For several hours, the family sat around, chatting mostly about how Nikki was doing, how her daughters Debbie and Britney were, how her husband John was, and (more than anything else) how much she’d accomplished when she was Tiffani’s age.

Tiffani wanted to vomit, she was so disgusted with her family’s behavior. Just because I’m a little heavier than Nikki was at this age, that makes me less important? What am I to them-- the family failure? The black sheep? she thought bitterly. It seems like nothing I do makes them happy. I might just as well do what I want, do what makes me happy. It’ll be better for my mental health, at least, right?


“You know, Tiff, you really should cut back on all those sweets,” Nikki said. “That’s what your problem is. You lack self-control. See, when I was your age, I never had that kind of problem. If I weren’t pregnant right now, I’d be in the same size I wore in high school. Whereas you… you’re just ballooning up! That’s not healthy, Tiff. You’ll be all disgusting and saggy all over by the time you’re in your twenties. What kind of man would want you?”

“Tiffani has a boyfriend, kind of,” Emma spoke up.

“Oh really?” Nikki asked.

“Yes, his name is AJ Desjardin,” their mother replied. “He seems to be a nice enough young man, but his sister… well, she seems to have gotten the short end of the stick, appearance-wise. And AJ was kicked off of the football team near the start of the school year, for a failure to maintain grades, or so I’ve heard.”

Tiffani flinched and scowled, hearing such cruel words being said. It was one thing to hear them said about herself, but to hear them said about the guy she cared about and his sister-- people who were complete strangers to her mother-- was another story.

“Great,” Nikki drawled, “the family failure is wasting her time with other failures. What a surprise.”

Tiffani opened her mouth, ready to begin her tirade, when her mother spoke up: “Oh, goodness, I’ve lost track of time! We need to eat lunch.”

“Make sure to serve half-portions to Tiffani, or give her a salad. It’ll help her lose weight,” Nikki spoke up, as they headed to the dining room table.


The family seated themselves around the table, and their mother proudly served everyone a plate of salmon. Everyone, that is, except for Tiffani.

“Uh… Mother?” she spoke up. “Where’s my lunch?”

“Oh, right,” her mother said, “I’m so sorry, I forgot it in the kitchen!” She hurried into the kitchen and came out carrying a plate, which she set before Tiffani. Tiffani peered down at the plate, which held a salad.

A salad. She expects me to eat a salad, while the rest of the family eats salmon! What a crock! she thought angrily. She watched the rest of her family dig into the meal, and after a few minutes of hesitation, Tiffani finally spoke up.

“Uh, is this some kind of joke?” she asked timidly.

“No, actually. This is going to help you lose that weight that you stubbornly keep managing to put on,” her mother replied.

“Trust me, Tiff, you need all the help losing weight that you can get!” Nikki chimed in.

Tiffani seethed quietly. Nikki continued, “So, Mother, tell me about the rest of the people Tiffani is associating with.”


Their mother took a deep breath. “Well, besides the ugly girl and the failed athlete, she’s been associating with one of those horrible ‘goth’ people-- a girl, and she’s probably got lots of problems, if she goes about, dressed in that horrible fashion-- and they have a teacher playing ringleader to all of them.”

“What kind of teacher?”

“She’s horribly eccentric-- she dresses like her students, and, despite being in her thirties, she’s not in a relationship. Not to mention, she willingly wears glasses, and I hear she smokes in front of her students. Not much of a woman, the way I see it. No wonder Tiffani has problems-- she has no good role models at school.”

They both snickered.

“No wonder Tiffani’s so fat-- she’s associating with such terrible people! I’m so glad I was never like that!” Nikki chortled.


Tiffani leapt up, infuriated by this time. “Damn it, Nikki,” she snapped, “why the f**k do you have to be so judgmental?”

“Young lady, watch your language!” her mother scolded, shocked.

“No way,” Tiffani shot back. “I’m sick of being a doormat for you and Nikki. Nikki, maybe I’m not as skinny as you because I like to actually digest my food, instead of sticking my finger down my throat after meals! And guess what-- the people I hang out with are better people than you guys ever will be! That ‘ugly girl’ you were talking about has a name-- Emily-- and she’s smarter than you two ever will be! AJ may not get the best grades, but he’s more loyal to his family members than you two ever will be. As for the ‘goth’ you were talking about, her name is Ophelia, and she’s got a good head on her shoulders and cares about her friends and family-- more than can be said for either of you. And as for the ‘weird teacher,’ her name is Ms. Gibson, and she’s a good woman. She treats her students fairly, and she tries to bring out the best in all of us! I may not be as skinny and perfect as you, Nikki, but guess what-- what I lack in appearance, I make up for in many other ways. If you can’t accept me for who I am, then it’s your problem, not mine.”

With that said, she bolted from the table and out the door. Her mother watched her leave and muttered, “Teenagers and their hysterics. She’ll be back in an hour, and she’ll beg for forgiveness.”