HUNGRY FOR REVENGE
By
Ron Shillingford
SMASHWORDS EDITION
******
Hungry For Revenge
Copyright © 2011 by Ron Shillingford
Thank you for downloading this free eBook. Althoughthis is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of theauthor, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed forcommercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book,please encourage your friends to download their own copy atSmashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by thisauthor. Thank you for your support.
******
Joanna Turner felt suicidal and murderous allat once, the tormenting was taking its toll. Virtually every dayfor years, they were her most overwhelming emotions.
Fed up of the bullying, being obese shouldn’tbe so painful, she reasoned. Getting called ‘Tubby Turner’ out ofearshot was bad enough but the cruelest kids called her that to herface.
Comfort eating was the cause after herparents divorced at nine. Her mum Lola would pile up her plate,with plenty of naughty snacks in between, especially Mr. Kipling’sapple pies. A box of eight a day was Joanna’s grazing treatthroughout childhood. She read George Orwell, Jane Austen andCharles Dickens munching Mr. Kipling’s apple pies in total bliss.Jackie Collins and Wilbur Smith novels drew her into fantasyworlds, helping her deal with the pain at school.
Katie Thompson was Joanna’s main tormentor atRedwood High, one of the cool girls who took a twisted pleasure inmocking anyone who didn’t quite fit in. Katie’s accomplicesincluded five girls who also taunted Joanna. She dubbed them TheCronies.
Pretty, super-confident and popular, Katiewas heading for a career in the City. Her dad would see to that ashead of investment at his bank, World Finance. While junior staffneeded to be 18 and have at least A-levels for entry into WorldFinance, Katie was going to join straight from school at 16 withthe couple GCSEs she bothered to study for.
Joanna’s love of Mr. Kipling wares was astanding joke, so Tubby Turner was also taunted with the moniker‘Apple Pie’ and ‘Mrs. Kipling’.
A bright child, Joanna immersed herself inbooks, determined to be a high flier and one day make the bulliesenvious. A brilliant all-rounder, she concentrated on sciencesimply because they were the hardest subjects and most likely topropel her into a lucrative career.
“Mum always said that to get your own back onenemies you should be happy and successful,” Joanna told herfriend Sandy.
“Well you’ve certainly done that girl.Chemistry degree from Cambridge, head of research development atthe Ministry of Defence and nice apartment in the Docklands.”
“Suppose so Sandy, but it would be nice tohave someone to share it with.”
“Men! Ha! Don’t get me started. Liars,drunks, sports mad and serial cheats. Louis hasn’t seen his dad formonths. Poor boy is 13, an age he where he needs a man to show himhow to be one. I can’t be both at the same time, although sometimesI don’t have a choice. Men are total losers.”
“Yes, but what do you really think ofthem?”
Sandy’s stern look lightened up into a smile.She knew her regular rants on her pet gripe were tiresome. Joannahad heard so many she could finish sentences for her.
“Nevertheless, it would be nice to have abeau just for Saturday. It’s the school reunion and that evil KatieThompson will be there. No matter what I’ve done in life, it’s notgood enough. She lives round here. Every time I bump into her shefinds a way of putting me down. Never says anything specificallyabout my size but always gives me that look up and down, you know:‘Still fat, I see.’”
“Don’t worry about it Jo. She’s not perfectherself. She may be riding high at World Finance but I hear there’sa lot of Charlie involved.”
“Really! Probably why she’s still so thin. Acocaine habit used to be God’s way of telling you you’ve got toomuch money.”
Joanna was dreading the school reunion. Atsize 18-20 she felt massive. Katie’s sneers weren’t her only worry;there was Gary Billings as well.
Joanna had a raging crush on hunky Gary. Whowouldn’t? The best schoolboy footballer in Bow, a great career withWest Ham United beckoned. On the short side, but perfectly formedwith muscular thighs, Gary’s toothy smile and emerging celebrityattracted plenty of female admiration.
Joanna worshipped Gary from a distance - asdid most of the girls who didn’t stand a chance with him - but shewas convinced that if slimmer, her chances would be significantlyenhanced.
Lola always said her smile could light up aChristmas tree.
Now weighing 16 stones, the shame would betoo much to bear. Dieting had always been a total disaster. Shewould lose some then put it back on with interest.
“Apple pie Joanna? They’re Mr. Kipling’s. Goon, I know you liked them. I brought them especially for you.”
Katie Thompson grinned infuriatingly as sheheld out the plate at the Redwood High dance.
Embarrassed and furious, Joanna’s murderousfeelings resurfaced. It was all she could manage not to strangleKatie’s scrawny neck right there. That would have really made someheadlines on the school’s website.
“Oh yes, they’ve always been my guiltypleasure. Thanks. I’ll have two I think.”
“Not eating for two are you?”
“No, I’m not pregnant. Just still fat,Katie.”
“Never mind. One day you might meet a niceman who’ll love you for your large, eh, personality.”
Joanna cried all the way home in the taxi. Tocompound her misery, Gary Billings was still gorgeous and histrophy squeeze was impossibly slim. To exacerbate it all, he didn’teven remember her.
The driver was concerned.
“Are you alright love?”
“What do you think? Just went to a schoolreunion and a bully from those days made me miserable from hercomments about my size.”
“Walk it off, love. Best way to lose it.Power walking is very effective. Low impact and it’s sustainableover a long time. I used to be bigger. Hate gyms and dieting. Loveme food and a pint so decided to make time to power walk and I’velost the weight and kept it off. No harm in trying.”
As there was little else Joanna could thinkof, the next day she gave it a go, walking a couple of breathlessmiles to Canary Wharf and back.
The following day, a Sunday, instead ofdriving, she walked all the way to Mile End to watch Louis playfootball. The body heat she built up helped keep
