The day before the university fitness test, my childhood best friend, Leo, shoved me into a hole in the wall behind the academic building. My lower body was wedged tight, but my top half was dangling on the other side, leaving my butt sticking out for the whole world to see—right in the path of the impending lunch rush. “Why?” I asked, panic clawing at my throat. He just laughed, a casual, dismissive sound. "Oh, Sophia wanted to play a prank on you, film a funny video for social media." "She'll pull you out in a minute," he added. Sophia. The campus ‘it-girl’ who’d been clinging to Leo since freshman year. I fell silent, the cold truth settling in my bones. So that’s what my dignity was worth. The punchline to a joke. I stopped struggling. I just waited, my humiliation turning into a campus-wide spectacle. That’s when the look on Leo’s face finally changed. "I told you I'd pull you out in a minute, didn't I? Why didn't you fight back?" "Right," I mumbled into the darkness of the wall. 01 My mind went completely blank the moment I realized I was stuck. The hole was a relic from a renovation, an old ventilation shaft that had been sealed off. It was just big enough, and just small enough, to trap my hips perfectly. Leo had just asked me to grab something for him. "Vivi, I left my notebook back there. Can you grab it for me?" He'd smiled at me then, the same gentle smile he’d given me a thousand times over the last twelve years. I’d agreed without a second thought. It was our rhythm. He needed something, and I was there to give it. But now, I was stuck headfirst like a human cork, my ass to the world. And the worst part? This was the main path to the dining hall. In ten minutes, the lunch bell would ring, and thousands of students would be walking past. I struggled, twisting and pulling, while fumbling for my phone to call Leo. It rang three times before he picked up. “Leo, help me! I’m stuck!” He chuckled, a light, airy sound that made my blood run cold. “Oh, I know. I’m the one who pushed you in.” For a second, I think my heart stopped beating. “What… what did you say?” “Relax,” Leo’s voice was laced with an impatient edge. “Sophia wanted to film a funny clip. She said your ass is so big it’d be hilarious. I’ll pull you out as soon as she gets the shot. Five minutes, tops.” I froze, every muscle in my body locking up. Sophia? The girl who had been chasing Leo since day one? The one who paraded her perfection in front of me every chance she got? She wanted to make a joke out of my body, and Leo… Leo just shoved me into a wall? “Leo, do you have any idea how humiliating this is?” My voice trembled. “God, don’t be so sensitive,” he snapped. “It’s just a joke. I mean, a girl as gorgeous as Sophia asks for a favor, what am I supposed to do, say no?” “Besides,” he added, and his next words felt like a knife twisting in my gut. “Your butt is pretty big. It’s just a fact.” 02 A silvery laugh chimed through the phone. It was Sophia. “Leo, sweetie, who are you talking to?” Her voice was sickly sweet, dripping with smug satisfaction. “Hurry up, I’ve got my phone ready. It’ll be even better once a crowd gathers!” “We have to wait for a crowd?” Leo sounded hesitant for the first time. “Of course!” Sophia’s voice turned into a playful pout. “What’s the point if no one sees it? I want the whole school to see how… bulky the girl who follows you around really is.” She spat the word “bulky” like it was poison. Leo was quiet for a moment. Then, “Alright. Whatever you say.” He hung up. Just like that. My fingers turned white as I gripped my phone. Twelve years, and that was the first time Leo had ever hung up on me for someone else. No matter how busy he was, he always said a proper goodbye. Even in the middle of a video game, it was always, “Vivi, gotta go, talk later.” But now, he was in such a rush to please Sophia that he couldn’t spare a single word for me. My struggling intensified, but the more I fought, the tighter the hole seemed to grip me. My workout pants were digging into my waist, cutting off circulation. My legs were starting to go numb. Then I heard her voice, getting closer. “Leo, look! There are people coming already!” “Yeah,” was all Leo said. “Make sure you get a good angle when the crowd gets bigger,” Sophia said, her voice buzzing with excitement. “I want her at her absolute worst.” Tears pricked my eyes. So this was what Leo called “a joke.” 03 To my horror, I could already hear footsteps. “Whoa, what is that?” “Is that a person stuck in the wall?” “Hahaha, look at the size of that ass!” The first to spot me were a few freshmen. They didn’t bother hiding their shock or their laughter, immediately pulling out their phones to record. “Dude, check this out! This is hilarious!” “How fat do you have to be to get stuck like that?” “It’s a girl, right? Look at the yoga pants.” A small crowd was forming, the air filled with the incessant clicking of phone cameras. The flashes were blinding, but there was nowhere for me to hide. I buried my face in my arms, my whole body shaking. A hot tide of shame washed over me, drowning me. Then, someone recognized me. “Hey, isn’t that Vivian?” “Vivian? The girl who’s always following Leo around?” “Yeah, yeah, that’s her! No wonder her ass is so huge, it’s for real!” The murmurs and jeers swirled around me, each word a needle piercing my skin. I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood, trying to hold back the tears, but they streamed down my face anyway. Leo, where are you? You said five minutes. It had already been ten. 04 The crowd grew, pressing in from all sides. Someone had even started a livestream. “What’s up, guys, you won’t believe what I just found! A campus legend in the making! Some girl got her giant ass stuck in a wall!” “Streamer, get a shot of her face!” a comment read aloud. “Can’t, she’s hiding it.” “That ass is legendary, though, hahaha!” The chat was flying, and I could hear people reading the vicious comments out loud. Someone even took a picture of my butt and slapped it. "Damn, that's solid. Bet it echoes when you slap it!" I wanted to fight back, but with my upper body hanging limp, I was powerless. I was a puppet on display, forced to endure every bit of this nightmare. Just then, a familiar voice cut through the noise. “Well, well, if it isn’t Vivian.” Sophia had arrived. She was dressed for the occasion in a flowing white sundress, her long hair clipped back perfectly. In the sea of faces, she stood out like a star, holding the latest iPhone with the camera pointed directly at me. “Everyone knows Vivian, right? The girl who’s always trailing after Leo,” she announced with a delicate laugh, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “I never realized she was so… well-endowed.” The crowd erupted in another wave of laughter. Someone catcalled, “Sophia, aren’t you Leo’s girlfriend?” “Oh, stop,” she said, feigning shyness. “Leo told me he just thinks of me as a little sister.” “Then what’s Vivian?” “Her?” Sophia drew out the word. “She’s probably just… baggage.” 05 Sophia knelt down, leaning close to the hole. Her perfume was so cloyingly sweet it made me want to gag. “Vivian, honey, are you okay?” Her voice was as soft as silk, but I could feel the venom coiled beneath it. I didn’t answer. “Should I call someone for you? Then again…” Her tone shifted, suddenly becoming louder for the benefit of her audience. “With so many people watching, it would be pretty embarrassing for whoever shows up, right?” “Especially Leo. He cares so much about his image. Can you imagine how mortified he’d be, knowing you made such a scene?” The crowd started whispering amongst themselves. “So Leo isn’t even here?” “His girlfriend is stuck like that, and he’s a no-show?” “Maybe she’s not his girlfriend at all.” Satisfied, Sophia stood up, addressing her phone’s camera. “See, everyone? This is what Vivian really looks like. You can’t tell with her baggy clothes, but she’s actually so… sturdy.” Every word she spoke was punctuated by a fresh peal of laughter from the crowd. And I was trapped, a prisoner in my own humiliation. I squeezed my eyes shut, letting the tears flow freely. Leo, can you hear this? Your ‘little sister’ is tearing me apart. And where are you? 06 It finally clicked. This wasn’t a prank. This was a meticulously planned execution. Sophia wanted to humiliate me so badly in front of Leo that I would crawl away and never come back. And Leo… he’d helped her do it. The crowd was now three layers deep. Some people had even climbed onto the roof of the opposite building to get a better view of the “freak show.” “Who is she? Why isn’t she getting out?” “Guess she’s really stuck. That ass is definitely…” “Someone call security. They’re blocking the path to the dining hall.” “Why call security? This is better than reality TV!” My legs were completely dead now, and a searing pain was shooting through my lower back. Sweat soaked through my shirt, mingling with my tears. I was a pathetic mess. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. Twelve years. I’d known Leo since we were six years old. We grew up together, inseparable. The first day I transferred to his elementary school, I was the shy new kid hiding in the corner. He was the one who walked up to me and offered me a piece of candy. “You’re new, right? I’m Leo.” From that day on, we were a set. We walked to school together, did our homework together, celebrated every birthday together. I thought what we had was unshakable. But here he was, sacrificing me for the amusement of a girl he’d known for less than two years. 07 “Leo, honey, look! So many people are filming!” Sophia’s voice rang out again, giddy with triumph. “This video is definitely going viral! The whole school will know about Vivian’s ‘big’ moment!” “Yeah,” came Leo’s voice. He was here. He’d been here, watching. And he hadn’t done a thing. I blinked hard, trying to stop the tears, but it was useless. They just kept coming. “Don’t you think that’s enough?” Leo finally said, his voice flat. “Just a little longer,” Sophia whined. “The crowd’s not even that big yet. The guys from the football team aren’t even here!” “Sophia, that’s enough,” Leo said, his tone sharpening with irritation. “Fine, fine.” She reluctantly lowered her phone. “Honestly, Leo, you’re just too soft.” I thought he was finally going to help me. But he just stood at the edge of the crowd, hands shoved in his pockets, watching me like a stranger. “Vivian, just get yourself out.” He said it so casually, as if he were commenting on the weather. I gritted my teeth. “I can’t!” “Why not? It was easy enough getting you in,” Leo frowned, his voice suddenly turning cold. “Are you doing this on purpose? Trying to embarrass me in front of everyone?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He pushed me in, and now he was accusing me of faking it? “Leo!” My voice was a raw croak. “You’re the one who pushed me!” “Yeah, as a joke!” he shot back, his patience gone. “How was I supposed to know you were so damn fragile you’d actually get stuck?” The crowd started murmuring again. “Wait, her boyfriend pushed her in?” “What kind of boyfriend does that?” “Maybe he just did it for a laugh.” 08 Someone recognized Leo. “Isn’t that the star of the computer science department?” “Yeah, that’s him! The guy who’s a god on the basketball court!” “So that’s his girlfriend? She’s so…” The sentence hung in the air, more damning than any insult. “No way, I heard he was chasing Sophia.” “Well, look, Sophia’s right there with him.” All eyes were now darting between me, Leo, and Sophia, piecing together the sordid little drama. Sophia seized the moment, linking her arm through Leo’s, a gesture so practiced it looked like she’d done it a thousand times. “Leo, honey, maybe we should just go? Vivian probably needs some space.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, her voice soft and caring. “We still have to get to the library. You promised you’d help me with my coding homework.” Leo glanced at his watch. “You’re right. There’s no point wasting time here.” They were actually going to leave? They were going to leave me here? “Leo!” I screamed his name with every last bit of strength I had. He turned back, his eyes filled with annoyance. “What now?” “You can’t just leave! You did this to me!” “I told you, it was a joke,” Leo’s voice was ice. “You know, Vivian, you’ve gotten really petty lately. You get upset over every little thing, and you always need me to coddle you. You should be more like Sophia. Look at her, she’s so understanding.” 09 Sophia flashed a triumphant smirk. That smile was a dagger to my heart. So that’s how Leo saw me. Petty, needy, a drama queen. And Sophia, the mastermind of my humiliation, was the “understanding” one. “Leo’s right,” Sophia cooed. “Vivian, you need to learn to be more independent. You can’t rely on Leo for everything.” She paused, then added for good measure, “After all, he has his own life to live.” His own life. Of course. Leo had his own life. A life filled with basketball, video games, coding… and Sophia. A life where there was no longer any room for me. And then they left. They actually walked away. Leo didn’t even glance back. He just left me there, a clown for the crowd’s amusement. The audience didn’t shrink; if anything, it grew. “Did her boyfriend really just ditch her?” “That’s messed up.” “Serves her right for being that fat.” “Post this everywhere! This is the most epic campus fail of the year!” Someone started crafting a headline for their social media post: “SHOCKING: University student’s giant ass gets stuck in wall! Boyfriend watches, then leaves with campus queen!” Others speculated with malice, “You think she did it on purpose? For the attention?”
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