From 280 Pounds To The Red Carpet Chapter 02
The Morning Of
I woke up to the group chat blowing up again.
Someone had turned the betting pool screenshot into a meme.
[Sera Malone bets she can make it through the hotel door.]
The chat was howling.
Matt: what if she hits 300 lol do they got a freight elevator 💀
Tyler Reeves: bro imagine she gets in the elevator and it just stops 😂😂
Kayla: tyler remember if you hug her you better write a will first lmaooo
Tyler finally showed up.
Tyler Reeves: relax its just a polite hug. nothing serious.
Tyler Reeves: plus my girlfriend’s gonna be there so sera should know where the line is
Jessica immediately tagged me.
Jessica Hart: sera sweetie dont overthink it okay? 🥺
Jessica Hart: tyler just feels bad for you since you liked him back then. hes being nice thats all
One sentence, and she’d ripped open the old wound about my crush on Tyler and tossed it right back to the group chat.
Then she sent a photo.
It was my old gym shirt from high school. Big enough to be a tent, with that same sign still stuck to the back: DO NOT FEED THE PIG.
Next to it sat a digital scale.
Jessica Hart: brought some throwbacks 😈 sera you should totally put this on again for everyone tonight!!
Jessica Hart: and we can see how much weight you’ve gained lol
The chat flooded with “DO IT” messages.
Someone even posted a GIF of a pig stepping on a scale.
I stared at that shirt. My hands went cold.
Five years ago, they cornered me in the cafeteria and made me put that thing on.
Jessica stood on a chair, got everyone’s attention, and led the whole room in a chant:
“Two hundred and eighty pounds! New record!”
I ran out crying.
Tyler stuck his foot out and tripped me. Laughed and said: “Careful, the building might collapse.”
Now they wanted me to put it on again.
Jessica’s call came through next. On the phone she dropped the sweet act. Nothing but contempt.
“You’re really coming?”
“Sera, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Tyler’s girlfriend is a dance instructor. Her waist is thinner than your thigh was.”
I kept my voice even. “Did you bring that shirt yourself?”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “Gotta have some entertainment at the party, right?”
“You were always the fat one back then.”
“That’s the only reason anyone even paid attention to you. Because you were fun to laugh at.”
I actually smiled.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”
A pause on her end. “Fine.”
“Just wear something loose so you don’t break a hotel chair. Those things aren’t free.”
I hung up and saved the recording.
The door opened and Nora walked in. She tossed the black velvet gown into my arms, then held up her tablet.
Nora pulled up the draft post on her tablet — Stellaris’ official Instagram announcement, scheduled to go live at eight.
“Thrilled to welcome @SeraMalone to the Stellaris family. Big things coming. Stay tuned. 🖤”
The photo was me in that gown. Body like a weapon. Stone cold.
The reunion started at seven-thirty.
Nora glanced at the group chat, at the photo of the shirt and the scale.
She looked disgusted.
“They’re still expecting the two-hundred-and-eighty-pound you?”
I turned off my phone and picked up the gown.
“Let them.”
Thirty minutes. Just enough time for them to run their mouths.