Lizzie landed on top of Helena, who screamed, "Get off me you fat pig! You're not supposed to be up there!"
"But-" Lizzie stopped when she looked down to see a gut surging from beneath her sweater until it pushed the sweater up to reveal a pale roll of fat sagging over her waist. "No! This isn't mine. I'm not fat!" She seized the belly and tried to tear it loose, but felt a stab of pain.
"You've ruined everything!" Phyllis said. The crowd's applause had turned to laughter, the kids pointing to Lizzie and her growing stomach. She ran from the gymnasium with tears in her eyes before locking herself in the bathroom.
In the mirror she saw her face had turned pudgy as well, her red cheeks swelling up to nearly blot out her eyes. She touched the flap of loose skin beneath her jaw that now obscured her neck. Even her hair had shortened to make her face look heavier. This can't be happening, she thought. It has to be a nightmare! Any moment I'll wake up.
Her body continued puffing up like a balloon, the seams of her cheerleading sweater and skirt pushed to the breaking point. They finally burst when she tried to take a deep breath, revealing a mint green T-shirt and a pair of elastic-waist jeans. These are Samantha's clothes, she thought.
"Poor little piggy," Samantha's voice said. Lizzie spun around, but didn't see anyone.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Lizzie said.
"I'm showing you the truth." In the mirror, the tip of Lizzie's nose curled up into a pig's snout. "This is what you truly are." Samantha materialized behind Lizzie, only now Samantha was thin, her face free of pimples and glasses.
"Stop this," Lizzie said. The elastic waistband of her pants stretched to the breaking point and still her body continued to expand. "Change me back!"
A cleaver appeared in Samantha's hand, the blade tinged red with blood. "It's time for you to go to the slaughterhouse."
Lizzie screamed and bowled past Samantha, out into the hallway. All the kids in school were waiting for her to emerge, pointing and laughing at her as she ran. Joseph Pryde stood last in line. "Help me, please," she said.
"I'd never help a fat pig like you," Joseph said. He shoved her down to the floor, where she rolled around trying to get to her feet. By the time she got up, the other children had evaporated, leaving only Samantha.
"Time to die, piggy," Samantha said. Lizzie ran.