Janine sat quietly at the edge of the pool, her feet gently swaying in the turquoise water as the sun beat down on the cruise deck. She’d picked her soft coral swimsuit carefully, something cute but not too loud, something she hoped would make her feel a little more confident. For a few minutes, it had worked—until Ayesha opened her mouth.

“You really wore that out here?” her sister said, not bothering to lower her voice. She leaned back in her lounger, sunglasses perched on her head, eyes scanning Janine with exaggerated disbelief. “Girl, you know you built like a fat Sharpie—wide in the middle, top-heavy, and straight down like there was never a waist to begin with.”

Janine froze, her fingers tightening on her towel. A few people nearby turned their heads, but Ayesha didn’t care. She was in her element—loud, confident, and always ready to tear her sister down for sport.

“I mean, it’s the confidence for me,” Ayesha continued with a loud sigh. “You really walked out here like you’re the main character when you’re giving background teacher in a PBS special. That top is struggling, and those bottoms? One wrong move and we’re all seeing your business.”

Barbara looked over from her shaded spot with a disapproving squint, and Melissa paused mid-sip, clearly debating whether to speak up. Jacob, who’d been rambling to a bartender about sustainable cruise fuel, went awkwardly quiet. Still, Ayesha kept going, relentless.

“You always say you’re working on yourself, right?” she added with a smirk. “Trying to get your glow-up? Babe… it’s not a glow. It’s a glare. Like a highlighter left in the sun too long.”

Janine pressed her lips together, trying not to let the words settle in her skin like they always did. It didn’t matter how much she tried—how much therapy, how many pep talks from Gregory, how many mirror affirmations she recited in the morning. When Ayesha spoke, all of that faded. She felt ten years old again, standing in their childhood bathroom while her sister laughed at how her jeans fit.

“And speaking of Gregory…” Ayesha added, voice suddenly sweet and sharp all at once, “Where’s your little boyfriend now? Thought he’d be glued to your side by now. But I guess once he saw this swimsuit up close, he dipped. Can’t blame him. It’s giving clingy. It’s giving desperate. It’s giving substitute teacher who cries in the break room when no one eats her cupcakes.”

That landed hard. Janine blinked fast, willing her eyes to stay dry as her throat tightened. The air around her felt heavier, like even the sun had shifted away. She tugged her towel around her waist and stared straight ahead, trying not to move, to react, to crumble.

The deck around her carried on—music playing, drinks being poured, people laughing—but inside, Janine felt small. Like every inch of her body suddenly took up too much space. And worst of all, like her sister wanted her to believe she didn’t deserve to be seen at all. ((You play as janine))