Over the course of the past three months, I have gotten dozens of double-takes as I have been mistaken for Emma over and over again. Since my surgery, I never stopped to think how alike we would have looked. Emma and Robert settled down here in New Castle after they got married, so the whole town knew them pretty well. Because of my newfound resemblance, on multiple occasions I have had the uncomfortable experience of not only explaining to strangers that I wasn’t Emma, but also that she had recently passed away.

Even more uncomfortable has been the many similar occasions when I have run into old friends of mine. Instead, they do a triple-take as they first realize that I’m not Emma, and then they realize that I’m not Fat Stacy but instead Hot & Sexy Stacy.

A little over two weeks ago I had bumped in to my best friends from high school. Janna and Dean were so excited to see me, they just started screaming and jumping in the air. The behavior seemed a bit odd for Dean, until I quickly learned that Janna and Dean weren’t ‘together’ in the traditional sense. They were roommates, but they weren’t lovers. As it turns out, during my ten-year absence Dean had ‘come out of the closet’. He was about as flamboyantly gay as a man could get.

Since then, we have become inseparable. Today, we were bopping around the Outlets – which were about as close to a mall as you could find here in this small town.

“So like, you just have to try this on girlfriend!” Dean insisted as he held up a blouse I had been eyeing from the rack.

“No,” I scoffed, “it probably won’t even fit.”

“Are you kidding me?” Janna piped in, “You resigned from the Fat Club. Put it on!”

It still surprised me how Janna so easily accepted her body image. We had always been overweight together, which was why we had originally become friends with each other in our teenage years. She seemed to have packed on a few more pounds since my absence, but it didn’t seem to bother her at all. Even with my dramatic change in appearance, I still sometimes had difficulty standing in front of a mirror. No matter how hard I tried, I still saw myself as fat.

Coming home didn’t help my self-esteem either. It seemed I was constantly being sized-up against my dead sister. Call me callous, but it was extremely frustrating.

“Oh my gosh…” Janna whispered, “Look who’s coming!”

I turned, and stopped dead in my tracks. Walking into the store was the most beautiful man I had ever laid my eyes upon. Jake Winters was the quarterback of the Titans football team back in high school, and he was still just as dreamy today as he had always been. I had fallen in love with him from afar, but had never gotten an opportunity to express it. Janna and Dean knew of my obsession with him, and of the secret shrine I had created inside my locker.

“Here’s your chance!” Dean shoved me forward, “Go get him, girlfriend!”

Despite my total body makeover, I still hadn’t conquered my shyness. I took a deep breath and headed toward the front of the store. As I neared him, I stopped and pretended to browse a nearby rack. He approached, and to my surprise he began perusing the rack directly opposite of mine so that we were facing each other.

“What size does he wear?” Jake suddenly struck up conversation.

“Huh?” I locked eyes with him and thumbed absently through the articles of clothing.

“Your boyfriend.”

“Excuse me?” I stammered as I knocked a hanger off and it clattered to the ground.

He rounded the corner and picked up the shirt and hanger I had just dropped. He held up the men’s shirt so that I could see it. It was enormous. I looked at the rack I had been absently browsing. Not only had I been looking through menswear, but this was the XXXL section!

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Your boyfriend,” he repeated, “is he a pretty big guy then?”

“Oh, no!” I giggled absently, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

He flashed a tantalizing grin, “Good.”

“I’m… uh…” I stuttered, “…shopping for a friend.”

“I see.” he replaced the shirt on the rack, “Got any plans today?”

Wow, this guy was really forward.

“No, not really.”

“You do now.” he grinned and placed his hand at the small of my back.

As he led me toward the entrance, I turned by head and looked back at my friends. Janna was holding her thumbs up in approval and Dean was waving his hands to usher me on while mouthing the word “Go!”

“Have you eaten yet?” Jake asked as we stepped outside.

“No, not yet.”

“Come with me.” he smiled and held out his hand, “I know the perfect place.”

My face blushed as I took his hand. His palms were a rough and strong. We walked a few blocks until we reached a small strip mall. I glanced at the sign hanging above the door, ‘Lazy Bear Restaurant’. As we stepped inside, I could see a small stage where a band was currently playing.

The hostess then ushered us over to the bar. A waiter took our order, and now the bartender was approaching.

“What would you like to drink?” Jake asked.

“Just water,” I smiled, “I don’t drink anymore.”

He looked surprised, “Would you be offended if I got myself a beer?”

“No,” I caught myself giggling like a schoolgirl, “get whatever you would like.”

“Have you ever been here before?”

“No.” I partially lied, “I’m new here in town.”

“Really? You remind me of someone.” He scrunched up his face, “I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“I get that a lot.” I sighed, “Apparently I look a lot like my sister.”

“Oh?” he asked, “Who’s your sister?”

“In high school her name was Emma Jones.”

“That’s it!” his eyes lit up.

A feeling of dread hit the pit of my stomach. It would be any moment now, and he would realize I was Fat Stacy. Just the thought of what I used to look like seemed to repulse all of the men in this stupid town.

So much for my dream of winning him over.

“That’s funny.” he thought aloud, “I never knew she had a sister.”

A big grin escaped from my lips.

He doesn’t know!

“Most people didn’t.” I batted my eyes, “I was a bit shy back then.”

He studied me for a few minutes, “And you went to Coal Ridge too?”

“Yes.” I hesitated and then added abruptly, “I had braces back then.”

At least I’m not lying.

“Oh, yes!” he chuckled, “I remember now!”

Oh great.

“Yes…” he paused and squinted his eyes in thought, “You were that skinny little redhead girl…”

Wow. He’s a terrible liar.

I smiled, and let him create his own false memory of me.

“Weren’t we in the same English class together one year?”

“I can’t remember.” I lied.

“Oh well.” he shrugged and then flashed me his contagious smile, “So when did you blossom into this gorgeous hottie?”

My face blushed, “After high school.”

I’ll spare him the messy details.

Our food then arrived. We chatted as we ate, and I did my best to flirt with him. Being terribly unpracticed, I felt like an idiot. Regardless, he seemed to be intrigued by my incompetence as a seductress. In fact, I think he might have even found my fumbling over words to be ‘cute’.

After we left the restaurant, we walked down the street to Burning Mountain Park. The sun was just beginning to set in the west, and the sky was dancing with colors. The sight was breathtaking. As we sat on the park bench, Jake subtly placed his arm behind my back. I leaned toward him, and accepted his embrace. He was warm, and he smelled wonderful.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. Everything I had ever hoped for was finally coming true. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think Jake would actually take an interest in me. I felt like I was in a dream.

If only he would just kiss me, and this night would be perfect.

I decided that would be my goal. As he continued to stare into the sky, I slid down and lay my head on his lap. He broke his trance, and our eyes met. Almost instinctively, he began running his fingers through my hair. I stared up at his gorgeous face, longing to caress his lips with mine. We sat in a serene silence as our eyes remained locked. He continued to stroke my hair, and I could see the same desire in his eyes as well.

“It’s a beautiful night.” I broke the silence.

“Yes,” he stared longingly into my eyes, “very beautiful.”

I carefully pulled myself up and sat on his lap. We were now eye to eye. His hand caressed my cheek, and then he slowly pulled me in. My senses exploded as our lips locked on, and I lost all control. What I had intended would be a simple kiss suddenly turned into a full-on make out session.

I suddenly realized I was straddling him, and his hands had already reached my chest. I forced myself to regain control, and I pulled myself off of him. He sat there for a moment with a dazed look on his face.

“I’m sorry…” I fumbled, “I kinda lost control.”

He didn’t seem to care. He stood, and kissed me once again. His kiss was absolutely electrifying, and I felt myself losing all control again. My hands were in his hair and his hands were groping my chest. Our tongues met and danced in synchrony while fireworks exploded in my mind.

Suddenly he broke free and with a deep breath he asked, “Would you like to come back to my place?”

I nodded eagerly and took his outstretched hand.