The first time Sean had seen Tina they were both seniors in High School. Sean had been the average young football player, 6', 178 pounds, one of the "in crowd" and a serious fool. With blond hair and blue eyes Sean was one of the schools hunks.
Tina was the exact opposite, 5'7 and 240 pounds she was considered the official fat chick at Carver High School. Far from the "in crowd" Tina was one of the Freaks, the kids who dress as they want and ignore the rules. Tina was smart and funny to her friends but the rest of the school considered her weird because she did not hide her interest in the arcane, her nick name was "Witchy" and she was the favorite target for scorn from the "in crowd."
Sean had spent all of his young life desperately trying to fit in, to be one of the guy but he had as secret that he thought would ruin any chances he had. While all of his buddies were lusting after models and skinny babes Sean could only think of fat girls, but having seen how his friends treated anyone different from them he was afraid to show it. Sean had always considered Tina with her flame red hair and pale soft skin beautiful, he sat behind her in two classes and always wondered what it would be like to stroke her plump body. Though he had never openly insulted her he had stood by and laughed as his friends did, Tina occasionally gave him a look while this was happening as if she could read his mind and knew how torn he was and despised his weakness.
Living in a small town there was few things to do on a Friday night for young people so nearly all of the high school students hung out at the last drive-in theater in the entire state. Different groups divided the place up, the "in crown" dead center with the Freaks in the far back corners. Sean's Camaro was always parked in the middle of the eight row near the snack bar, surrounded by the rest of the football team and cheerleaders.
Two weeks before graduation Sean was waiting for his snacks when he saw Tina walk out of the back of the snack bar and suddenly all he could think of was that he was going away and he would never see her again. Grabbing his snacks he headed after Tina.
He called to her, "Tina wait. I have to ask you something."
Tina turned around and fixed him with her dark gaze, "What do You want?"
"I, ummm, I wanted to ask you about the assignment in Ms. Gowings class. I umm, well I can't remember the pages." Suddenly all of his intentions to apologize for standing by while his friends insulted seemed caught up in his throat.
"236 to 279 then write an essay. Is that all you want?" Again Tina was giving him that look as if she could read his mind.
Sean stumbled over the words, "Well you are good in that class right? I was wondering if you would help me, I need a, well a tutor or something I have to get my grade up in there. I mean you could come to my place and study with me. It would be a big help." Sean felt himself reach out to touch her arm.
"Is that what you really meant to ask me Sean? Somehow I thought you had something else in mind." Tina's voice flowed over him like warm honey.
Suddenly a voice from behind them rang out loudly, "Oh yeah like he wants to ask you out Tubbo. I mean what do you think fat chick, that a football player would want anything to do with a scrounge like you?" Sean turned to see the captain of the football team and two of his team mates and their girlfriends standing behind him. "Tell her Sean, she is delusional if she thinks you want her for anything, go on tell her."
Tina looked at Mark Sumpter as if he was a bug. "I was not speaking to you Dumpster, if Sean has anything to tell me he will." Mark gave Tina a shocked look, and Sean knew that no one had called him Dumpster Sumpter since kindergarten and Tina had not known them then.
Mark looked livid, "Shut up you fat bitch. Sean go on and tell this fat cow what you really think of her. Unless of course you are some sort of freaky chubby chaser."
Sean wanted to scream at Mark to shut up, to tell them he thought Tina was beautiful. He knew that in less then a month he would be living half way across the country and never see any of them for years if at all. But as much as he wanted to he couldn't, peer pressure was too strong and he found him self saying the words he would regret for the rest of his life. "Oh chill out Mark I was just asking her to help me with old lady Gowing's class, hell I figured I could get her to do the work for me, you know how fat chicks are if you smile at them, they will bend over backwards for you. I mean you can't really think I would want anything else from someone like her." He turned toward Tina, hoping she could tell that he was lying and the look on her face chilled him to the bone, her face was perfectly serene but he would swear her eyes were boring through him like a knife.
Mark laughed and slapped him on the back. "Imagine a pig like that thinking you would want anything more from a fatso like her. Come on dude let the fat bitch go pig out on her goodies back in the dark where the freaks belong so we don't have to talk to her."
Turning away Sean thought he heard Tina whisper, "Be sure you don't choke on your words someday." But he couldn't be sure cause right at that moment Mark had shoved an entire handful of popcorn in his mouth and began to choke violently, coughing and wheezing, grabbing at his throat. Everyone began slapping him on the back which only made the coughing worse. One of the other players got behind him and wrapped his arms around his chest squeezing.
Mark finally stopped hacking but when he went to speak he had no voice. The whole group took Mark to the hospital where the dr. told him he had hurt his vocal cords and could not speak for at least 4 weeks.