basic personal hygiene and would never measure up to my older sister.

I went to the bathroom and stayed there for hours, crying and scrubbing the mess off my body.

I didn't leave my room for the rest of the day. I buried myself in my mafia romance novels, trying to escape the cruelty of my reality.

But even the romances started to suffocate me — something I'd never noticed before. Not a single heroine was fat like me. It was as if even the authors didn't believe a plus-size girl could be loved.

I gave up reading and curled into a ball on my bed until the early hours.

Past midnight, I heard a knock at my window.

Through the glass, I saw Fabio.

I hated him. But curiosity about whatever excuse he'd give me for today dragged me to the window to open it.

"What are you doing here? I thought I was a fat pig to you."

"Nathalia, you're way too sensitive. It was just a joke, and school's almost over. Dealing with a little bullying isn't that bad."

Not a single trace of remorse in his eyes.

"But what are you doing here? Didn't you say you love Emma?"

"Emma's my girlfriend. You're my friend. Let's not change things over this. Don't be annoying and jealous. Anyway, I'm here because you said tonight we could hook up. Let me in — I'm already excited."

"Unbelievable! You still think I'm giving you my first time? You must be insane!"

"Quit the drama, Nathalia! Keep acting like this and you'll die a virgin. I doubt anyone besides me would ever have the guts to see you naked."

I was furious.

"Fabio! You're an idiot, and for the love of God, never show your face in front of me again!"

On impulse, I shoved the ladder.

"Nathalia, help me! Nathaliaaaa—"

The ladder toppled and he went crashing down from the second floor, letting out a scream of pain that woke the entire neighborhood.

I slammed the window shut, dove into bed, and pretended to be asleep.

Minutes later, I heard ambulance sirens. The whole neighborhood had gathered around Fabio.

My bedroom door burst open and my father stormed in, furious.

"Nathalia! What did you do? Why did you push the Tavares boy off a ladder?"

I paused, realizing the sleeping act wasn't going to fly.

That's when I had an idea.

"I don't know... I didn't even know it was him. I thought it was a burglar trying to break in. Why would he bring a ladder to climb into my window in the middle of the night? If you ask me, he's a lunatic!"

My father looked thrown off. It seemed like it had just now occurred to him how strange it was for a man to climb a ladder and try to enter a girl's bedroom at two in the morning.

"You're sure you don't know anything about what happened?"

"I swear I don't! Maybe he's some pervert who wanted to peep at my sister and got the wrong window."

The second I mentioned my sister, my father stormed out of my room.

I got up and looked through the window. Three people were holding my father back while he tried to beat up Fabio, who was being loaded onto a stretcher by the paramedics.

"That kid's a pervert! He was trying to spy on my daughter! I'm calling the police, and he's going to pay for this!"

I smiled, thinking Fabio was in deep trouble now.

"Serves him right. That's what he gets for messing with me."

I couldn't wait to see how he'd explain his way out of this one.

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