Prom is Getting Closer

Tiffany stared down at the bathroom scale, her mouth dropping open in disbelief. Oh my gosh. Five pounds! She'd lost five pounds since smelling that horrible spray, Fat Off! This was too good to be true but it was true. Tiffany was losing weight without doing anything--certainly not dieting.

"Tiffany?" Tiffany's father knocked on the bathroom door. "You've got to get going. School starts in exactly 27 minutes."

Hopping off the scale, Tiffany pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, pleased that she didn't have to tug and suck in her stomach as much as she usually did. "I'm just about ready!" she called to her father.

"Did you have breakfast yet?"

"I was just about to." Tiffany didn't mind her father's nagging. It was different from when her mom had been alive or when she'd lived with her Aunt Mavis. Neither of them had ever seemed to care if she went to school and they both would have liked it if she'd never eaten breakfast.

"Do you want me to drop you off on my way to work?" Tom Hartman asked his daughter.

"No, I think I'll walk," Tiffany announced. If Fat Off worked without dieting or exercise, just how fast would it work if she threw a little exertion into the mix? She was going to be ready for America's Next Supermodel before the 4th of July!

Tom looked surprised. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little..."

"What? What do I look? Thinner?"

"Now that you mention it, yes."

"I'm trying to drop some weight before the prom. I want to look nice for Rex."

Pain crossed Tom's face. "Tiffany, we need to talk about your boyfriend..."

"Not now," Tiffany replied. "I've got to get going." While she didn't mind her father nagging her about getting to school on time, she wasn't interested in hearing his opinion on Rex. Grabbing a granola bar, she kissed her father on the cheek and then rushed out the front door, feeling lighter than she had in ages. She'd go to Rex's apartment and spray some more Fat Off around after school, she planned. Then maybe she'd order some carryout just to make sure she didn't get too weak or anything like that.

"Tiffany!" Tiffany turned, her heart sinking when she spotted Kayla Morris waving at her from a white Camry. Kayla was the most popular girl at Schuyler Square High School and also the nastiest. "Want a ride?"

"No, I need to walk," Tiffany said. "I need the exercise."

"Oh, come on. We are two blocks from the high school. Do you really think walking two blocks is going to make any difference in your case?"

Reluctantly, Tiffany got into Kayla's car.

"So who are you taking to the prom?" Kayla asked before Tiffany had the car door shut.

"My boyfriend, Rex."

"Want to go with Sam and me?"

"To the prom?"

"No, stupid, bowling. Of course to the prom! We could have more fun if we went together."

Tiffany eyed Kayla suspiciously. Kayla was never nice to her, ever. Why would she suddenly want to go to the prom with Rex and Tiffany? "I don't know..."

"It would be fun," Kayla wheedled. "I know the two of us have never been too close but I'd like to be your friend, Tiffany, and I'd like to get to know Rex better too."

Tiffany didn't believe Kayla but maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she could get to be friends with Kayla, lose 50 pounds and end her high school career on a stunning high of popularity.

"He's old enough to get some booze, right?" Kayla asked. "Say yes, Tiffany. Prom night could be a night none of us will ever forget."