“How did you know?” he asked.

Ciara shrugged. It was easy. The faraway stare, exasperated sigh, index finger tapping nervously on his belt buckle. The boy was in love.

“Really, how’d you know?”

Same old question, she thought. As if fat girls exist simply to notice your pain. Orbit your star.

“Fat girl superpowers,” Ciara managed. It was her turn to look away.

“Cool. Hey, that’s funny.”

Ciara decides that it is funny. This whole scene. Repeated all over the world: fat girls noticing everything, all the time, in return for nothing. Permanent friendzone status. A cosmic joke.

She decides to write about this. Change the pattern. Be the heroine, not the sidekick. And the title will be…

Fat Girl Superpowers.