Page 81 of The Anaconda Downstairs

The boys came out strong in the second half, and Hayes scored his second touchdown of the night. We were ahead, but only by those seven points. The second half was going to be intense. The next commercial break approached, and I was so nervous and excited I almost dropped my phone out the window. This was it, the Swoosh ad that Declan and Kelsey had been so secretive about.

The screen filled with a pulsing power ballad beat, and then Kelsey's voice filled the air. My jaw dropped as I realized this was a brand new song, one I'd never heard before. The lyrics washed over me, speaking of self-love and acceptance, of rising above hate and finding strength in vulnerability.

“When they look at me and tell me I'm trash

Because of the size of my... sass,

I've tried to hide, to change, to be what they want to see

But I'm tired of living life for somebody else but me.

They say I should be smaller, quieter, less.

But I'm done trying to be anything but my best.”

I looked over at Kelsey. She was grinning like a loon. I had no freaking idea how she'd kept this secret from me.

As her voice resonated through the suite, through the stadium, images began to flash across the screen. People of all shapes, sizes, and colors, wearing Swoosh shoes doing various activities, like playing sports, but there was also a mom pushing a stroller, a man walking his dog, someone mowing a lawn, and another person sitting in a tree. All of them were making heart shapes with their hands. Some of these were the images that we'd been putting into a montage for social media. But this was so much more.

Her chorus blasted out and went right into my heart.

“The best revenge is to love myself.

Won't let their words sit on my shelf.

No matter my shape, no matter my size,

I'm beautiful in my own eyes.

They can judge, they can hate.

But I'll rise above, it's never too late.

The best revenge, I'm finally free,

Is learning to love the skin I'm in—authentically.”

And then, to my utter shock, I saw myself. There I was, smiling at the camera, making a heart with my hands. The image shifted to Everett doing the same, then Declan, then Jules,Trixie, Chris, Hayes, Willa, the twins, Isak, and even Bridger Kingman.

I gasped, turning to Kelsey with wide eyes. She was beaming at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Surprise,” she mouthed, squeezing my hand as her song continued.

Then the bridge hit, and I forgot how to breathe. It was so powerful, and everything we'd brought these people together to bring into the world. It was light, and hope, and love.

“To all the haters, all the doubters,

I wish you healing, I wish you power,

To find the strength to love yourself

'Cause that's the real path to wealth.

The best revenge is to love myself.

Yeah, the best revenge is to be myself.”

As the commercial ended with the tagline “Love Yourself. Don't Try, Do It.” flashed across the screen. And it was over.

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