chapter 1

To the outside world it appeareared like Casey Peggy Sue Pagnazzi had everything one could wish for. She was bright, athletic, popular and outgoing. Headed for valedictorian and already signed for a college scholarship for dance un her junior year, Casey was the envy of everyone at her school. Virtually all of the boys wanted her and all the girls wanted to be her. With perfect skin, teeth, and long delicate limbs, Casey looked perfect to everyone but herself.

What people didn't know what that she was a wreck on the inside. Constantly worried about her weight, Casey counted every calorie to the degree of bordering on anorexia. She worked out constantly whenever she wasn't in the studio or doing homework, always afraid of one day growing fat again.

However, Casey's biggest fear was getting fat and turning into her parents. Both her mother and father were successful entrepreneurs, owning several Italian restaurants bearing their family name, "Pagnazzi's". Sure the money was great. Casey loved being rich, but she feared going into the family business. That's all they could ever talk about. She knew exactly what her parents wanted, but in Casey's mind, there was no way. Casey understood that managing Pagnazzi's was a one way ticket to "Fattsville", and she wasn't buying. She'd seen it happen to other managers they hired, "Not me", she found herself often repeating like a mantra or a ward against evil.

Casey's fears about growing fat came from experience. As a child in New York City, she was the "fat kid". When the kids found out her middle name was Peggy Sue, they quickly morphed her given name into "Piggy". Yup, she was Piggy Sue, the fat girl that everyone picked on.

This continued for years, until they moved to the a small town in Ohio. There she was diagnosed with having ADHD. Doctors prescribed Ritalin for her anxiety and it worked exceptionally well. Casey had more confidence and instantly became more personable and popular. Being able to concentrate for long periods of time had positive effects on her grades and this so happened to be when Casey took up dance. The Ritalin also had the added side effect of greatly reducing Casey's hunger. As a result, the pounds dropped and her grades went through the roof. Casey developed into a great dancer, and she quickly became one of the most popular girls in middle school.

Casey was generally a nice girl, but by the time she got to highschool, her popularity started going to her head. Little by little she replaced all of her real friends with fake ones. Even Emily Wu, her best friend ever since she'd moved, was being pushed to the side.

Both Casey and Emily were chunky and geeky kids back in 7th grade. They hit it off immediately and were like two peas in a pod. However, Emily didn't enjoy the chemical assisted willpower that the Ritalin gave to Casey. As a result, while Casey continued losing weight, Emily just kept growing bigger and fatter each year. They didn't let that bother them in middle school, but when they reached high school, everything began to change.