He just wanted to be seen for who he was, not the weight he used tocarry. Would it always be like this? Would people always view him as a body meant to be fat?
Almost unconsciously, Emmett withdrew his phone and checked his notifications, his sobs steadying as he took in the new comments on his most recent before-and-after:
ericfitlaHalf the size you used to be but double the man!
dkpurcell1This transformation!!! You’re not even the same person, I refuse to believe it!!!
thefatandthefuriousNo one can convince me those are the same two people.
papareece95hey man, i just have to tell you how proud of you i am… the change i’ve seen in you on here, inside and out, is just incredible… the person you were meant to be all along, and i’m just so damn happy for you…
Fresh tears leaked down Emmett’s cheeks. He wished he could reach into his phone and hug them, all twelve thousand of them. His Truepers.
He jumped as a hand knocked on the window.
Emmett sighed guiltily, seeing who it was. He lowered the window. “Hi.”
“How are you?” Aaron said.
“I don’t know… Sorry for embarrassing you in there.”
“Not at all. Your family were being dicks.”
“You think?”
“Totally. You can feel the jealousy coming off them in waves. They wish they looked half as good as you, but they’re old and straight and ruined their bodies with childbirth.”
Emmett snorted. “I like that take.”
“You did stick me with the bill, though.”
“Shit. Sorry. I’ll Venmo you.”
“You doing anything tomorrow night? Want to come over?”
“All right.”
Aaron kissed him through the window and they said good night.
A few minutes later Emmett put his phone away and pulled out ofthe lot, thinking gratefully of Aaron and his Truepers. How good they could make him feel with just a few words. How their support validated him in a way the people closest to him rarely did.
Who needed family or friends, Emmett thought, when they had the kindness of strangers?
He still had concerns about Obexity after speaking with Dr. Saito, but he couldn’t deny the treatment had transformed his world.The person you were meant to be all along.Was he really going to throw all that away because of a few side effects?
When he got home, he found Lizette texting on the couch, the TV on. “How was dinner?” she said, her voice elevated over the dogs’ excitement.
“Dramatic.”
“¿Qué pasó?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. Need to pee.”
“Mando wants to know if you’ve seen his baseball bat.”
Emmett paused. “Yeah, I borrowed it to practice my backhand. I know that’s tennis,” he added before she could correct him. “What’re you talking about?”
“I guess he started keeping a spare here so he doesn’t have to run home between games, but he says he couldn’t find it anywhere.”
