Chapter 1

The day before college started, my online boyfriend told me he had lost a bet. I was the prize.

Before I could even process what was happening, he dragged me into a Snapchat group chat with over a hundred people.

The group announcement had just been updated: "Congrats to Ethan on winning his brand-new, 220-pound girlfriend!"

Right after that, my sophomore year photo was dumped into the chat. In the photo, I was wearing an oversized, baggy hoodie, so heavy you couldn't even see my neck.

The group chat instantly exploded. "Holy shit, that's not a girlfriend. That's a straight-up whale."

"A bet's a bet. Ethan has to complete the couple's challenge with her tomorrow."

Soon, someone set up a betting pool. They were wagering on whether I'd actually dare to show up tomorrow night.

My online boyfriend put down a thousand dollars, betting that I wouldn't show.

The guy named Ethan didn't say a single word. Instead, the campus queen suddenly tagged me: "Chloe, you'll definitely be there tomorrow night, right?"

I stared at the endless stream of mocking messages in the chat and laughed.

None of them knew. For this long-awaited first meeting, I had worked my ass off to go from 220 pounds down to 130.

And none of them knew that over the past two months, I had been asked for my Snapchat in public more times than in the first eighteen years of my life combined.

I quietly put down five hundred dollars on the bet, betting that I would show up right on time.

Then, amidst everyone's wild cheering, I sent a single text.

"A bet's a bet. See you there."