Chapter 3

In the freshman group chat, Haley posted another photo.

She was at Disneyland, wearing Mickey Mouse ears and a pleated skirt, looking youthful and radiant.

The boy next to her was cropped out.

But at a single glance, I recognized the watch on his wrist. It was the exact same luxury watch Carter had flexed on his Instagram before.

The chat was buzzing.

"The queen has blessed us with a pic!"

"So gorgeous! Who's the guy next to you?"

"Looks like Carter. Lucky bastard!"

I had just found out from Maya that Carter started pursuing Haley the moment she posted her first picture in the chat.

Word was he had flown directly to her city, bought her tons of expensive gifts, and even rented out a private fireworks show for her.

Now, they were officially together.

Carter spammed the chat: "Haley is my girl now."

"Carter's the man! You guys look so good together!"

"Oh my god, this is so sweet. I believe in love again!"

"Only a girl like her is worthy of Carter."

...

Then, someone brought me up.

"You guys have no idea. Before this, Carter was catfished by some fat chick for over a year. He was scarred for life. Thank god he finally found a beautiful girl. Congrats, man!"

Haley asked, "Who?"

The guy quickly filled everyone in on the story.

The chat immediately erupted with mockery.

"Holy shit, a fat girl actually thought she had a chance with Carter? Disgusting."

"Ugly girls are always losers in real life, so they resort to catfishing online."

"I heard she's coming to our college too. Maybe she's in this incoming class. Can't wait to see how hideous she actually is."

Haley chimed in with a soft laugh, "She must have been really insecure. Being ugly isn't her fault, but catfishing people is just wrong."

Carter replied, "Let's not talk about the past. Just thinking about it makes me sick. I'm just glad I have you now."

Carter had no idea that I had joined the freshman Snapchat group using a burner account.

I had witnessed his entire new love story from start to finish.

Someone asked Carter in the chat:

"Carter, what was that catfish's name? Maybe we'll run into her when campus opens."

Carter replied: "Chloe Sterling."

"Sounds super basic. No wonder she's ugly."

In the next second, I switched to my main account and entered the group.

I set my display name to:

Chloe Sterling.

The group chat went dead silent.

But I knew everyone was staring at their screens, waiting for the drama to unfold.

A few minutes later, Haley sent two messages.

"Welcome to the group, Chloe!"

"Hey Chloe, we're having a freshman pre-party tonight. Want to join us?"

I knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to make me a laughingstock.

I smirked and typed a single word:

"Sure."

Just as I was getting ready for bed, my online boyfriend, "Not-A-Nugget," sent me another photo.

"Babe, look at this bag. I bought it in Italy. I knew it would look perfect on you the moment I saw it. I'll give it to you when we meet!"

"Babe, why are you ignoring me? Are you asleep?"

"Babe!"

I frowned.

This guy had bought Carter's old account, and he was really playing the part of the doting boyfriend.

He was incredibly generous, though. Last month, he sent me a designer necklace and a luxury skincare set. For Valentine's Day, he got me a designer purse.

He even sent me flowers on random weekdays.

But he already knew I was fat. What was he playing at?

I decided to test him. I sent him a photo of me from a year ago.

180 pounds, my eyes squeezed into tiny slits by my cheeks.

"This is what I look like. If you can't handle it, let's just break up. I don't want to waste your time."

I refused to believe he'd stay after seeing that.

He replied almost instantly. "Babe, you look so cute."

I'm speechless.

Was this guy out of his mind?

I typed back frantically, "Look closely! I'm 180 pounds! I'm fat!"

"I know. I think you look adorable. But please make sure to stay healthy, babe."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Was this guy also overweight, or did he just have some weird fat fetish?

"What do you look like?" I asked. "I haven't seen a photo of you yet."

Not-A-Nugget sent a barrage of photos.

There were pictures from different angles, full-body shots, and even a close-up of his abs.

I let out a cynical laugh.

The guy in the photos had broad shoulders, a snatched waist, and visible obliques. He looked at least 6'2".

But what was even more ridiculous was his face. He looked like a literal K-pop idol or a high-fashion model. He had warm, hazel eyes that seemed to hold a gentle smile, and messy black hair pushed back to reveal a perfect forehead.

He looked incredibly youthful and charming.

Right. Catfishing me with Pinterest photos, are we? I thought.

"Babe, I just took these randomly without dressing up. Do you like how I look?"

Fine. We were going to meet up anyway. Let's see how he handles getting caught in his own lie.

I scoffed in real life, but typed back sweetly:

"Oh my god, babe, you're gorgeous! Is this really you? I can't wait to meet you!"

"Awesome! By the way, I have something to tell you when we meet."

I smirked.

Probably that you used fake photos, I thought.

I replied, "Okay."