When you're trying hard to be your best.
by Jaci85
Disclaimers: I own these characters. I made them up 5 minutes ago. If this material offends you then I advise you to go somewhere else. It deals with Body Image, Eating Disorders, and things of that nature. Nothing graphic (yet).
Jaci85 (alias jaci95, Jaci, Kessa2, Danafrancaix, AsukaIkari) [email protected]
Chapter 1: Like a Pickled Plum
"Ittekimaaaaaaaaasu!" Satomi's voice was muffled by a piece of toast as she slipped out of slippers and into her new school shoes. She didn't listen for her mother's answer as she sped out the door and to her bike. Placing her neatly packed bento in the basket, she held her book bag by the handle with her teeth as she positioned herself on her bike. "Now or never: Go!" She tossed her book bag in the basket hanging from her handlebars and pedaled until she picked up a good pace.
High School. The word sounded so mature. The characters that made up the word were regal and sturdy. Her uniform was mature. Gone was the dorky blue sailor uniform from junior high, replaced with a navy blue pleated skirt and blouse with a clip-on tie. The blouse had the school emblem and named stitched onto it: Nayatomo High.
The same characters were now on a building in front of her: Nayatomo High. She tied her bike to a rack outside the school and took cautious steps through the door. It was the beginning of something new, she could feel it.
********************
After the usual morning rituals and announcements all of the students went to their respective classes. Satomi's first class was English. Upon entering the classroom she was greeted by another girl.
"Heirooooo" the girl greeted her in horrible English. "My name is Yushiko. You don't look like you are from around here. Did you go to Nayatomo Junior High?" Satomi shook her head. "I didn't think so. Come on and hang out with us for a while, so your first day won't be so overwhelming." She lead Satomi over to a group of 4 other girls who all introduced themselves and laughed and giggled with each other at a pace that Satomi could not keep up with.
"Can you believe that he cut his hair?! He's hardly cute anymore!" One girl squealed as all of the others chimed in behind her, breaking into fits of laughter. The girl's name was Hayami. She was tall for her age, her 165cm figure towering over Satomi's 155cm one. Her hair had bleached highlights and she wore it in 2 ponytails. The school obviously had no rules against dressing up one's hair. What first surprised Satomi about this girl was the way she carried herself. She had a fake queen of the world attitude that no one really objected to. When she made jokes everyone laughed even when Satomi herself could find nothing funny about them. Her skirt looked as if it had been altered to look shorter, but it could have been because of her height. She was thin too, though her arms were chubby and her stomach bulged a little. All in all she could have been an idol by anyone's standards.
Satomi spent the rest of the day staring at her new group and sizing them up. There was Keina, who had green strips in her hair. She was a little weird, but she seemed like an honest person. Next to her sat Tomonori, whose naive personality had an endearing quality. Yushiko, the girl she had met earlier, came from a very wealthy family, evident from her trendy loose socks and expensive cell phone. Lastly, there was Rumako, the chubbiest of the girl's. She looked about 10kg overweight and she looked insecure.
"Takahashi-san?" Ukari-sensei called to Satomi "Takahashi-san it seems that you are not paying attention. Perhaps you aren't taking this class seriously?"
"No ma'am! I mean-Yes Ukari-sensei! I am taking it seriously!" Panic went through Satomi as she heard snickers from the other students.
"Please read the passage on page 132, if you are serious that is."
Mrs. Ukari wanted to punish Satomi by making her read from the middle of the book, a part that they would not be covering for many weeks. Satomi opened the book and took a deep breath before reading. She recited the passage in near-perfect English, making she to put stresses where they needed to be and trying hard to distinguish between her 'r' sound and 'l' sound. When she finished the class was silent.
"That was awesome!" exclaimed a voice from the back of the classroom. Satomi spun around and noted that the voice came from a friendly looking boy from the back the class.
"Thanks." she blushed just as the bell rang.
**************************
After 3 more classes Satomi met with the other 5 girls for lunch outside. She couldn't wait for lunchtime. Her mom had packed a great lunch: Onigiri with sesame seeds, an omelet, grilled salmon and 2 small chocolates to satisfy Satomi's constant sweet tooth. It was made with plenty of love and arranged neatly in its small round box.
"Your English is great!" everyone was saying to Satomi when she sat down with them.
"I wish I was as good as you." Tomonori sulked "My parents said that if my English grades don't improve they won't let me join any after school clubs."
"I can always help you." Satomi offered. She immediately felt mad about the offer and decided that she sounded too smug. She noticed a brief look on Hayami's face after her comment that she couldn't identify so she decided to concentrate on her lunch. She opened her lunch and took a few bites from it. She looked around and noticed that all of the other girls didn't have half as much food as her. They had all opted to buy lunch from the school. Everyone else had curried rice and a carton of milk. "The school doesn't hand out much for lunch, huh?" Satomi finished her salmon and started on her omelet.
"No." Hayami corrected her, "They give us just enough." She poked at Satomi's tummy and arm with her index finger. "No wonder you're so chubby, if I ate as much as you I'd be round and fat like a pickled plum too." She began to laugh and all of the other girls joined in.
The girls continued to eat. Rumako finished her food while the other girls left traces on their plates. No one noticed that after Hayami's comment Satomi hadn't taken another bite.
The bell rang ushering them back to class. Satomi eyed her unfinished rice and 2 chocolates. Using her chopsticks, she scraped the last of the rice out of her bento and onto the ground. She hesitated, then put the two chocolates in her pocket. The whole time Hayami's words rang in her ears: like a pickled plum.... like a pickled plum...fat like a pickled plum.
***********************
Gym class was the last class of the day. Satomi tried not to look at all of the other girls as they dressed but she felt the need to compare herself to them.
"Hello class," the gym teacher called to all of the girls. "Today I'm going to be weighing you and recording your height. Please already have your shoes removed."
Satomi stood in line behind her friends, fearful of what the gym teacher might say and do. One girl stepped on the scale and it became clear what the gym teacher had in mind. "156cm and.... 50kg!" the gym teacher said out loud, much to the shock and dismay of that girl. "Next!" Her intentions were to intimidate the unhealthy girls and praise the thin ones.
Tomonori was next. The scale read 154cm and a perfect 45kgs. The gym teacher smiled at her. Tomonori grinned as she exited the locker room to wait for her friends.
Suddenly, Satomi felt exposed. Her super-short gym pants and white polo shirt left her feeling naked. She looked over at Hayami, who was next on the scale, her legs looked slender and perfect, like two perfect pillars supporting a grand structure. Satomi looked around at all of the other girls and made the same observation. They all suddenly looked perfect compared to her.
"165 cm and 47kg! Wow!" the gym teacher was excited by Hayami's slender form. The disapproval returned to her face, however, when Rumako jumped on the scale. "158cm and 60kg!?" Rumako was almost in tears when she got off the scaled. Yushiko, even though she was a mere 160cm and 52kg, vowed to go on a diet the next day. Keina vowed the same when she learned that she was 151 cm and 47kg.
Satomi felt numb as she watched the weights on the balance of the scale climb higher and higher. 30kg.....40kg.... 44...45.....
"155cm and 46kg. maybe you should have skipped lunch today." The gym teacher joked. Satomi was so ashamed of herself that she didn't notice the joking smile on the teachers face.
After school, she got on her bike and started home. It had taken her only 10 minutes to get to school earlier that day. If she took the long way home it would take her almost 30 minutes. She wondered briefly how many kilocalories that would burn. She needed the exercise she decided, her ears still ringing with those infamous words: like a pickled plum.... like a pickled plum.....fat like a pickled plum....
Chpt. 1 Owari
by Jaci85
Disclaimers: I own these characters. I made them up 5 minutes ago. If this material offends you then I advise you to go somewhere else. It deals with Body Image, Eating Disorders, and things of that nature. Nothing graphic (yet).
Jaci85 (alias jaci95, Jaci, Kessa2, Danafrancaix, AsukaIkari) [email protected]
Chapter 1: Like a Pickled Plum
"Ittekimaaaaaaaaasu!" Satomi's voice was muffled by a piece of toast as she slipped out of slippers and into her new school shoes. She didn't listen for her mother's answer as she sped out the door and to her bike. Placing her neatly packed bento in the basket, she held her book bag by the handle with her teeth as she positioned herself on her bike. "Now or never: Go!" She tossed her book bag in the basket hanging from her handlebars and pedaled until she picked up a good pace.
High School. The word sounded so mature. The characters that made up the word were regal and sturdy. Her uniform was mature. Gone was the dorky blue sailor uniform from junior high, replaced with a navy blue pleated skirt and blouse with a clip-on tie. The blouse had the school emblem and named stitched onto it: Nayatomo High.
The same characters were now on a building in front of her: Nayatomo High. She tied her bike to a rack outside the school and took cautious steps through the door. It was the beginning of something new, she could feel it.
********************
After the usual morning rituals and announcements all of the students went to their respective classes. Satomi's first class was English. Upon entering the classroom she was greeted by another girl.
"Heirooooo" the girl greeted her in horrible English. "My name is Yushiko. You don't look like you are from around here. Did you go to Nayatomo Junior High?" Satomi shook her head. "I didn't think so. Come on and hang out with us for a while, so your first day won't be so overwhelming." She lead Satomi over to a group of 4 other girls who all introduced themselves and laughed and giggled with each other at a pace that Satomi could not keep up with.
"Can you believe that he cut his hair?! He's hardly cute anymore!" One girl squealed as all of the others chimed in behind her, breaking into fits of laughter. The girl's name was Hayami. She was tall for her age, her 165cm figure towering over Satomi's 155cm one. Her hair had bleached highlights and she wore it in 2 ponytails. The school obviously had no rules against dressing up one's hair. What first surprised Satomi about this girl was the way she carried herself. She had a fake queen of the world attitude that no one really objected to. When she made jokes everyone laughed even when Satomi herself could find nothing funny about them. Her skirt looked as if it had been altered to look shorter, but it could have been because of her height. She was thin too, though her arms were chubby and her stomach bulged a little. All in all she could have been an idol by anyone's standards.
Satomi spent the rest of the day staring at her new group and sizing them up. There was Keina, who had green strips in her hair. She was a little weird, but she seemed like an honest person. Next to her sat Tomonori, whose naive personality had an endearing quality. Yushiko, the girl she had met earlier, came from a very wealthy family, evident from her trendy loose socks and expensive cell phone. Lastly, there was Rumako, the chubbiest of the girl's. She looked about 10kg overweight and she looked insecure.
"Takahashi-san?" Ukari-sensei called to Satomi "Takahashi-san it seems that you are not paying attention. Perhaps you aren't taking this class seriously?"
"No ma'am! I mean-Yes Ukari-sensei! I am taking it seriously!" Panic went through Satomi as she heard snickers from the other students.
"Please read the passage on page 132, if you are serious that is."
Mrs. Ukari wanted to punish Satomi by making her read from the middle of the book, a part that they would not be covering for many weeks. Satomi opened the book and took a deep breath before reading. She recited the passage in near-perfect English, making she to put stresses where they needed to be and trying hard to distinguish between her 'r' sound and 'l' sound. When she finished the class was silent.
"That was awesome!" exclaimed a voice from the back of the classroom. Satomi spun around and noted that the voice came from a friendly looking boy from the back the class.
"Thanks." she blushed just as the bell rang.
**************************
After 3 more classes Satomi met with the other 5 girls for lunch outside. She couldn't wait for lunchtime. Her mom had packed a great lunch: Onigiri with sesame seeds, an omelet, grilled salmon and 2 small chocolates to satisfy Satomi's constant sweet tooth. It was made with plenty of love and arranged neatly in its small round box.
"Your English is great!" everyone was saying to Satomi when she sat down with them.
"I wish I was as good as you." Tomonori sulked "My parents said that if my English grades don't improve they won't let me join any after school clubs."
"I can always help you." Satomi offered. She immediately felt mad about the offer and decided that she sounded too smug. She noticed a brief look on Hayami's face after her comment that she couldn't identify so she decided to concentrate on her lunch. She opened her lunch and took a few bites from it. She looked around and noticed that all of the other girls didn't have half as much food as her. They had all opted to buy lunch from the school. Everyone else had curried rice and a carton of milk. "The school doesn't hand out much for lunch, huh?" Satomi finished her salmon and started on her omelet.
"No." Hayami corrected her, "They give us just enough." She poked at Satomi's tummy and arm with her index finger. "No wonder you're so chubby, if I ate as much as you I'd be round and fat like a pickled plum too." She began to laugh and all of the other girls joined in.
The girls continued to eat. Rumako finished her food while the other girls left traces on their plates. No one noticed that after Hayami's comment Satomi hadn't taken another bite.
The bell rang ushering them back to class. Satomi eyed her unfinished rice and 2 chocolates. Using her chopsticks, she scraped the last of the rice out of her bento and onto the ground. She hesitated, then put the two chocolates in her pocket. The whole time Hayami's words rang in her ears: like a pickled plum.... like a pickled plum...fat like a pickled plum.
***********************
Gym class was the last class of the day. Satomi tried not to look at all of the other girls as they dressed but she felt the need to compare herself to them.
"Hello class," the gym teacher called to all of the girls. "Today I'm going to be weighing you and recording your height. Please already have your shoes removed."
Satomi stood in line behind her friends, fearful of what the gym teacher might say and do. One girl stepped on the scale and it became clear what the gym teacher had in mind. "156cm and.... 50kg!" the gym teacher said out loud, much to the shock and dismay of that girl. "Next!" Her intentions were to intimidate the unhealthy girls and praise the thin ones.
Tomonori was next. The scale read 154cm and a perfect 45kgs. The gym teacher smiled at her. Tomonori grinned as she exited the locker room to wait for her friends.
Suddenly, Satomi felt exposed. Her super-short gym pants and white polo shirt left her feeling naked. She looked over at Hayami, who was next on the scale, her legs looked slender and perfect, like two perfect pillars supporting a grand structure. Satomi looked around at all of the other girls and made the same observation. They all suddenly looked perfect compared to her.
"165 cm and 47kg! Wow!" the gym teacher was excited by Hayami's slender form. The disapproval returned to her face, however, when Rumako jumped on the scale. "158cm and 60kg!?" Rumako was almost in tears when she got off the scaled. Yushiko, even though she was a mere 160cm and 52kg, vowed to go on a diet the next day. Keina vowed the same when she learned that she was 151 cm and 47kg.
Satomi felt numb as she watched the weights on the balance of the scale climb higher and higher. 30kg.....40kg.... 44...45.....
"155cm and 46kg. maybe you should have skipped lunch today." The gym teacher joked. Satomi was so ashamed of herself that she didn't notice the joking smile on the teachers face.
After school, she got on her bike and started home. It had taken her only 10 minutes to get to school earlier that day. If she took the long way home it would take her almost 30 minutes. She wondered briefly how many kilocalories that would burn. She needed the exercise she decided, her ears still ringing with those infamous words: like a pickled plum.... like a pickled plum.....fat like a pickled plum....
Chpt. 1 Owari