I sat on the bed, facing Brielle, wondering how our roads crossed again. She's really here, sitting in front of me, I'm not dreaming.
"So," she started, breaking the silence. "What'd I miss?"
"Well, where do I start?" I said, trying to think of literally anything, "I'm not sure. I started modeling and got a boyfriend, and that's about it."
"That's it?" She asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm not that interesting."
"I'm gonna ignore that lie and go get some food. Do you want anything?" My stomach churned, but I kept the 'smile' on my face.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry."
"Whatever, your loss."
She left the room, leaving me in my thoughts.
Why couldn't I just be normal? Why couldn't I eat, or smile, or live my life without this constant feeling? Is life supposed to be this difficult? How do people live with the burden of endless responsibilities and worries constantly taunting them?
I just want to be more like the people around me. Hopeful, carefree, happy. I would kill to have a life like theirs.
The door slowly opened, revealing a short brunette with handfuls of snacks. She dumped them all into the bed and jumped beside me.
"You sure you don't want an Oreo? They used to be your favorite." She asked, grabbing the box. I know she meant it as a lighthearted question, but it left such a hole in my chest, causing tears to well up in my eyes, but none of them dared to slide down.
"No thank you."
"Are you okay?" She questioned softly. "You seem off, tense even." Well leaving your best friend for nine years can make their personality 'off'.
"I'm fine," I lied. I've gotten good at that recently. Lie after lie each day. You'd think somebody could see through them, but nobody did, and I hoped to keep it that way.
"Are you really?"
"I said I'm fine Brielle."
That left the room tense, anticipating for somebody to break the silence. When it was finally broken, I'd wish it wasn't. It was my stomach of all things.
"Here," she said softly, handing me the cookies in her lap.
"I don't want any. I'm fine."
"Faye you nee-"
"Bri, what I need is for you to stop getting in my business okay?" I snapped. I immediately regretted it, knowing she didn't deserve it. None of it was her fault. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just tired. It's been a long day." She nodded and began cleaning up the mess on the bed, setting it on my dresser.
I remember her not being clean. It always annoyed me, but I never commented on it. It was more just annoyance that she couldn't care less. Even today I don't say anything, knowing if I say something it'll cause her anxiety.
I parted the seat beside me in my bed and she carefully obliged. I lay on my side, facing the wall, and let sleep take me.
*********
I woke to an empty indent in the bed.
"Weight day!" My mother sang, barging into my room. "Last time was October 7th, so two weeks ago. We really need your weight to have improved. Last time was atrocious."
She set the scale down by my bed and looked at me expectantly.
"Mom, I literally just woke up. Can I at least brush my teeth?"
YOU ARE READING
Cover Girl
Teen Fiction"I had always fit into people's standards. Perfect. People don't tell you how much it sucks to be perfect. They expect happiness. They expect a put-together life, but my life was anything but happy and put-together. Some days were great, but mo...
