One extremely, super duper, insanely long ending chapter!

Renee3215: Lola, please say something! Anything! I'm sorry… I really am. Please speak to me! I can explain!

Renee3215: It's been 3 days Lola. When will you forgive me?

Renee3215: Please call me.

***

Eric: Babe, we gotta talk.

L: No.

Eric: No?

L: NO.

Eric: Come on, meet me will you?

L: I never want to speak to you again. I never want to speak to either of you again, and you can tell that to your girlfriend.

Eric: Look I'm sorry alright? But please just let me explain!

L: Whatev.

L signed off.

And then, I went back to the corner of my room and buried my face in my palm as the tears flowed uncontrollably again. It was too much to bear. I heard the door open, and a loud sigh emitted from whoever it was. I don't care. Whoever it was, I didn't care if they saw me like this.

"How long are you gonna be like this?" My brother asked as I felt him sit down next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. "It sucks, I know. All guys are horrible and despicable, and he was an idiot for doing this to you. I'm sorry you had to find out this way okay? But you've gotta get outta here. Mom & Dad are worried sick about you. You haven't eaten in 3 days Lola."

It was so hard to speak, so hard to think, so hard to stop the crying. Most girls were lucky. Cry for a long time, wipe the tears away, and they'd look good as new. Some of them might have red eyes for a while, but that disappears too. Not me. I'm the unlucky one who gets both the red eyes and the puffy swollen eyes when I cry. I look horrid. I feel horrid.

This wasn't as bad as anything else that I've been through. You could trap me in a moment in time when I'd have to relieve all the days where people made fun of me for all I care. I could do that a thousand times and the pain would still not be able to measure up to the intensity of the pain I feel right now. It sucked. It fucking sucked.

"I can't." I choked out and continued bawling on my brother's shoulder.

"But you have to. You've got to let this go. You'll find someone else, or something. Just please stop crying? It freaks me out to see you break down like that."

"It was all a lie!" I almost yelled. "Everything. Just one big fat lie. Like me."

"You don't know that."

"Of course I do. I'm hideous and fat and nobody will ever want me! The one person I'd thought would, lied to me all this time! No one's gonna ever want me. No one."

I heard him and felt his body rise as he sighed again in exasperation.

"Okay, look. I promised Ash I wouldn't tell you, but… he used to have this big crush on you alright. Remember how we used to come over and play, but then we went over to Rob's place instead about a year ago?"

I nodded. "Well, it's cause I told him that if he ever thought of getting close to you I'd kill him. I was afraid you'd get hurt, so I ended up changing the band practice location just in case."

"You're just saying that."

"No! Don't be stupid."

"So he really had a crush on me?"

"Yeah, totally."

"Why?"

"Because he thought you were cute."

"Really?"

"Yup." I couldn't help grinning. I remembered having a crush on him too. I used to look forward to them coming over cause Ash would be there. I never spoke to them though. They looked so cool, and I was afraid they wouldn't want to speak to me because… you know.

"Well there's a smile. Come on, let's go downstairs. You gotta eat something."

"Alright alright. Just give me some time."

"Don't make me drag you down." He warned as he got up and left the room.

Right after the door closed, I reached out under my bed and pulled out a photo. It was probably one of the best photos I'd taken with Eric. As I looked at it more tears began to form in my eyes, quickly blurring out our image; taking me back to the day of the party. I hate parties.

***

"Lola! I'm so glad you're here! Hey Eric, Renee!" Ingrid and Chelsea were standing outside the Ella's gate, waiting for us. When we did, we walked in together.

"Guys… maybe we shouldn't be doing this." I had no idea what they had in mind, but I was beginning to chicken out. Crashing Ella's party and probably ending up doing something really mean to her? It seemed so… her.

"Don't worry okay? We've got it all under control. Everything's fine, and we won't take it too far! Promise! Now, just wait around here while we get things ready." Ingrid and Chelsea left the three of us standing around the makeshift dance floor. People were dancing like mad, and I got shoved a couple of times. Eric placed himself between me and the rest of the people, and put his hand on my waist.

"Thanks." I said as I smiled to him, holding his hand in mine.

"Anytime babe." He smiled back.

"I wonder what they're up to." Renee shouted into my ear. The music was so loud that her words were almost drowned out.

"Me too. Hopefully it's nothing crazy!" I yelled back.

"But when have they ever been not-crazy?!" Renee shouted back. Realising it, we both started laughing at that comment. Ingrid and Chelsea were mad. There were so many times when they'd pull all sorts of crazy stunts to get a guy's attention. Seriously, it was so amusing. Of course, Renee and I never really laughed at them openly. We were too afraid of them, knowing how serious they were about chasing guys.

Suddenly, I noticed that the band playing up front looked really familiar. As the drummer lifted his head up, I noticed that he had the same coloured eyes as I did, which was odd because the only other person who did was… my brother.

As the song came to a close, the lead singer (whom I'd had a crush on years ago) from the band said something about taking a break for a short while before music started playing from elsewhere again. They all got up, and I watched as my brother told them that I was here.

"Is that your brother?" I heard Renee ask as they headed towards us.

"Yup."

"What's he doing here?" Eric asked as they stopped.

"We were hired to play here." My brother replied.

"Hey! Lola right? Nice to see you again!" Said the lead singer as he put his hand out.

"Yeah. Hi." I said as I shook his hand.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot." My brother said as he elbowed his stomach. "What're you doing here?"

"Erm… I was sort of invited."

"Sort of?"

"Well yeah, it's kind of a long story."

And then, before anyone could say anything else. The music turned off, and there were pictures being projected onto the wall, just above the band instruments. It was a dreadful thing, feeling a mixture of some sort of icy-coldness and numbness crawl its way through you from your fingertips.

What was more dreadful was feeling my heart stop every time the photos changed.

"What's going on?" I heard myself ask. I felt oddly detached from myself. "Eric? Renee?"

And then, the lights came on as Ingrid, Chelsea, and Ella appeared onto the makeshift stage where the band had played.

"Everyone! Today, we are here to unveil the secret between Eric and Lola's relationship!" Ella started off.

"That's right! Can a fat girl, really bag such a cutie?" Ingrid said, before Chelsea took over.

"I think not!"

"You see, it turns out that there was a bet."

"Would Eric be able make Lola fall in love with her in a week?"

"Of course he did! Which fat girl wouldn't right? I mean, they're probably all desperate because no one wants them!"

"And poor, stupid, naïve little Lola believed every word he said!"

"And all this while, she's actually been kept in the dark while Eric and her best friend, Renee have been getting together behind her!"

"Poor Lola. We really did want the best for you, but you wouldn't listen would you?"

"You had to try and pretend to be brave."

"You had to pretend that it was okay for the whole world to laugh at you, as long as you've got Eric and Renee right?"

"Well here's the truth!"

And they ended this long, torturous ordeal with a perfect photo of Renee kissing Eric on the cheek. A nice big stab to my heart.

There was silence as everyone looked at me. I didn't think I would care so much. They always looked at me this way.

"Awwww, poor fat Lola."

"I think her heart's broken!" And they giggled. They giggled so much, it spread like wildfire. I didn't think I would be able to recall it so clearly. Before I knew it, the whole house seemed to be echoing with laughter directed at me.

"Let's get you out of here Lola." My brother and his friends said as they surrounded me and led me towards the door. A hand pushed through and grabbed my arm.

"No, wait! Lola! I can explain!" Eric? What did he have to explain? What else was there to explain?

"Get your hands off my sister."

"No! She has to listen to me! I can explain everything!"

"Dude, my friend's serious. If you don't let go, he might just kill ya."

"Lola! Please! Just listen to him!" Renee pushed through, and looked at me. Is this how it feels like to be in a real shock? I couldn't really register anything. It felt like a surreal kind of nightmare. A bad déjà vu.

"I said, get your hands off her you asshole!" I think my brother punched him. I don't know. Before I knew it, I was on the car sitting in between my brother's friends as they drove me home. I don't remember if I'd started crying in front of all of them, or if I had only started crying when they finally left me alone in my room.

I could only focus on the pain in my heart that seemed to suck everything else into a black hole. The world, the people, my surrounding; they were all sucked into that black hole and I was alone in the pitch-black darkness with only pain left.

***

"Didn't I say that I would drag you down if I had to?" I suddenly heard my brother speaking again. "Come on, get up." He said as he pulled me up onto my feet. I wiped the tears off my cheeks and hurriedly shoved the photo into my pocket. My brother had gone ahead to open the door, only to reveal the last person I'd ever wanted to see. Eric.

"Please let me explain." He said as he stepped forward, into my room. He looked so tired, but why should I care?

I glared at my brother. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to make sure Eric stayed away from me?

"Hey don't glare at me like that. He spent the last 3 days bugging the shit out of me. I had to give him a chance. So should you Lola." My brother backed off and left us alone.

"Lola?"

"What?"

"Will you hear me out?"

"I can't say no now, can't I?"

"Look. This was all a mistake alright?"

"What's a mistake? What is Eric? I'm just a bet to you."

"No! You're not! Look, that whole bet thing was a lie. Ingrid, Ella, and Chelsea made it up!"

"I don't believe you."

"I swear it isn't the truth! Look, Renee and I go way back alright? We were never together. Just childhood friends, and a week after I moved here, I happened to run into her. We started talking, catching up on old times and stuff." I felt a stab of jealousy and I felt like kicking myself for feeling jealous at all.

"And then, she started to tell me all about this amazing girl in her school. Just that, this girl hadn't known just how amazing she was. And I'll admit, at first, I only agreed because Renee really wanted me to help you. She wanted me to pretend to like you, so that you'd feel more confident about yourself. It was wrong to lie, okay? I'll admit that."

"So you confess that you were only with me because she asked you to?"

"Well, yes!"

"I don't need to hear anything else. Please go." I said as I moved toward the door.

"No, wait. Please just listen!" Eric begged as he pulled me around and placed his hands firmly on my shoulder. I wanted to kick him. Well, actually, to shoot myself for still secretly wishing that he would just hug me and tell me it was all just a bad dream.

"It was only at first! And then, I started to really fall for you. Big time. It happened so fast and so quickly that I hadn't even realized it before it hit me like a truck."

"I don't believe you Eric." I said tiredly, looking into his eyes for the first time in what feels like a long time. "How can I believe you? If what you say is true… then you've still been lying to me. You could've told me the truth anytime, but I had to find out that way? And the photos? How can I believe you?"

"I wanted to tell you alright? I was just afraid that you'd freak out and get so mad at me you'd never wanna talk to me again."

"And the photos?"

"I don't know who took them, but they aren't what they seem to be. Renee… confessed to me. I said no, and she knew that it was because of you. It was always for you Lola. We lied to you, but Renee's been nothing but a really good friend to me, and a best friend to you."

In moments like these, I still feel like kicking myself. Could I believe him? Yes, I could. I realized then, that if he had told me to jump off a cliff, I still would've. It hurt, but everything made so much sense. My broken heart rang the alarm bells inside me. It said, "Don't! You'll get hurt again! It's all a lie!"

But really, is it? And could I forgive them for lying to me? Yes, I could. Eric was right. Renee's always been there for me. Could I really throw our friendship away over problems and issues blown up by people I should never believe? No.

All these knots in my mind slowly came undone one by one. Little by little, I began to feel lighter; as if the all the anchors weighing me down, threatening to drown me had suddenly been cut away and I was free again. It felt good. I felt terrific and enlightened.

"Lola?"

I jumped onto him and hugged him. "I'm so sorry Eric! You were right, you were always right! I never should've believed them. Renee's always been my only true friend!"

"So you'll forgive me?" He said, slowly recovering from the sudden change.

"No, you'll still have to make up for lying to me." I said with a fake angry expression.

"No problem babe. So long as you're willing to let me." Eric said as he kissed me.

"Wait," I stopped him, "What about Renee?"

"Oh, don't worry. I can wait outside." She suddenly said from my room entrance, grinning with my brother and his friends and my Mom and Dad.

I quickly got up off Eric, blushing like hell. "And you were all just eavesdropping on us like that?"

"Well we were worried!" My Mom exclaimed.

"Okay, well you don't have to anymore! Geez, what's a girl gotta do to get some privacy around here?"

"Remember to use a condom darling!" My Mom said out loud, to the laughter of everyone, as they shut the door.

"Punk you'd better not do anything or I'll beat you up again!" I heard my brother yell through the door.

"I won't!" Eric yelled as he kissed me again, and again, and again.

So things don't always go the right way, but sometimes you gotta fall to learn how to fly. Take it from me. I'm Lola Weides. I weigh 150pounds, but I don't care if I'm fat anymore. Life's so much more than just numbers that gravity creates. Sometimes, you just have to learn to let go. It could take you a long time to figure it out, or it could take you a mere few seconds, but trust me. It'll all be worth it cause fat is never the end.

The End!