The "You're Not Fat" Campaign

I am home. Rick is picking me up in a few minutes. He says he has a surprise for me. I assume that it's something from Arizona.

It's something from a lot closer to home.

A girl is sitting in the back seat of Rick's car. A girl who I haven't seen in months. A girl with wavy dark brown hair and big green eyes.

"Oh my God," I whisper when I see her. She smiles.

She has dimples again.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Cassie. Cassie. Cassie!" I cry. She tumbles out of the car and we fall into each other's arms and we are both laughing and smiling and I am crying.

"Why are you crying, you dumbass?" she asks, but she's crying too. We're crying tears of absolute joy. Cassie is back. Cassie is safe. Cassie is home.

"Oh my God, Cassie, I missed you so much," I say, my words stumbling over one another.

"I missed you too, Laurie," she whispers, her smile huge.

She and Rick and I go to the park and sit in the grass and talk. Cassie and I sit next to each other, holding hands. I'm so glad she's back. She looks so much better.

No, she doesn't.

No. Not you again. I haven't heard that horrible nudging back-of-my-mind voice in almost a week.

Fatasses. Both of you.

Please stop.

Stop what? I'm helping you. You don't want me to stop.

Yes I do. Stop. Stop. STOP.

"Laura?"

Cassie's voice breaks through the internal argument.

"Laura, are you okay?" she asks, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Oh, the irony.