Closing the Gap
"Lunch looks really good this time around," stated Marcus.
"Yeah, spaghetti and meatballs. What a treat," added Persephone.
"Not as much of a treat as you," admitted Kyle.
"You're too kind, Kyle. I'll admit while I was prepared for the school's unusual criteria, I don't think I was prepared for so much praise. This wasn't at all like the school I went to before," replied Persephone.
"What school did you go to before?" asked Marcus.
"Lower Raise Academy. It was for those that couldn't really afford high tier schools that had advanced learning. It was a lot less strict than this school and I was fit back then too. They did have sports and whatnot, but classes were only 20 minutes each," explained Persephone.
"Have you always had that belly ring?" asked Kyle.
"Yeah. I always felt my body looked plain so I looked at myself in a mirror to think of the best place and of course the navel is middle ground. I never thought it'd still be there after gaining weight. My school never served lunch because they couldn't afford it with all the basic expenses for books so I had to eat big meals before or after school. When I heard about this school as the next part of the journey, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I was worried that there'd be issues somewhere regarding my size and choice of clothing. My family and I couldn't afford to go shopping or have me get a higher education so I was enrolled here," continued Persephone.
"Enrolled is right. You have a nice double belly," noted Kyle.
"Can we please talk about something other than Persephone's disgusting midsection?" questioned Kelly.
"You really do have a problem don't you? Are you like jealous because Kyle loves me more than you?" asked Persephone.
"Hardly. The discussion is always the same with Kyle. It's always 'Persephone is hot' and 'Persephone this' and 'Persephone that'. I think I could barf," corrected Kelly.
"Don't mind her, Persephone. She gripes about everything. It seems to be in her blood," assured Marcus.
"One day, I'll let Persephone know just how much I feel about her. She's a goddess and doesn't even know it, thought Kyle.
