After My College Bully Became My Lover

Kate Collins fumbled clumsily through the dance routine, drawing laughter from everyone around her. After that incident, Juliana Webb never asked her to perform in front of their classmates again.

In our freshman year, the freshman mixer was a major event, and Juliana always insisted on dragging me along. With her slender frame, she looked good in anything, while I, with a bit of a belly, often slouched when I walked.

“Kate, we're best friends. Let’s wear matching outfits!” she exclaimed, pulling two Victorian-style dresses of the same size from her wardrobe and tossing one to me.

The dress fit her perfectly. But on me, it clung to my arms and accentuated my belly, making me look completely ridiculous. I tried to change into something else, but she stopped me.

“Just wear it; it looks great. This is what the city folks wear. If you wear your own clothes, you’ll look like a country bumpkin.”

At the co-ed mixer, she seated me right next to her. I became her foil.

The guys across from us whispered and snickered, “Trying to be a fashionista with that figure, wearing that dress? Her belly is almost in another country, haha.”

I looked down at my clothes, afraid to move for fear of a wardrobe malfunction.

I never wore makeup, but Juliana had applied hers flawlessly. She tried to convince me, “Honestly, I envy you for going natural. You don’t need makeup to look good, while I have to rely on it to enhance my features…”

But at the mixer, her tune changed.

“Don’t mind Kate not wearing makeup, everyone. I’ve tried to teach her, but she doesn’t care about her appearance or hygiene. Maybe she doesn’t care what others think.”

Juliana’s words made it sound like I had let her down. Compared to her, I felt like an exhibit in a sideshow, silent and unsure of how to defend myself, so everyone just accepted what she said.

Thanks to my “contrast,” the guys gave Juliana a nickname— “The Belle of the Ball.”

Later, the college organized a Top Ten Singers competition, and Juliana deliberately kept it from me. Little did she know, I overheard some classmates talking about it and managed to submit my application just before the deadline.

On the day of the preliminary selection, Juliana was visibly surprised to see me in the waiting room.

“Kate, what are you doing here?” she asked, masking her surprise with a smile.

I replied calmly, “Why wouldn’t I be here? If you can enter this competition, why can’t I?”

Juliana was caught off guard. “I told the class president not to tell you about it…”

Realizing her slip, she quickly added, “I mean, you don’t like performing in public, so I wanted to spare you the stress. See how considerate I am?”

She patted my shoulder with a forced smile, trying to gloss over it.

“Participants, get ready for your auditions,” the overseeing teacher announced to everyone.

Almost everyone in the school had heard of Juliana, the so-called “once-in-a-generation school beauty,” and saw her through rose-colored glasses.

“Juliana, I bet you sing beautifully too…” a girl beside her gushed.

Juliana feigned modesty, scratching her head. “Oh, not really. I got into our college through my instrumental skills. Singing is just a hobby.”

“That’s amazing! Even if singing isn’t your major, you must be fantastic!” the girl continued to flatter her.

As the first round of selections wrapped up, the teacher prepared to announce the final spot on the list. Juliana hadn’t been called yet and was getting anxious.

“The final contestant advancing is… Kate Collins.”

Juliana jumped to her feet. “That can’t be right! Did you make a mistake? I’m Juliana Webb, not Kate Collins.”

She tried to catch the teacher’s eye, but they remained firm.

“No mistake—Kate Collins is the contestant. We uphold a principle of fairness and will never allow favoritism.”

I followed the teacher into the audition room, leaving Juliana outside, her face flushed with embarrassment.