The Last Laugh

Note: contains topics of body shaming

Melissa Hughes studied her reflection in the slick double doors of Casper Community High as she walked up to them, just as she had for the past 2 years. What she saw pleased her. Her ‘fat girl waddle’ had turned into a swift gait propelled by slim, toned, jeans-clad legs. Her T-shirt no longer stretched over rolls of body fat; instead, it accentuated the waist that had become visible over the summer. And her plump face had developed planes she hadn’t known were there. With the little makeup she’d learned how to use, she looked like a completely different person.

Melissa stopped at the entrance for a second and took a deep breath. For years, she’d been teased mercilessly by the people she’d gone to school with. Today, that would change.

She pulled the door open and stepped inside. The warning bell hadn’t gone yet, and the halls were filled with students – some fumbling with locker combinations, some scrambling to get their stuff organized, and others standing by their lockers, unruffled by the chaos. And then there was the popular group, whose giggles and shallow conversations Melissa could hear from halfway down the hall. She caught snatches of “Omg, I am SO tanned!” and “I met the cutest guy on vacation!”, and the high-pitched laughter that followed every other word created more noise than the rest of the hallway pandemonium combined.

Melissa steeled herself and strode down the hall with her head held high, clutching the strap of her backpack that she’d slung over one shoulder. Don’t make eye contact, she silently reminded herself. Maintain a steady walk and keep going. She felt her old insecurities resurfacing in the painfully familiar setting, but she pushed them down and kept walking. Her health coach’s words came to mind. If all else fails, fake it till you make it. Don’t let them see your insecurities; they will exploit any weakness they see in you.

Last year, walking down that very hall had meant inevitably hearing, “Wide load coming through!” or “Make way for Melissa Huge!”, amid other cruel taunts. But today, not only was there no teasing, but the chatter also slowly faded as she passed. Melissa made her way to her locker and opened it, then turned around to see why a hush had fallen over the hall. Everyone was staring at her.

She turned around again and started putting her things into her locker, feeling gratified. For the first time in her life, she was seen as something other than ‘the fat girl’, and she liked the feeling.

Her euphoria ended abruptly when the silence was broken by the shrill voice of Tessa Drake, the leader of the popular girls. “Melissa Huge, is that really you?”

She pushed her way through the throng and stopped beside Melissa, putting her hands on her hips. From the corner of her eye, Melissa could see Tessa eyeing her up and down. “I can hardly believe it! So you finally decided to stop committing gluttony, huh?”

Melissa gritted her teeth but refused to acknowledge her, pretending to be busy with her books instead. Tessa continued talking. “Wow. I mean, I thought you were a lost cause. Who knew that a figure was hiding under all that fat?” She laughed heartily. “I guess it just goes to show that it’s never too late.” When Melissa still didn’t reply, she narrowed her eyes. “Are you ignoring me?”

Melissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, shut her locker slowly and deliberately, and finally faced Tessa. “Nothing you said warranted a response.”

Tessa looked taken aback. “You didn’t take our jokes about your weight seriously, did you? We were just playing with ya. We didn’t mean anything by it.”

Melissa clenched her hands. Memories of how her classmates had shamed and ridiculed her resurfaced, and one particular incident with Tessa stood out.

Once, when she had gone to the local diner after school, she’d found Tessa and her girlfriends inside. She had stayed out of their way, but Tessa saw her anyway. However, instead of making fun of her, Tessa had invited her to eat with them. Melissa had hesitated, but Tessa had coaxed, “I’ll even pay for your meal.”

Melissa finally agreed, thinking maybe Tessa had had a change of heart and genuinely wanted her to join them. They found a table and sat down, but when the food arrived, everyone received their plates but Melissa. When she asked where hers was, Tessa stared at her with her cold blue eyes and sneered, “I didn’t get you any, you pig. Don’t you think you have enough food in you?”

The memory still stung. That had been the day her dislike of Tessa had blossomed into a deep-rooted hatred, which had only intensified in the following years. Melissa longed to make her pay; to give her a taste of her own medicine. To make her feel the pain she had inflicted on Melissa. But now wasn’t the time.

Instead, using every bit of willpower she had to keep her voice neutral, she replied, “No, I’m sure you didn’t.”

Tessa’s eyes lit up. “Great! So, I was thinking – now that you’re not, you know, ugly and obese anymore, do you wanna sit with us at lunch?” She gestured to where her posse was standing a few feet away, watching the two girls along with everyone else in the hall. “I think you know that we don’t invite just anyone to eat with us.”

Melissa shook her head in disbelief. “Are you serious? You’ve been making fun of me since elementary school. Now I’ve had a transformation, and suddenly you want to hang out with me? What’s wrong with this picture?”

Tessa rolled her eyes. “Listen, I know we’ve had our moments, but that’s in the past. I promise things will be different.”

“Why should I believe you?”

Tessa huffed. “Because I just said so! I’m offering you a ticket to popularity. Do you want to sit with us or not?”

Melissa was about to refuse the offer in no uncertain terms when she realized – this could work to my advantage.

She swallowed her refusal and tried to make her smile look genuine. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Splendid!” Tessa clasped her hands gleefully. “See you at lunch!”

Melissa watched her blond hair sway rhythmically as she bounced back to her friends and wondered how someone could be so blind. Did Tessa really think that years of bullying could be patched up with her flimsy excuse for an apology? If so, you’ve got another thing coming, Tessa Drake. I’ve taken everyone’s cruelty long enough, and if you think I’ll forget about it now that it’s stopped, you’re wrong.

-

Melissa’s first class was English. She looked at her schedule on the way to the classroom and was relieved to see that Mr. Cole was teaching it again. She’d had him for English last year, and he had made her favorite subject even more enjoyable by implementing humor and giving fun assignments.

She was one of the first to arrive, and when everyone else had come in and taken their seats, Mr. Cole explained how the course would work and how he would be grading assignments.

“Now that we’ve covered the boring stuff, let’s get into it.” He started going around and handing out stapled-together booklets. “For our first unit, we’ll be reading and analyzing a variety of classic short stories, starting with The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. I want you all to read it on your own, and when everyone’s done, we’ll discuss. You may begin as soon as you receive your copy.” He placed Melissa’s on her desk, then added, “By the way, the story is set in the 18th or 19th century, so the prose is quite old-fashioned. It’s a bit more difficult to read, so just make note of any words or phrases you don’t understand and we’ll go over them.”

Interested, Melissa started reading. It was about a man who vowed to get revenge on his friend, who had committed an unpardonable wrong against him. The story didn’t reveal what the wrong was, but the main character couldn’t let it go and ended up burying his friend alive behind a brick wall in the catacombs under his palace. Melissa found it fascinating, and when she finished reading, she went back and made note of words she didn’t understand and some lines that she liked.

When everyone had finished and started talking about it amongst themselves, Mr. Cole stood up and walked to the front of the room. “Okay. First thoughts?”

The girl beside Melissa spoke up. “It’s really dark.”

“Yes, it is.” Mr. Cole smiled. “Anything else? Can you expand on that?”

The girl – Melissa was pretty sure her name was Bethany – cocked her head as though she was thinking. “Um... I guess it just shows the lengths people will go to when their desire for revenge becomes their sole focus.”

“Exactly. Great answer, Bethany.” Mr. Cole nodded. “Revenge is a powerful motivator and can take many forms, but Montresor went as far as killing Fortunato. And for what?” He looked down at the first page of the story. “The very first line says, ‘The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.’ The story doesn’t say what that insult was, because that wasn’t the point. Instead, think about this: how much darkness must have been in Montresor in the first place for him to go as far as murdering the man that was once his friend?”

A boy in the back spoke up. “The story literally says he bore a thousand injuries from Fortunato. The dude just finally snapped.”

“That’s a good point. Everyone reaches a breaking point, and the final insult was the last straw for Montresor.” Mr. Cole looked around the room. “But we don’t just go out and kill anyone who insults us, do we?”

A few chuckles came from around the room, and Mr. Cole smiled. “Of course not. But Montresor deceived the man who was once his friend and left him to die where no one would ever find him. So, tell me – do you think everyone has that kind of darkness inside of them?”

The class fell silent. Melissa looked around, and while everyone looked as though they were seriously pondering the question, no one offered an answer.

At last, she spoke up. “Yes. I think so. Of course this is just a story, but Montresor was an ordinary man, just like all of us. And when his pride was hurt, he couldn’t handle it, so he eliminated the person who was responsible. That’s how it works, really. Everyone’s claws come out when they or someone close to them is threatened, and although we don’t resort to murder, I think we would, under the right circumstances. I think deep down every single person is capable of killing someone.” Melissa looked around. “We read the story and think, “This guy went off the deep end and left his friend to die!”, but who are we to judge? We’ve never been in his shoes. How do we know that we wouldn’t do the exact same thing if our circumstances were different?” She shrugged. “So, yes – I think everyone has that darkness inside of them. But that’s just my opinion.”

Mr. Cole looked thoughtful. “Well said, Melissa. It sounds like you’re talking from experience – you better not be planning something nefarious!” His eyes twinkled as the class laughed, and Melissa gave him a forced smile. But inside, she was thinking, It sounds like I’m speaking from experience because I am. You have no idea.

Her dignity had been trampled on more times than she could count, and now that she’d made it come to an end, it was time for retribution. Someday, the people that had humiliated her would be sorry. She would make sure of it. And when that day came, it would be her that would have the last laugh.