Two Weeks Between Love and Hate

“Hey, loser, excited? You shouldn’t be. Even if you got accepted to college, it doesn’t change who you are inside, fatass.” Jillian Lins taunted as she twisted around in her chair, strands of bright red hair peeking out from under her graduation cap. She flashed a smug grin at the chubby but tall boy behind her. Her blue eyes filled with mischief, a stark contrast against her fair skin, which was smattered with freckles. Even during their graduation ceremony, Jillian was relentless in her torment. Jason Merris was the target of her constant harassment. His green eyes, framed by thick-rimmed glasses, did their best to focus on anything but her.

Jason Merris was always slightly overweight throughout his life, getting worse as he got older. Not exactly the most active person. His days were spent in the company of his computer, shielded from the harsh realities beyond his door. The sanctuary of his room couldn’t protect him from the hardships of life. During his middle school years, his father fell terminally ill, casting a heavy shadow over their small family. Jason and his mother were left to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as his father’s life slowly faded away before their eyes.

Food became Jason’s way of coping with his loss. His mother, seeking her own escape, always indulged his cravings, regardless of the consequences. The absence of a strong male role model to guide him through the trials of high school proved exceptionally tough. By junior year, he had stopped reacting to Jillian’s taunts and bullying, which only seemed to fuel her desire to torment him further. Despite his resilience, Jillian’s harassment never truly ceased; it just lessened over time.

“Gonna say anything or just keep quiet like a little bitch, like always. Aww come on now, how about a parting squeal for me piggy?” Jillian kept prodding the overweight teen with taunts. Jason glared at her, seething with anger, but didn’t utter a word to the redhead. She just smirked and gave him the finger before turning her attention back to the stage, where one row after another was called up to get their diplomas. Eventually, Jillian’s row was called up to the stage.

They each went across the stage, one by one. When Jillian’s name was called, loud cheers and whistles erupted from a group of people in the audience. Jason glanced back to see who would support someone so cruel. It was a whole family—two boys, a young girl, her father, and a pregnant mother—cheering loudly for his personal devil. Jason couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at seeing such a large and supportive family. It didn’t feel fair.

Jason’s row got up right after Jillian’s was done. Standing up, he was quite tall at about 6’2”, even though he was just 17. His long arms and belly made him look a bit hunched walking up to the stage. Amongst the obligatory applause from the crowd, a lone voice cried out when his name was called. Searching, he spotted her, waving proudly with tears in her eyes. She was everything to him. It had been just the two of them for years now. All he wanted was to make her proud and repay her for raising him solo for so long.

Grabbing his diploma, he made his way back to his seat and sat down.

“Hey, you made it,” came that same grating voice from the seat in front of him. He took a deep breath, feeling the paper diploma crumple in his hand.

“You looked a little wobbly out there. I didn’t know you could go this long without stuffing your face, haha!” she laughed, along with a few others who overheard. Finally, after bottling up his rage for so many years, he finally unleashed it upon her.

“I can’t wait to hear how you fail, Jill.”

Jillian whipped her head around to look at Jason, stunned just to hear his voice after so long.

“Haha... what?” she stammered, taken aback by his harsh words.

“I can’t wait to see you crash and burn. And knowing this is the last time I’ll have to deal with you is the only thing that makes showing up here worth it. Fuck you, Jill. Enjoy the mess your life is sure to be. You deserve every single moment of suffering coming to you,” he spat out, rising from his seat and striding past the still seated students waiting for the ceremony to end.

Jillian got up quickly from her seat as Jason made his exit.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going? I’m not done talking to you!?” she yelled loudly. Ignoring her shouts, he continued walking. Fuming, Jillian clenched her fists, desperate to give him a piece of her mind.

Suddenly, the PA system cut in. “Congratulations to all of this year’s graduates!” Cheers erupted, and caps flew into the air. Amidst the chaos, he disappeared into the sea of celebrating students. Jillian stood alone in the crowd, scowling as her anger reached its peak. But once it started to fade, she finally realized after all these years it wasn’t because of Jason at all. It never had been.