Bikini Body

Chapter six:

I stayed in the bathroom stall for all of lunch and for the whole day. It was just me, myself, and my chocolate bars. The bus ride was pretty lonely. Grace was on the bus, but she didn't say anything. All she did was glare at me.

The house was as lonely as I was feeling. I missed Mom. I missed Zarah, too. All I had for homework was that Trigonometry packet. I decided not to do it. It was due next week for God's sake. I wasn't in the mood to do anything. Calling a friend over was a very limited option. Grace and Lauren were the only friends I had. Sometimes Mom would have her friends over, and I wouldn't be allowed to get out of my room. Mom is very social. I find her texting or on the phone all the time. Mostly Zarah's the one who she talks on the phone with.

I guess T.V. was now my only option for entertainment. I sat on the couch and turned on the T.V. Personally, I don't watch T.V. as much as I used to. Nothing good seems to be on anymore. Weekends are the worst when watching T.V. After finding nothing, I turned off the T.V., laid down on the couch, and let out a long sigh.

I probably must've feel asleep because the next thing I knew, my phone was buzzing. Lauren was calling. I was surprised. But I was pretty desperate. So I answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Abby. Listen, I'm sorry about the way I treated you at lunch," she said.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. Looking back, I feel horrible. Tad Bryant wasn't all I expected, really. He's... not Prince Charming."

I stifled a laugh. "Pfft! All the boys at school aren't Prince Charming. The ones that are, are already taken."

"True!" Lauren laughed. "Hey, listen, to make up for what happened, I want to invite you to my house for dinner and swimming. It's a family gathering and you know how they make me awkward."

"Sure. But I don't have swimsuit."

"I can lend you one of my mom's old ones," Lauren suggested.

"Lauren," I said, "mostly likely your mom has a smaller body type than me."

There was a long pause before Lauren said, "Just put your feet in the water."

Lauren's house was ten minutes away from my house. She lived in the section of the neighborhood that people usually call the West Side. On the West Side, there were bigger houses. Lauren's family wasn't rich-- I mean, they have a lot-- but her family had enough to afford such a house. As I got closer and closer, I heard music play loudly and people talking and laughing. Lauren's family is very loud. I hoped that they'd hear the doorbell.

Lauren's mother, Mrs. Baldwin, answered. She looked just like Lauren only taller. She greeted me with a smile. "Hi, Abby! Come in, Lauren's waiting for you." Mrs. Baldwin moved to the side. I walked in.

"Thank you," I said politely. Mrs. Baldwin showed me outside even though I knew Lauren's house as if it were my own. Lauren's father was grilling hamburgers as he spoke to a group of men and women, who were Lauren's uncles and aunts. The kids were in the water splashing or doing cannonballs. Lauren wasn't present.

"Where is she?" I asked her mother.

"Oh, she's putting on her swimsuit. Don't you have a swimsuit, dear?" she asked.

"I just wanted to put my feet in the water."

Mrs. Baldwin nodded. "I'll see if she's ready."

As soon as Mrs. Baldwin said that, Lauren appeared. And I felt my self-esteem immediately plummet down. Lauren was wearing a flowery bikini, something I'd never thought she'd wear. Lauren had always been self-conscious about her body when it came to swimwear. It surprised me how well it suited her. It was practically made for her! Her legs, her curves... I wanted it. I wanted to look just like Lauren, like Grace... like Zarah.

"Abby!" she squealed. "You came!" Lauren threw her arms around me. I didn't hug back. Mostly because of the shock.

"Y-you're wearing... a bikini," I said faintly.

Lauren smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. My mom made me wear it. I wanted to hate it, but I can't! What do you think?" She did a pirouette. I noticed the mark on Lauren's butt. Tad's "territory".

I knew I had to say something, so I said, "It looks nice."

Lauren smiled sheepishly again.

Mr. Baldwin then announced that the burgers were ready. Everybody got up and helped themselves to the food. Lauren's father is a good cook. He's published his own cookbook. Rarely, Mrs. Baldwin cooks. But, whenever that happens, everything comes out as a disaster. I knew it for a fact. One time I slept over and Mrs. Baldwin was making breakfast. She burned everything. Mom doesn't cook either. Our meals were usually those microwave instant dinners. I don't remember the last time Mom had ever used the stove.

Lauren and I lined up and grabbed plates. There was almost nothing left. Only one hamburger meat was left. Luckily, Mr. Baldwin said he'd fire more burgers. My mouth watered at the sight of the single burger. It smelled amazing. But if I wanted to look like Lauren, there was no way I was going to eat a hamburger.

"Want that last one?" Lauren asked me, gesturing to the hamburger.

"It's okay. You can have it," I told her.

Lauren looked at me, confused. It was the exact reaction I expected.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Where everyone was sitting, there were two big bowls of salad. I went over and filled my plate with all the spinach and lettuce there was. Lauren came and sat next to me after. A few minutes later, Mr. Baldwin came over with a tray of cooked hamburger meat fresh off the grill.

"Abby, get a hamburger," Lauren encouraged as she took a sip of Mountain Dew.

"I already told you, I'm fine," I said.

"There's enough for everyone, Abby," said Mr. Baldwin. He used a spatula to get a meat patty. "Here. Just for you."

"No, thank you, Mr. Baldwin."

"Girl, you feeling okay?" Lauren touched my forehead.

"Never been better. Please take your hand off my forehead."

Mrs. Baldwin came up behind her husband. "Maybe Abby doesn't want hamburgers." She turned to me. "Do you want anything else, sweetie?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, thanks. I'll just have salad."