Curvy Girls Can’t Date Soldiers by Kelsie Stelting

Sixty-Two

Nadira

I heldmy phone to my ear as I drove to school with my brothers in the back seat. “Are you sure you can’t skip going to MIT over spring break?” Apollo teased, airport sounds in the background. His own flight was leaving this morning, and mine was set to depart after school.

“Only if you agree not to go to Texas,” I retorted. “I’m going to miss you.”

In the back seat, Carver muttered, “You two are worse than Terrell and his new girlfriend.”

Terrell and I both told him to shush.

On the phone, Apollo said, “Are you sure your parents are okay with me picking you up from the airport?”

“Yes,” I said, “But....”

“Oh no... but what?” he said.

“My friends demanded they also greet me at the airport. They said it should be a new Curvy Girl Club tradition to see each other after flights away.”

“And you’re sure guys aren’t allowed in that club?” he asked suggestively.

I laughed out loud. “For the millionth time, it’s girls only.”

“Uh huh.” The academy approached in my windshield, and I turned into the parking lot. “We just got to school.”

“That’s okay. I should be boarding here soon.”

But neither of us hung up as I parked and my brothers got out of the car. In the privacy of my vehicle, I said, “Text me when you get there?”

“Absolutely. And I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Your family’s going to want to catch up.”

“And? I’ve had nineteen years with them and a month of being your boyfriend. They can miss me for twenty minutes.”

I smiled at his words, at the way he made butterflies take flight. In the background, I heard someone on speakers make the call for his flight.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you, too.” The emotion was clear in his voice. He meant what he said, and I’d never stop being grateful for that. “Talk to you soon, baby.”

“Talk to you soon.”

I hung up and looked at my phone in my hand. Was it bad that I already wanted to text him? That I missed his voice only seconds after hearing it?

A knock sounded on my window, and I looked over to see Adriel and Faith. They made kissing faces at me, and I rolled my eyes, getting out of the car. “You two are ridiculous.”

“And you’re in love,” Adriel sang.

Faith laughed. “Looks like you won our New Year’s resolution.”

“Your turn’s next,” I reminded her, hitching my bag over my shoulder. “You only have to get kissed before the end of the year, not before me.”

“True,” she agreed.

We walked toward the building. As we approached the courtyard, I saw Regina getting out of her mom’s car, struggling with the extra duffel bag that was clearly meant for tonight.

I glanced at my friends and said, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Sure,” Faith said.

“See you at lunch,” Adriel added.

I waved and hurried to help Regina, who was at risk of dropping all the contents in her half-zipped backpack. “Let me get this,” I said, reaching for the duffel bag.

“Thanks,” she said, then realizing it was me, she stiffened. “I can get it.”

“I know.” I picked up the bag anyway, almost staggering under its weight. I lifted the strap across my body for extra support and continued walking toward the school.

“Thanks,” she muttered.

“No problem.”

We reached the steps, and I took them quietly beside her. Well, as quietly as I could while huffing for breath. (Did I mention her bag was heavy?)

At the top of the stairs, I paused for a rest, and Regina turned toward me. “Why are you being nice to me?” she hissed so the students walking by couldn’t overhear.

I shrugged, looking toward the sky, but that just made the strap of her bag dig even deeper into my shoulder. “Why do I need to have a motive? Can’t I just help one of my classmates?”

She gave me a skeptical look.

I set down the bag, knowing this was going to take a little while. “Look,” I said. “I don’t want to be your enemy.” At her look of surprise, I explained, “Don’t worry, I‘m not all that keen on being your friend either. But I don’t want to waste my time on worrying what you think about me or trying to be better than you. I just want to be me.”

She studied me for a moment. “So you’re calling a truce?”

I shrugged. “Something like that.”

Seeming satisfied, she walked toward the front doors, and I picked up her bag, doing the same.

“For the record though,” I said, a teasing lilt to my voice, “I would have won that sudden death.”

“Oh shut up,” she sighed but let out a quiet laugh. “You’re the worst.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

* * *

Math class passed quickly, and then it was time for yearbook class. I made my way to my seat in Mrs. Johnston’s room and fired up the computer, logging in so I’d be ready when the bell rang.

At the front of the room, Mrs. Johnston gave us a status update on the pages we had completed and then asked the editors, Isabella and Tatiana, to make the rounds and check our progress on unfinished pages.

I worked on my spread for the Mathletes, typing captions and filling in empty picture slots. Not two minutes in, I felt a presence looking over my shoulder.

I glanced up to see Tatiana peering at my screen.

“You need to be working on the ‘Best of’ page,” she said. “I still haven’t seen it, and I need to get edits in the week after spring break. Think you can finish it today?”

I closed my eyes, not wanting a fight. So, I simply said, “Okay,” and opened a different tab.

Satisfied, she walked away.

The “Best of” spread stared at me from the screen. I’d put in all the photos except my own, which was in a prominent wild card position every year.

The words “Most Unique” were bold and bright, drawing my eye instantly. I’d worried over them for far too long. Why had those two words held so much power over me? I thought about Apollo and how he’d told me I was like no one else. That my uniqueness was a good thing.

I knew Tatiana and Isabella intended it as an insult, but what did the opinion of people I didn’t care for matter? I’d meant what I said to Regina earlier. I was tired of worrying about what people thought of me. My friends were there for me. My family loved me. And my boyfriend had put me in the sky next to the moon.

What more could I ask for?

I went to the folder of candid photos, searching for one of me. When I didn’t see one, I got out my phone and swiped through the images. I found the one I’d been looking for. It was from that day on the beach by Des’s house. I grinned at the camera, gap tooth on full display, hair wild in the wind, skin contrasting black and white, and finally, I saw what Des had always wanted me to.

I saw someone beautiful. Someone unique.

Someone I loved.

It was about damn time.