Born as the school's golden girl, I ended up swapping souls with the heaviest, poorest outcast in our high school. We exchanged secrets, shared our lives, and tried desperately to find a way back into our own bodies. Until one day, she vanished. The teachers said her entire family had moved out of the country. The next time I saw her was ten years later. She was standing next to my childhood sweetheart, bearing the title of the CEO’s wife. 1. On my fifteenth day trapped in Mia Jenkins’s body, I looked in the mirror and was still horrified by how ugly I was. A heavy, bloated frame, cheeks thick with fat, and dark, unkempt skin shining with grease. A greasy side-bang fell in clumps, completely hiding my left eye. The right eye that managed to peek through was squeezed into a tiny slit by the sheer volume of my cheeks. If I wanted to open my eyes wider, I practically had to pry the fat apart. Suppressing my disgust, I hurriedly splashed my face with cold water and sprinted toward the bus stop. "Sweetie, your breakfast!" Mia’s mother, walking with a heavy limp, anxiously hobbled after me, trying to hand me a plastic bag filled with a massive breakfast. I skidded to a halt, grabbed the bag from her hands, shoved it into my backpack, and resumed my sprint to the bus stop. I say "sprint," but it was barely faster than a brisk walk. Mia was about 5'6" but weighed nearly two hundred pounds. Even using every ounce of my strength, I could only shuffle my legs a tiny bit faster than before. Just from that minimal exertion, my heart was already pounding out of my chest, my lungs felt tight, and I was gasping for air. I had no idea how the original Mia ever survived P.E. class. By the time I squeezed onto the crowded morning bus, the thin cotton of my t-shirt was already soaked with sweat. "Excuse me, coming through." I dropped into a seat in the very back row. The guy sitting next to the window immediately pinched his nose in disgust. I knew this guy. He was Caleb Rivers, one of my former admirers who had relentlessly brought me breakfast for three months straight back when I was Serena. But right now, he was pressing himself as close to the window as humanly possible, acting as if I was infected with a deadly virus. 2. "Tch. Smells like garbage. Gross." Mia’s body was severely overweight, and since it was the middle of summer, I was already sweating profusely. There were obvious sweat stains pooling at the collar and armpits of my yellow shirt. Embarrassed, I shrank my shoulders, trying my hardest to make sure my arms didn't accidentally brush against the guy next to me. No wonder the original Mia always wore a thick hoodie, even in the dead of summer. Thinking of all the cruel mockery she endured behind her back, my eyes welled up with tears. I was going to lose this weight. Before I figured out how to swap back, I was going to help Mia shed this extra baggage. Having survived the agonizing panic and confusion of the first few days, I was finally somewhat adapting to Mia’s body. And I owed it all to Mia. She had stayed by my side those first few days, comforting me, encouraging me. She was right. As long as we worked together, we’d find a way to switch back soon. Thinking of Mia warmed my heart. Before this, she was the quiet, isolated outcast. I had almost never seen her speak to anyone. She arrived at school alone, left alone, ate in the cafeteria alone, and went to the bathroom alone. Nobody in our class liked her. The girls ostracized her, and the boys were openly disgusted by her. If I, Serena Sterling, was the bright, untouchable moon hanging over Oakridge Prep, Mia was the rotting mud beneath everyone's shoes. Anyone felt entitled to step on her. But despite her appearance, she had an incredibly warm and kind heart. In just two short weeks, our shared bizarre experience had made us the best of friends. 3. Panting heavily, I finally made it to the classroom just before the bell rang and collapsed into my desk in the very back row, taking deep breaths. Caleb Rivers lifted his eyelids, gave me a brief glance, and immediately turned around to sleep on his desk. Nobody in the class liked Mia, so the homeroom teacher had shoved her desk right next to the trash cans in the back corner. Oakridge Prep was the most elite private school in the state. Most of the students were children of politicians or billionaires. But Caleb was here on a sports scholarship, and like Mia, he came from a poor background. Naturally, the two worst seats in the class were reserved for them. Normally, these two minded their own business—one slept all day, the other spaced out. But my arrival had clearly broken their unspoken truce. "Caleb, want some eggs?" I pulled two hard-boiled eggs out of my pocket and shoved them into his hands, then placed a carton of milk on his desk. Since I was determined to lose weight, it had to start with my diet. Mia’s family was broke, but her parents doted on her unconditionally. They wore rags and skipped meals just to spend every penny on her. And Mia had a massive appetite. For breakfast alone, she would pack away five or six eggs, two cartons of milk, and four or five heavy breakfast sandwiches. Caleb turned around, staring at me intently for a moment before letting out a scoff. "Mia, don't tell me you have a crush on me." I looked at him, speechless. Caleb and my childhood sweetheart, Ethan Vance, were known as the "Twin Princes" of Oakridge. The girls were constantly fighting over who was hotter. Unlike Ethan's refined, gentle, and polished prep-school vibe, Caleb was pure bad-boy energy. Sharp eyebrows, a strong nose, and a sun-kissed, athletic build. He was undeniably gorgeous, but his rebellious, untamed aura gave him a dangerous, street-smart edge. 4. "Don't worry, I'm not into guys." I drank my milk, pulled a heavy breakfast sandwich from my bag, and tossed it to him. "I'm starting a diet. It’s a waste to throw it away, and since we've been desk-mates for a while, consider it your lucky day." Caleb's parents had died in a car crash during middle school. He lived with his grandparents. I’d heard rumors that his grandparents were elderly and sick, surviving by collecting scrap metal just to put him through school. He was a growing teenager and an athlete who trained for hours every day. Sometimes during class, I could hear his stomach rumbling from starvation. Caleb dropped his careless attitude and looked at me seriously. "Alright. Guess I'll do you a favor and eat it." I finished my milk and glanced over at my own original desk. Strange. The bell was about to ring. Why wasn't Serena here yet? In all the time we had been swapped, she hadn't been late once. Was she sick? I sent a text to my own phone. No reply. I called. No one picked up. Caleb kicked my shoe lightly under the desk. Phones were strictly banned at Oakridge. Before the homeroom teacher walked down the aisle, I quickly shoved it into my bag. I was distracted the entire morning study period. Yesterday, Mia had stayed up late chatting with me. She confidently promised she had found a solution and that we'd be back in our own bodies by next week. The moment the bell rang, I jumped out of my seat and jogged to the homeroom teacher’s podium. "Mr. Davis, where is Serena? Why isn't she in class?" The balding teacher gave me a weird look, clearly shocked that someone like Mia would have anything to do with the golden girl, Serena Sterling. "She transferred." The summer sun was beating through the windows, but I felt like I had been plunged into an ice bath. "Trans... transferred?" Mr. Davis pushed his slipping glasses up his nose. "Serena’s entire family relocated to London. She officially withdrew late last week. A few of the girls even threw a going-away party for her over the weekend. Did you not know?" I didn't hear a single word after that, because the world faded to black and I fainted on the spot. Right before I closed my eyes, I thought I saw Caleb sprinting toward me. 5. "Hey. Are you awake?" I forced my eyes open. Everything was stark white—the walls, the curtains, the bedsheets. The school nurse, Mrs. Evans, was sitting beside me, looking at me gently. "It's too hot outside, you got heatstroke. Rest for a bit. I got you some electrolytes." I sat up, my head still spinning. I sat there in a daze for a long moment before it suddenly hit me why I had fainted. Mia! Mia took my body and moved to London! I jumped out of bed and bolted for the door, but because I stood up too fast, my vision whited out again. "Whoa, what's the rush? I already excused you from your morning classes. See? You're dizzy again. You can't focus in class like this. Just lay back down." Mrs. Evans grabbed my arm and forced me back onto the bed. I was so panicked I was on the verge of tears. No! I had to find Mia! I had to make her explain this! Ignoring my dizzy spells, I shoved my shoes on and stumbled out the door. Mrs. Evans tried to grab me twice but failed, muttering under her breath, "Kids these days... the academic pressure is really driving them insane!" Leaving the clinic, I headed straight for the school gates. My pale, sickly, sweaty face startled the security guard. "Hey kid, aren't your parents picking you up? You don't look too good. I can't let you leave alone." "My parents are waiting right outside the gate, sir." I threw together a quick lie, jogged out the gates, and flagged down a yellow cab. 6. My family lived in the most exclusive gated community in the city. When the cab pulled up to the estate gates, I realized the total amount of cash on me was about $5—not even enough to cover the fare. The driver took one look at my panicked, teenage face, waved his hand generously, and let me off the hook for the remainder. When I finally ran up to the front door of my mansion, I found it locked tight. I couldn't get in. I scrambled over the side gate into the garden and pressed my face against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything inside was draped in white dust covers—the velvet sofas, the dining table, even the giant teddy bear statue I loved so much. The sprawling mansion was completely empty. It was 9:00 AM. Usually, our housekeeper Maria would be vacuuming, and Chef Andre would be in the kitchen prepping my organic mid-day meals. They moved. They really moved! I collapsed onto the front steps, my mind completely blank. My parents were workaholics. I was practically raised by nannies. It was the nannies who attended my parent-teacher conferences. I saw my parents maybe a handful of times a year. Honestly, they probably knew their executive board better than they knew me. My phone! Right, I could still call them! With trembling hands, I dialed the number for my father that I knew by heart. "We're sorry, the number you have reached is no longer in service..." Disconnected? Refusing to believe it, I dialed it again. Still disconnected. I called my original phone number—disconnected. I called my mom—straight to voicemail. Who else? Who else could I find? 7. My grandfather lived permanently in Florida, and my mom's side of the family was in Boston. Both of my parents were only children, so I had no other relatives in the state. I wrung my hands anxiously. No, I had to find Mia. I wasn't going to let her steal my life like this. I smacked my forehead. I was so stupid. I could go find Ethan! Ethan Vance lived in the exact same gated community as me. We had been in the same class since kindergarten. We were quintessential childhood sweethearts. When we were little, we used to play house and pretend to get married. His parents adored me. His mom used to half-joke to my mom that they should just arrange our marriage now. I stood up, wiped my tears, and sprinted toward Ethan's mansion. The front doors to the Vance estate were wide open. Several maids were bustling around cleaning. When they saw me, they looked shocked. "Excuse me, who are you looking for?" A middle-aged woman walked over, wiping her hands on a towel. "I... I'm looking for Ethan." The moment the words left my mouth, I felt stupid. Ethan should be in AP Physics right now. Why did I run to his house? "Young Master Ethan transferred to a school in London last week. Are you his classmate?" The world spun, and I crashed onto the driveway. Ethan went to London too?! "Oh my god, honey, are you okay?" 8. I stumbled out of the Vance estate in a daze. Holding onto my absolute last shred of hope, I dialed Ethan's cell number. "Hello?" "Ethan! It's me! It's Serena!" I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement. Ethan was my best friend. He would definitely recognize me! "Mia?" Even though the original Mia was heavy and unkempt, her voice was beautiful. It was clear and melodic, like a babbling brook in the middle of summer, or wind chimes caught in a breeze. "I'm in Mia's body right now, but I'm actually Serena! We swapped souls, just like in the movies! I swear, I—" "Mia," Ethan sighed, cutting me off. "I know you're unhappy with your life, but delusion is a mental illness. You need to get help." "Serena told me everything. You constantly hallucinate that you're her, and you desperately want to live her life." "That's exactly why she changed her mind and agreed to move to London with me." "I don't know how you got my number, but I'm changing it today." "I hope you stop harassing Serena from now on. Take care of yourself." Beep. Beep. Beep. The call ended. I stood frozen under the blazing sun. A jolt of electricity shot from the soles of my feet straight into my heart, leaving half my body completely numb. When I first realized we swapped bodies, my first instinct was to tell my parents. But Mia stopped me. She said they would just think we were crazy, and that we should figure it out ourselves. She asked me if I wanted to experience what it was like to live someone else's life for a few days. She said it was thrilling and that it should be our little secret. She told me she had found a way to switch back, and that it would happen soon. I was such an idiot! From this moment forward, I was only Mia. The poor, academically average, clinically obese, isolated, ghost-like Mia. 9. I walked all the way back under the blistering sun. Even though I was wearing thin sweatpants, the inner thighs were completely chafed and bleeding. This body was too heavy. The fat rubbed together painfully with every step. No wonder Mia rarely walked and never left her seat during passing periods. My body was in agony, but I masochistically kept walking, drenched in sweat like it was raining. I shouldn't have trusted her so easily. I shouldn't have handed over my deepest secrets. But regret wouldn't save me now. I needed to plan my future. Even if I was dragged down into the mud, I was going to bloom into the most brilliant flower. By the time I walked back to the school gates, it was already afternoon. My clothes had soaked through, dried, and soaked through again, emitting a sour, stale odor. It was lunch period. The classroom was mostly empty, with most students down in the cafeteria. Caleb's eyes lit up when he saw me. "Where did you go? I checked the nurse's office after class and you weren't there." I grabbed my water bottle and chugged half of it in one breath. "I went home for a bit." "What's wrong? You look terrible." Because I had been bringing him breakfast lately, Caleb had warmed up to me considerably. He dropped his bad-boy attitude and looked at me with genuine concern. I pulled my textbooks from my desk and gave him a bitter smile. "Nothing. Just realized I'm a complete idiot." "Weirdo." Caleb scratched the back of his head, turned around, and didn't pry any further. 10. At 5:00 AM, just as the sky was turning a hazy gray, I was already awake. I was the only one left in the tiny, cramped courtyard. Mia’s parents ran a small breakfast food truck. Every day, they woke up at 2 or 3 AM to prep, and by 4 AM, they were out on the streets selling. I washed my face, changed into workout clothes, pushed open the squeaky courtyard gate, and started power-walking down the street. This body was too heavy to run. Even just power-walking nearly took half my life. After thirty minutes of wheezing and panting, I returned to the courtyard and started strength training. I say "strength training," but it was mostly high knees, arm circles, and step-ups on the porch. Mia’s body was incredibly weak. Just lifting my arms made my muscles burn and tremble. Push-ups were entirely out of the question. After a solid thirty minutes of training, my clothes were drenched. The light gray fabric had turned charcoal. Checking my watch, it was 6:00 AM. I went back inside, showered, changed into my uniform, and grabbed my backpack to catch the bus. Breakfast, prepared by Mia's mom, was warming on the stove. Thirty dollars in cash was left on the table for my allowance. A bowl of boiled eggs, five massive pork buns, and two cartons of milk. Mia's parents spoiled her. No matter how exhausted they were, they always made sure she had a massive breakfast. On weekends, they would splurge on beef and shrimp at the market to make sure she got enough nutrition. She had her own kind of happiness. When I was Serena, I rarely even sat at the same table as my parents, let alone ate a meal cooked by them. I packed the breakfast into my bag. Thinking for a moment, I ran into the courtyard and picked two crisp cucumbers and a few bright red tomatoes. Mia’s mom was hardworking. She kept the courtyard spotless and even built a small vegetable garden on the south side. Most of their daily produce came straight from there. 11. Arriving at the classroom, I routinely pulled the breakfast from my bag and handed it to Caleb. He had gone from initially refusing to now accepting it naturally. After taking it, he looked at me seriously and said: "I owe you for this. If anyone bullies you from now on, drop my name." "No thanks. Nobody is bullying me." I opened my books and focused entirely on the coursework. Mia used to tell me that all roads lead to Rome, but some people are just born in Rome. She said she envied me. Envied me so much she wanted to die. She said I played piano, danced ballet, and spoke French and English like a native. I wore designer clothes, lived in a mansion, and lived a dream-like princess life. But she didn't know that the "princess" woke up at 5:00 AM every single day to study. On weekends and holidays, when everyone else was playing, I was either in the dance studio or at the piano. From the time I was five until now, I hadn't had a single day off to just play. My life, aside from studying, was more studying. My parents believed in elite grooming. They believed in talent, but they believed in blood, sweat, and tears even more. When I was little, the only time my parents would smile at me, or reward me with a family dinner, was when I worked myself to the bone and brought home a first-place trophy. In our social circle, I was the role model every parent praised, and the ultimate nightmare for every other kid. Mia thought my excellence was just a byproduct of my wealthy family. But she didn't know that excellence is a habit. A hardworking soul cannot be chained down by any physical body. 12. Caleb started glancing at me frequently, constantly trying to strike up a conversation. "Mia, why does it feel like you've been replaced by a different person?" "You're not spacing out in class anymore. The way you're grinding, it's like you're trying to get into Harvard. It's kinda scary." My response was a massive eye roll. There were only two months left until final exams. As the top private school in the state, Oakridge offered incredibly generous scholarships to stay competitive with the public schools. Our school had an "Outstanding Improvement Award." Every semester, the student who showed the most progress would get a full-ride scholarship for the next year, plus a ten-thousand-dollar cash prize. The cash was secondary. My goal was the full-ride scholarship. Mia's cousin, who was the same age, had gotten into the best public high school in the city. Feeling competitive, Mia had thrown a massive tantrum, threatening self-harm until her parents agreed to send her to Oakridge. Coincidentally, Mia's dad had a friend in the admissions office who owed him a favor, which was the only reason she got in. But Oakridge's tuition was astronomical. A single year of tuition practically drained the Jenkins family's entire annual income. Her parents lived like paupers just to spend everything on her. I wasn't Mia. I couldn't comfortably drain their life savings with a clear conscience. "Take out yesterday's pop quiz. Those who forgot it, you know the drill. Pick up your chair and go stand in the back." Mr. Harrison, the AP Calculus teacher, walked into the classroom, pushed up his glasses, and glared at us coldly. Because of his brutal teaching methods and dark scowls, the students secretly called him "The Grim Reaper." Yesterday's quiz was brutally hard. I had stayed up until midnight finishing it. Mia's mom had specially warmed up some milk for me, watching me work with tears in her eyes, heartbroken that I was studying so late. I rummaged through my bag. Nothing. I calmly searched it again. Still nothing. Huh? Seeing my serious expression, Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Try-hard, don't tell me you forgot to do it?" I gave him a bitter smile. "I did it. Just forgot to bring it." 13. For a girl, being forced to stand at the back of the classroom holding a chair over her head for an entire period was incredibly humiliating. The girls who had been punished like this before usually cried the entire time. Some with weaker constitutions would even fake sick and go home early, unable to face the class's mockery. I had forgotten assignments before too, but as the valedictorian, I always got special treatment. But I was Mia now, not Serena. I instantly broke into a cold sweat. A nearly two-hundred-pound, heavily bullied girl standing in the back holding a chair... Plus, with my current physical stamina, I'd probably only last a minute before collapsing. Who knows how the class would mock me then? Seeing my face turn paper-white, Caleb ruffled my hair. He flashed a brilliant, cocky smile, his teeth shining brighter than the sun outside. "What are you panicking for? I got you." Caleb shoved his own quiz paper onto my desk, stood up without a care in the world, grabbed his chair, and swaggered to the back of the class. Mr. Harrison shot him a look of pure disgust, as if Caleb were a piece of trash. I looked down at the quiz paper Caleb handed me. It was practically blank. He had bubbled 'C' for all the multiple-choice questions, scribbled random numbers in the short answers, and left the free-response essays entirely blank. My initial wave of gratitude vanished, replaced by a surge of anger. Caleb was actually incredibly smart. He had a photographic memory. He could skim a dense article three times and memorize the gist of it perfectly. His family was poor. Even if they were rich, he shouldn't be wasting his talent and throwing his life away like this. No. I couldn't let Caleb rot away like this. After all, we were practically friends now. 14. Dealing with a cocky, narcissistic teenage boy like Caleb? I had plenty of methods. "Caleb, wanna make a bet?" "Whoever gets a higher score on the finals, the loser has to become the winner's minion. They have to stand at attention when the winner walks by and call them 'Boss'." Caleb looked me up and down seriously for a moment before letting out a dismissive snort. "You? Sure, my grades are worse than yours right now, but you're giving 90% effort, and I'm giving 10%. I'm a genius, you know that right?" "I just don't feel like studying. If I actually tried, heh, I'd scare you to death." I nodded expressionlessly. "Then it's a bet. After finals, don't forget to call me Boss Mia." "Heh, you little chubby..." Mid-sentence, Caleb aggressively slapped his own mouth, looking annoyed with himself. I winked at him. "I won't be chubby for long." Caleb let out an exaggerated groan. "Jesus, Mia! Please don't ever make that face again, it's terrifying!" "Get lost!" My relationship with Caleb improved drastically. Because of him, the attitude of the girls in class toward me suddenly became incredibly warm. "Mia, could you pass this letter to Caleb for me?" "Mia, can you give this bag of snacks to Caleb?" "Mia, we're going to the amusement park this weekend. You should come! Oh, and ask Caleb if he wants to come too." Caleb rejected all of them. He took the snacks, ignored the letters, and turned down every invitation.
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