Believe

Chapter 1

She nudged the wooden door open and stepped inside. She peeled off the hoodie and changed out of her sandy pajamas.

She then wandered into the kitchen, unsure of the last time she had eaten. She scrunched her brow as she peered into the fridge, wondering what to eat.

Slowly, she pulled out fresh mushrooms, onions and peppers and then eggs and cheese. She placed everything on the cutting board and pulled out a frying pan from the lower cabinet.

She chopped the vegetables and threw the in the pan with some butter. She placed the pan on the stove, and soon the smell of sautéed mushrooms and onions filled the cabin.

As the vegetables simmered in the pan, she sprinkled in salt and pepper. She threw grated cheese and cracked the eggs and scrambled everything together.

She pulled a plate out of the upper cabinets and dumped her food on the plate and left the kitchen. She sat on her bed and shoveled the food in her mouth, surprised when her mouth watered.

As she finished, she laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

What had the dream earlier ment? The words the girl had spoken danced in her head.

"You don't have to do this alone." Tempest murmured the words aloud. They flowed out of her mouth like water, like she had said them many times before. Her eyes then began to drift close, as sleep took over.

************

My heart pounded in my chest as tears welled in my eyes. I furiously blinked them away. Not here, not now! I glanced around the table at my friends smiling faces at the card game we had been playing. As they began to set up the next round, I pulled out my phone and texted my mom.

Mommy, I'm having a hard time again.

In what way? What's going on?

I don't know! I feel like I'm going to cry. What do I do?

Do you know what you need from me?

No.

Can you talk to Megan or Terry? Do you need me to come get you?

Not right now, but maybe if it gets worse.

Ok, just let me know. I'll be praying for you.

Ok, thank you.

I put my phone down and looked around, begging them to see my pain, to see the tears in my eyes and to come and hold me and tell me that I'm going to be okay.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I pushed away from the table and headed to the washroom.

A sob escaped as I looked at myself in the mirror, taking in my red rimmed eyes and the salty tears running down my pink cheeks.

I turned and locked myself in a stall, pressing a hand to mouth to stifle the sobs. I pulled out my phone and began texting my mom.

Mommy, it hurts.

What hurts, honey?

I'm crying in a bathroom stall and no one notices.

Oh honey. I know people care. Do they know it's you?

I then heard footsteps pound up the stairs, so I came out of the stall, dried my eyes and stepped out of the washroom.

I spotted my friends at the end of the hallway, standing by the stairs. I walked towards them and sat on the steps.

"There she is," he said. I looked up, hands clutching my phone. He must have seen the pain in my eyes, as he walked over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder as he crouched awkwardly next to me.

"I don't want to ruin your evening," I mumbled.

His arm tightened around my shoulders as he said," Seeing you happy makes me happy."

My other two friends came and sat with us. I concentrated on his arm around me and my friend's chatter about random things, trying to keep the sadness at bay.

I stood and moved out of the way as a group of guys pounded down the stairs. I expected his arm to fall away, but it came back and settled itself on my shoulders again.

We stayed like that until we were called upstairs for the movie. I mindlessly followed my friends to the room and settled myself on the couch. He allowed me to rest my head on his shoulder, until he was called to get his pizza. As he left, another friend wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

I told them about my eating problem and the losing weight until it was our turn for pizza.

I choked down three slices, not knowing when I would be able to eat this much again.

As I finished, he took my empty cup and plate and wrapped his arm back around my shoulders again. I knew he wouldn't move his arm until the end of the movie, and I didn't want him to become uncomfortable, so I moved his arm and intertwined his fingers with my much smaller ones. And we stayed like that for the whole movie, only letting go to stretch out our fingers and his fingers always wrapped back around mine.

As the movie ended and as we left, I felt much better, because I knew my friends loved me and they would be there no matter what, always ready to offer a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold.