Keily had always been plus-sized, and while she had her insecurities, she never let it get in her way. That is, until she moved to a new school where she met the biggest asshole ever: James Haynes. He never missed a chance to make fun of her weight or point out her flaws. But the thing is… the people who say the meanest things are often hiding their own problems, and James is hiding a HUGE secret. And it’s a secret about Keily.
Age Rating: 18+ (Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Assault)
Fat Keily by Manjari is now available to read on the Galatea app! Read the first two chapters below, or download Galatea for the full experience.
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1
Keily had always been plus-sized, and while she had her insecurities, she never let it get in her way. That is, until she moved to a new school where she met the biggest asshole ever: James Haynes. He never missed a chance to make fun of her weight or point out her flaws. But the thing is… the people who say the meanest things are often hiding their own problems, and James is hiding a HUGE secret. And it’s a secret about Keily.
Age Rating: 18+ (Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Assault)
Original Author: Manjari
After reading the text, I put my cell phone inside my jeans pocket and gulped down my remaining cereal. Collecting my bag and wiping my hands on my jeans, I stormed toward the front door.
“Mom, Addison’s here!” I yelled back at the kitchen. “I’m leaving. Bye!”
“Good luck on your first day!” I heard Mom shout back as I closed the door behind me.
Addison, my cousin, was waiting for me inside the car. Her mahogany skin shone beautifully under the sunlight, and her curly brown hair was tamed in a high ponytail.
I tucked my shirt down a little bit, making sure my belly was covered. The shirt that I wore today was longer than usual, yet it didn’t hurt to check twice that it covered what it needed to cover.
“Hey,” Addison greeted when I sat down in the passenger’s seat.
“Hi.”
“So are you excited? Today’s your first day,” she chirped and started the engine. “You’re going to be the new girl, Keily.”
“You’re talking as if I’m in some teen show, where hot guys are going to jump at me and cheerleaders will claw me.” I giggled, her good morning vibes rubbing off on me.
“Hey! My girls won’t claw, they’ll punch.” Addison smirked.
“Oh, if that’s the case, remind me to clip my nails and take boxing lessons,” I joked back.
Our back-and-forth helped me calm down my jittery nerves. Today was going to be my first day at Jenkins High.
All eighteen years of my life had been spent in suburbs of Remington, so moving here and starting my last year of high school in a completely new town was, to say the least, overwhelming.
Moving hadn’t really been in our plans, but when Mom’s company had decided to open their new branch here and asked her to be the project manager, refusing wasn’t an option.
Bradford was Mom’s hometown, where she had grown up and spent twenty-one years of her life. Plus, it was a good hike in her pay.
My dad didn’t mind either; to be honest, he wouldn’t have minded if you moved him to another corner of the world. He was a freelance software and website designer, so moving for him wasn’t a big deal.
But it was for me…
I hadn’t wanted to leave the comfort of a known place and familiar people (even if those people were quite harsh) behind. It was supposed to happen a year later when I moved to college, not now.
We had arrived here as soon as my school year had ended, so I’d gotten almost two months of preparing and strolling around this town before starting at Jenkins.
Addison, my mom’s brother’s daughter, had been a great tour guide and a really good friend (or cousin). Thanks to her, my dislike for this whole ordeal of uprooting our lives had gone down a notch.
We’d hit it off right at the beginning over our love of anime and Taylor Swift. She was a really fun person and easy to be around.
She had introduced me to couple of her friends too, making this loner feel very welcomed.
She’d even promised me rides to school since her house was only a few blocks away from mine. My theory was she felt compelled to do so because I was her cousin; however, I also couldn’t refuse.
Hitching a ride from my cousin felt more appealing than shoving my body in the small seats of a bus and receiving condescending looks and jibes from other teenagers every morning.
I’d had a fair share of them in Remington.
“We’re here.” Addison honked, dispersing the crowd around the parking lot, making a way to a spot.
I looked at the big building standing high in front of us, a heavy feeling pressing down on my shoulders. My nerves hit back with full force.
“Welcome to your new hellhole, missy,” my cousin teased. She got out, and I followed like a lost puppy (a very big puppy).
Once again, I pulled down my shirt, feeling uneasy walking right next to Addison.
My cousin was not only on the cheerleading team, but she was also in track, one of their best sprinters, according to her friends. It was no wonder she had a body that every woman craved.
She was lean, yet beautifully curvy and muscular, only a couple of inches short of six feet.
Dressed in skinny jeans and a crop top, giving only a hint of her sculpted belly, she looked as if she had walked straight out of a fashion magazine.
I, on the other hand, barely reached her shoulder. I had a big belly, flabby arms, and trunks for legs.
My only assets worth considering okay were probably my breasts and hips. But sometimes, even they were a bother when shopping for clothes.
Today, I was clothed in a flowy top—to hide my flab—and black leggings.
Even though I considered these to be my best casual clothes, next to Addison I felt underdressed, also very badly out of shape.
Look at her; she’s gorgeous.
“You got your schedule, map, and locker code, right?” she asked as we reached the stairs leading to the open doors of the hellhole.
“Yeah, I got them on Saturday. You don’t have to babysit me, no matter what my mom told you.” We entered the hallways, and immediately, I was surrounded by the familiar bustle of high school.
Addison pouted. “Keily, I’m not with you because your mom or my dad told me to. I really liked spending my break with you. I officially consider you more of a friend than a cousin.”
That made me feel guilty for my jibe.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t want to trouble you. You’re already giving me a ride to school. I don’t want to be a burden.”
“What are friends for if not to be a burden on you?” Addison quipped, making me smile. She is perfect.
“Now that you’re saying it like that, I can see the point.” I replied, unable to keep up with her witty remarks.
“Speaking of burdens, let me introduce you to some.” She started walking toward the group of girls, all of them skinny, pretty, and tall. One look, and anyone could tell I didn’t belong in that crowd.
I mentally reprimanded myself for my thoughts and choked down those gnawing insecurities.
If not for Addison, I’d have been a complete loner here. I should have been grateful that I wouldn’t be spending my first day awkwardly trudging around these big premises.
So, with an excited smile, I followed Addison, letting her be my mentor.
***
“How’s everybody’s first day going?” our teacher asked. This was today’s third class.
A collective groan was his answer with some “boring” and “fine” answers. Obviously, these students didn’t share his enthusiasm.
“Is it in your job description to be always this angsty?” He sighed and began writing on the board. Joseph Crones.
“To any new students here,”—his gaze lingered on me for a tad longer—“I’m Joseph Crones. You can call me Mr. Crones.”
I nodded when he looked at me again. Am I the only new one in this class?
“Since it’s our first day of English, why don’t we—” He was cut off when the classroom door opened.
A boy walked in and handed a slip to Mr. Crones. I couldn’t help but study his features. He was tall, easily over six feet, and built like an athlete.
By the bulging muscles of his arms, you could easily figure out the rest of his physique was just as sturdy and muscular.
His eyes fell on me, and I realized I was checking him out. I immediately looked down, my face becoming flushed.
I hated how my face easily showed my embarrassment, turning red at any given opportunity.
“Mr. Haynes, tell the coach to either let you go early or keep you at the field with him,” Mr. Crones reprimanded Haynes.
“Tell him yourself,” I heard Haynes mutter as the sound of footsteps got louder. Our teacher didn’t hear him, or even if he heard, he decided to ignore him.
My head was still down, so when a pair of Nike shoes appeared, my brows furrowed, and without my knowledge, my head moved up. Haynes was getting comfortable at the desk just beside me.
A couple of desks besides the one next to mine were still free. Just my luck. He has to take this one! Oh God…
I knew I was overreacting, but the guy had just caught me checking him out. It was embarrassing. If I’d looked anywhere near like Addison, I’d not have been freaking out this much.
But it was me, a fat girl, and we didn’t have the right to go after beautiful men like him.
“As I was saying,” Mr. Crones began, “it’s our first day, so I’m giving you all an assignment that you have to submit by the end of this semester. Sounds good?” He gave a sweet smile.
Another collective groan was his reply.
“Very good.” He wanted us to write a five-thousand-word thesis or essay on any of the works of Shakespeare.
We needed to do in-depth analysis of his work and also present how it was affected by the politics and culture of the Elizabethan period.
Honestly, I was excited about this assignment. I liked literature; it was fun.
“Hey!” A hand slammed down on my desk, almost making me jump. Mr. Haynes had his hand on my desk.
My eyes first snapped to Teacher Crones—who was busy writing on the board—then they moved to the boy beside me.
Strands of his dark brown locks were falling to his forehead, and somehow it made him look dangerously handsome. I could make out a calculating yet taunting look in his pitch-black eyes.
His pink lips were twitching; he was trying to hide a smile. Even though this boy looked like the incarnation of Adonis himself, the look he was giving me screamed trouble.
Uh…
“Yes?” I hated how whimpery I sounded. My face was already burning up. Stop being this weak already!
I saw his eyes scanning my body from head to toe. I didn’t know if my mind was playing tricks, but his stare reminded me of all the stares I’d received throughout my teenage life.
I could already feel him passing judgement: fat and lazy.
“So,” he said, bringing me out of my daze.
“Huh?”
His lips pulled upward in a teasing smirk. My face flushed harder.
“I asked if you can lend me a pen. I forgot mine.”
Oh.
I moved to pick a pen out of my backpack, but my gaze fell on his jeans pocket. Two pens were already peeking out of it.
What was he trying to pull?!
“No.” My voice came out harsher than I intended. I was trying to not sound weak, but I ended up sounding like a snob. Good work.
I turned my head back to Mr. Crones, who was still busy writing. To be honest, I didn’t want to be anywhere near this Haynes or have any reason to associate with him. I didn’t want to give him my pen.
His face, body, attitude, heck, even the way he was seated on his chair like a king, reminded me of all those entitled kids who thought they owned the world and ridiculed people like me at every given chance.
I might have been overthinking this, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
A scoff came from my side, and without even looking, I knew he was glaring at me.
“With all that fat jiggling out of your body, you sure got an attitude.” His words crushed the little confidence I had gathered.
I really wanted to bite back, but like always, my tongue froze, and instead, I peeked a glance. He was writing on his notebook with a pen—which nobody had given him.
I turned back, my fist tightening.
Asshole!
It was better to stay away from him, because in the end, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t fight assholes like him.
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2
I shoved my books inside my locker and slammed it shut, my actions rather forceful. Haynes’s insult still burned in my mind, dampening my mood.
Coward that I was, my locker took the brunt of my anger instead of the boy who was responsible for it.
“Keily!” Addison was sprint-walking toward me, another girl—who’d introduced herself as Lola this morning—following her.
“How’s your day going?” I asked when she reached me.
“So far so good.”
I looked at Lola, not wanting her to feel left out.
She just shrugged. Lola didn’t talk much.
“C’mon, let’s go. Sadhvi must be waiting for us,” Addison said, hooking her arms with mine and Lola’s and rushing us to the cafeteria.
It was lunch. Addison had invited me this morning to sit with her and the girls.
What a cool cousin I have!
“What about you? Any scandals yet that us cheerleaders must gossip about?” my cousin asked.
I let out an ugly snort. “I’ll let you know.”
“I heard that your English class is taught by Mr. Crones.”
I nodded.
“He’s a pretty cool guy—mind you, annoying, but cool. Although this entire year, you’re going to be saddled with lots of assignments, so be ready.”
Addison groaned. “We got stuck with Old Man Whitman, that bitter crow. You’re lucky, K.”
My first impression of Mr. Crones had also been that he was a laid-back guy. He was too enthusiastic for my taste, but at least he was friendly with us students.
The smell of food assaulted my nose as we entered the cafeteria. The booming noises of students’ chatter filled the large room. My mood lightened until my eyes landed on Haynes.
He was already looking at me. He was at the table just beside the window, sitting there like a king on his throne.
His eyes narrowed, and I looked away. Jerk.
“Let me introduce you to the boys,” Addison said. She waved at the guys at his table. Other than him, there were four more guys; two of them waved back. No!
“It’s okay. We don’t have to disturb them,” I refused, but Addison had already begun dragging us to their table.
Despite my reluctance, she pulled me with her as if I weighed nothing, and that was saying a lot. What does this girl eat?!
“You’ll love them, except James. He’s a prick.”
We reached their table. Addison high-fived a blond guy. Lola greeted them all with a single nod. And I looked anywhere but at him, all the while feeling his glare.
“Is she the cousin you were talking about?” Blond Guy asked Addison.
Addison nodded. “Keily, this is Lucas. Lucas, this is Keily.”
“Hey.” I gave a small smile, my shyness peeking its head. Lucas was a handsome guy. He had sharp facial features with green eyes and heart-shaped lips. He probably had many girls vying for him.
“It’s good to have a beautiful face around,” Lucas said with a most genuine smile. “I hope we’ll have some of our classes together. Addison’s cousin is my…friend.”
“She better remain your friend. We don’t want you dating a cow,” a voice commented. Haynes.
My smile dropped. That hurt.
“Shut up, James.” Addison glared at him. So he was called James. “You just want everyone one to be as miserable as you, don’t you?”
James Haynes rolled his eyes.
“Okay, okay,” Lucas jumped in, his eyes dancing between Addison and James, who were in a glaring competition.
“James, you’ve been in a bad mood since History. God knows why. But you don’t have to take it out on others.”
Addison huffed, putting her arm around my shoulder. I felt like a dwarf, a grateful dwarf. She’d stood up for me. If I could only do the same for myself.
“We’re leaving,” my cousin spat. “Sadhvi is waiting for us anyway.”
As we began to walk, Lucas stopped us. “Hey, don’t let this sourpuss ruin your mood. Don’t go. By now, Sadhvi must’ve found other girls.”
He looked at me. “Keily, I apologize for him. He’s having a bad day.”
“That’s not an excuse,” Lola muttered.
“Yeah, it’s not.” Another guy stood up. He was wearing glasses, which gave him a look of maturity. “Look, why don’t you guys sit here with us? We all want to know Keily.”
He became one hundred times more charming as he smiled. “It’s going to be our treat,” the poor guy added when Addison didn’t reply.
I heard James scoff, probably holding in some remark about my weight and how I’d eat too much.
Addison glared at him but relented anyway. I’d hoped she wouldn’t, but by now, we all had established she was our leader. We did what she said.
I settled in the seat beside Lucas, hyperaware of how much space I occupied.
It didn’t help that James was right in front of me, looking like he wanted to chop my head off for sitting beside his friend.
Am I that bad?
The other guys introduced themselves.
Matt, the guy with glasses, and Axel and Keith, the other two, went to grab our lunch. It was their treat after all.
“So Keily, are you having a good time here—” Lucas stopped, his face scrunching in a cute frown. “Let me rephrase that. You’re not getting bored too much, are you?”
“Not much. Teachers here are pretty okay.”
“Cool. By the way, if anyone here gives you trouble, come to me. I’ll take care of them.”
Take care of your friend, I wanted to reply.
“You don’t have to play the hero, Lucas. She’s already got me for that,” Addison chimed.
“Addy, let me impress your cousin,” Lucas pouted. He was so sweet.
A chuckle slipped past me at his adorable shenanigans, but it stopped as soon as it came when I saw James looking at me with narrowed eyes.
Matt, Keith, and Axel joined us, carrying food for twenty people for just eight of us.
Everyone dug in like the hungry animals that teenagers are, but I was cautious not to take too much, especially with James sitting here. I didn’t want to give him any more ammunition.
It felt like my every action was controlled by how he’d react.
As food reached our mouths, the chitchat at the table ensued.
I learned Lucas was the captain of our football team. I had suspected him of being athletic with all the muscles and height he was packing.
James was also on the team. The two seemed to be good friends. I gathered that much when Lucas kept throwing insults at James and received equally harsh ones back.
According to Matt, James and Lucas were their key players. I took him at his words.
Keith and Axel were on the track team. Addison spent most of the time talking to them about their next tournament.
Lola listened quietly as Matt whispered in her ear. He was so close that he almost sat on her lap.
“They’re dating,” Lucas informed me when he caught me glancing at them.
Lucas asked me about my town and previous school. I answered all his questions, and he listened patiently. It was flattering that a guy like him would pay any attention to me.
His amiable nature gave me courage to ask him questions myself.
We talked about football, but when I couldn’t keep up with him, he switched the conversation to the subjects he was taking. I learned we shared Calculus and PE.
This lunch would’ve been the best one that I’d had in a long time if not for James Haynes. I tried to block him out, but it was difficult when he kept throwing glares my way.
Thankfully, he didn’t make another remark about me. He didn’t even say a word to me, silently settling on an I-wouldn’t-mind-killing-you look.
I should’ve given him that stupid pen.
***
“Keily.”
“Yes.” I looked at my dad. We were on the couch.
After returning from school, wolfing down some snacks, and sleeping for an hour, I had finished my homework.
It hadn’t been much since it was our first day (although I had yet to start on Mr. Crones’s assignment). Now it was approaching 7 p.m., and my dad and I were in the living room.
I was on my phone, and he was doing his work, glued to his laptop.
Dad had already prepared dinner. We were waiting for Mom to return from work.
“Which color is better?” he asked, turning the screen to me. Two browser pages side by side with the heading Ample.com stared at me.
He was asking about the theme color. One was a darker brown fading into light brown. The other was also brown, but a different shade.
I pointed at the first one.
“I also like this one.” He smiled and closed the web page. My eyes were still on his screen when I noticed unfamiliar software.
“Wait. Why aren’t you using Atom? It’s your favorite tool,” I asked. He always used Atom IDE to design websites.
“The client wanted me to use this one.”
“Is the software new? I haven’t seen it before.”
“Yeah, it was launched a year ago.” He began typing on his laptop before stopping again. He looked at me, his brown eyes gleaming. “Do you want to see its features?”
I nodded eagerly. I guessed I shared my father’s interest in designing websites and coding.
“Okay, kiddo, don’t make fun of me. I’m still learning.”
“I can’t promise you that.” I smiled.
Because of my dad, computer science was my favorite subject. Today, I had been excited to attend that class. However, the excitement had poofed out of me when I saw James sitting in the computer lab.
I could’ve handled that, but the teacher had asked us to sit alphabetically, and because K comes after J, we had to sit side by side.
For almost an hour, I’d had to endure his judging gazes, and when I’d ever made the mistake of looking over, I’d been showered with fat jokes.
My two favorite classes, English and Computer Science, had now turned into…not so favorite. If that wasn’t enough, we shared Calculus too.
But Lucas had been there to keep him in check, so it had been bearable. Even though I was grateful, I felt bad that Lucas had to fight his friend for me. He was such a kind person.
If only I could fight for myself.
Our front door opened, and Mom walked in.
“Welcome back,” I said before turning back to the laptop screen.
“I’m going to take a shower.” She put her purse down on the free chair. “And I want this laptop closed and you two at the dining table before I come back.” With that warning, she headed upstairs.
“Yes, Mom. Yes, sweetie,” Dad and I muttered together.
I prepared myself for the upcoming interrogation at dinner about the first day of school.
My mother already had a lot on her hands with this new office of hers. She didn’t need to hear her daughter complaining about a mean teenage boy.
I’ll probably leave out the James part.
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