I walk right past my locker because I don’t want to stop at it until the popular clique has moved away. I can’t deal with the torment that they put me through.
“Oh look, here comes Hailey the Heifer,” Carrie yells from the locker, holding her hand over her mouth and laughing. Paulina and Laney chime in with her. They are my enemies, put on this earth to make my life a living hell. I go through this every day with them. I want to just go up to Carrie, grab her hair, throw her on the ground and beat the shit out of her, but I am a better person. I try to ignore the ridicule, but it hurts inside. I know what I look like. I know what people see, and I know how I feel.
Carrie is the ringleader. She is your typical skinny cheerleader who has the perfect everything, including her boyfriend. She is dating the most popular guy at school, Chase O’Brien. He is the captain of the lacrosse team. They have been together for a while now. He is very nice, so I’m not sure what he sees in her besides looks.
As I walk by, I hear him ask, “Why don’t you just leave her alone?” I’m actually shocked at the sudden outburst.
“Why are you sticking up for the cow?” Carrie responds.
“She didn’t do anything to you,” Chase argues.
“Go with her then,” she yells.
“Car, sometimes you can be such a bitch,” Chase says, slamming his locker and walking away.
I’m honored he stuck up for me, but, as far as I’m concerned, they are a clique that sticks together. You are the company you keep, especially when that person is your girlfriend.
One day I will overcome these barriers and be better than they are. I may never be a supermodel, but I, Hailey McCormick, will show all of them. I will no longer be a skinny girl living in a fat girl’s body. I will no longer be bullied because of my differences. I will succeed.
CHAPTER 1
Present Day
Hailey
I PUSH SALAD AROUND my plate as I sit with my latest potential client. I decided to take her to lunch to hear her reasons as to why she thinks I should sign her to my publishing company. I already know that I want to bring her on, but I want to get to know her a little better. I feel it’s best to meet with a writer in person, just to see their actions and reactions.
As I listen to her talk, I am tormented by the sight of her cheeseburger and French fries. They look so good, but I can’t allow myself to eat that way any longer. I changed my eating habits a long time ago.
After questioning her for an hour, I reach out my hand to her.
“Welcome to McCormick Publishing. I’m delighted to have you sign on with us.” I can see the excitement on her face. This is a big deal for most authors. I have so many writers trying to get into my company that I can be very selective when it comes to my decision.
“This is an honor, Mrs. McCormick.”
“It’s ‘Miss,’ but thank you. I will assign someone to start working with you right away.”
“Oh wow, thank you,” the new client shrieks. I love seeing people’s happy faces. I started this company because of my love of reading and writing. I have a few romance novels that I published last year¸ so to see other people live out their dreams is the sole purpose of my business.
I pay the bill when the waiter brings it over, and we go our separate ways. I head back to my office where I have a lot of paperwork to tend to. The temperature has dropped tremendously. January is very cold in New York. I’m just happy that the snow hasn’t hit us yet. I’m still able to get around on foot.
My business is located in a high-rise in the city. I jump on the elevator along with all the other business gurus who are also just finishing up their lunches. I try not to pay attention to the conversations that occur in elevators, but sometimes it’s just too funny not to listen in. I’m still laughing to myself as I exit on the seventeenth floor. My secretary, Melanie, has my messages all ready for me; I stop by to chat with her before entering my office.
“Did the guy come to fix the sign yet?” I ask as I flip through the call-back notes.
“No. Maintenance said they’re behind.”
“Ugh, they are useless. Okay, let me know what they say. If they’re not here by tomorrow, then we need to stalk them.”
“Here’s your mail, too,” Melanie says, handing me a huge pile. “They dropped it off late today.”
“Damn, I know what I’ll be doing today. Manuscripts out the ass are in this pile. Hold my calls and take messages.”
“Will do,” she says.
I have the best secretary around. She is like my right-hand woman. She gets me through a lot of crap that I have to deal with running my own business. I have a team of people who have different responsibilities, but she is just on-point with everything. She keeps me organized.
The refrigerator in my office is stocked with Diet Pepsi and water. If I feel like something sweet, I grab a soda… no calories. I toss the mail on my desk and open my blinds. I love overlooking Central Park.
Can I get any more pathetic than I am? I am lonely and act like it doesn’t bother me. I think I just probably need to get laid, like my best friend Erica tells me repeatedly. I look down out of the window. Could “the one” be out there for me? I doubt it. The problem is that none of these so-called hot bachelors who act like little boys do anything for me. I need a man… Someone who is going to rock my world but give me everything else that I need, as well. That may happen when pigs fly. Until then, I will sit down at my desk, review my manuscripts, and open my mail.
I start tossing into the junk pile. Oh, here’s a good one! Ten percent off of lingerie at Victoria’s Secret. Junk… Oooo, an invitation. I just love them. If I have to go to another wedding solo, though, I may just scream at the top of my lungs.
Who the hell is this Marcy Cunningham on the return address? I open the envelope and pull out the invitation.
You are cordially invited to the St. Cecilia High School Ten Year Reunion.
Oohhh, I get to bring a spouse, assuming that I have one… Freaks. Why did they send it here? My parents still live at the same house I grew up in. Anyway, I’ll probably be declining this invite… Junk.
I toss it. I hated high school so much. It was a breeding ground for assholes. I wonder what the hell all those bitches are up to who made my life a living hell. They probably all have perfect rah-rah-cheerleading-type happy lives.
I’m not complaining actually. I made the life that I wanted for myself. I ended up losing eighty-five pounds, which was a very big accomplishment for me. I have my own business. What more can I ask for?
That’s when Chase O’Brien pops into my head. I shake it off and grab a Diet Pepsi… Moving on.
CHAPTER 2
Chase
MY FRUSTRATION LEVEL is extremely high right now. I had to come to the gym and work it out. I have my iPhone on blast to Jay Z’s “99 Problems” blaring through my earphones. That’s the kind of mood I’m in. I deserve this, because I put myself in these situations by dating bitches. One after another, I end up with another bitch who wants to play games then act controlling.
I thought Megan was different than the rest. We have been together for two years. That’s usually a good sign… right? Not in my life. I was going to ask her to move in with me. That’s a big step for me and would have probably been the biggest mistake of my life. She was practically at my house every day anyway, so it seemed like the normal thing to do, the next step in our relationship.
The past few weeks she has been acting weird. I asked her what was wrong, but she would just say, “Nothing.” I wasn’t going to force her to tell me. I let it go.
This morning, I got a call from my sister Tara who was screaming that she was going to kick Megan’s ass. She is a few years younger, but she knows all the same people I do. I was taken aback, obviously, because she was talking about my girlfriend. I calmly asked her what was wrong. My sister never liked Megan to begin with, so I wasn’t surprised by the madness.