Emily #freementalillness #literasia

t h r e e

Emily tried to think her way out of her dilemma with Walter through the entire walk home, but it did no good. She couldn't see a clear way out of it. She would really have to teach him to cook. 

Honestly, the guy was a mess. He was one of those people who seem really cool and is a generally popular person, but Emily couldn't see any of that in him. Call her a pessimist, but she only saw an awkward person who couldn't tell jokes or cook. What was he good for then?

Emily sighed in exasperation and dug around in her backpack for her house keys. Upon locating them, she unlocked the door and quietly locked it behind her. She ran up the stairs and flung her bag in a heap on the floor, dragging out large thick books from under her bed. 

These were her beloved cookbooks. They'd come to her in many ways. Some bought in secrecy from the local bookstore, others salvaged from  the free book cart outside her library, and a few from Chef herself. 

Her parents didn't think that cooking would help her go to Yale, Harvard, or Stanford, and it certainly wouldn't make her a doctor, lawyer, or surgeon. Since she couldn't cook at home, she did it at school. While her parents weren't home, she simply read the cookbooks. 

She couldn't understand where her obsession with food stemmed from. The odd way she had to control it, compulsively obsess over it, but never eat it. Cooking was a way to cope. 

Generally, she read until she could hear the first car pull into the driveway. Then, she hid the books back under the bed and started her homework. 

"Emily! Come eat, rice is getting cold!" Her mother shouted up the stairs.

"I can't! I have homework!" Emily shouted back down.

"Okay, keep studying! I leave food for you!" 

She rolled her eyes and continued to work quietly, knowing she'd never go back down for food and that her dad would probably take it to work for lunch by accident anyways. 

Emily's phone buzzed as she was two hours deep in her assignments. Glancing over, she groaned as she read the message displayed: Walter Kade sent you a request on Facebook. She swiped decline. 

Shortly after, her phone buzzed again. This time it was a Facebook Messenger text.

Walter Kade: y did u reject my frend request? i thought we were frends

Emily Kim: We are not friends. We are practically strangers. Therefore I rejected your friendship request. 

Walter Kade: y cant we b frends, y cant we b frends

Emily Kim: Because you're weird and have bad grammar and spelling? I don't know. 

Oh, and I don't know you. 

And you don't know me.

Walter Kade: thn thts y u gotta sit w/me @ lunch tomo so we can b frends

Emily Kim: I already am sitting with you, and it's all YOUR fault, if you've forgotten.

Walter Kade: Nah, u just couldnt resist all o dis irresistibleness 

Emily Kim: Irresistibleness isn't even a word.

Walter Kade: i just added it 2 my phone dictionary. now it is. 

Emily Kim is offline

Walter Kade: aw cmon

dont leave meeee

dont you gooo

baby come back....

Read 9:17 pm

Walter Kade: hah it werked!

Emily Kim is offline

Walter Kade: ...