𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒

「 not so innocent 」

♱

   "Delilah." The girl said when Marlene had headed into the bathroom. Humming in response, Eleanor continued. "You would tell me if something was wrong... Wouldn't you?"

   "Of course I would, when haven't I?" She replied, getting under her covers. A warm smile hiding her frozen exterior. She was severely cold and her figure had drastically changed since September. Delilah had never been considered 'plus size' or 'skinny', she was curvy - especially her bottom half - which meant that she also had a bit of a stomach but she had lost that definition. Her thighs no longer touched and her hips were as wide as her waist.

   "Okay. Well, Isadora will be back any second. I asked her to pick up some dinner for the both of you." Eleanor explained to her, cleaning away some of the stuff lying around for them. She made her way over to Delilah's trunk and pulled out her fluffy blanket to add on top of her. Even under the covers, she was very visibly shaking.

   "Thank you but I'm not really hungry." Delilah said as El placed the blanket over her, bundling her up like a baby. Sucking in a small breath, the blonde spoke.

   "And that's the problem. I'm not oblivious, Lilah. I know what you've been doing." Ellie stated, sitting by her side with a concerned look on her face.

   "I don't know what you mean." Was her only answer as she turned to face the wall, the blonde had only been guessing but now she was more positive than before.

   "When was the last time you ate, properly." Eleanor said and silence washed over them. Out of all of them, Eleanor had constantly struggled with food since the age of twelve. Not like any of these knew but she would never let what happened to her, happen to Delilah. Thankfully, Celine and her friends back in France had found out about her constant throwing up and were the reason she had got back on track. Annabeth was the one who taught her how to, even offered to shove her fingers down her throat the first time. It came from an article in some tabloid that had mocked her figure, calling her some treacherous names just for being chubby. It was baby weight, El was only a child. Once she got out of the vicious cycle, it always ended up coming back. It was scary to think how close she had been to starting again before the dance. An orb came from Celine, stopping her from the memories of last time. Although Eleanor believed she was being strong, she just resorted to her other methods.

   "New Years." She answered in a shaky whisper, a single tear slipping down her face. Eleanor immediately placed a hand on her arm, comfortingly. "I-I don't mean to. I'm just not hungry and then when I do, I feel sick. Like it hurts after I've eaten."

   "I know. It's not your fault okay. Everything can be done in baby steps. This is why you've been ill, your body is completely malnourished." The blond told her and she just nodded in agreement, pulling the blankets tighter around her frame.

   "I thought I would like it. I could look like you. But it is so much worse and I just want to keep going..." She stuttered out, those few words being the pang to the heart. There was a reason that Eleanor hadn't taken any modelling jobs since the summer, she constantly felt like she was lying. This wasn't truly her, it was an overworked and underfed body that she advertised to the millions. It didn't feel right. Look at what she had done to her best friend. She felt utterly nauseated at the thought alone.

   "You don't want to Delilah. Trust me when I say that this is more damage than anything else. Your the most beautiful girl I know, everyone loves you because you are just that: you." She told her, making Delilah smile momentarily. It was true but the girl didn't see it or refused to see it that way. What had really triggered her was when she saw Remus and Eleanor together, only get worse over the last few months. She was intimidated, even though she knew that they'd never be anything more than friends. Her head told her differently. In her mind, every boy looked at Eleanor as the girl that they wanted to be with but, in reality, they had only seen her as some sort of prize or someone they'd love to fuck. If only Delilah noticed the way everyone looked at her, how Remus looked at her. In truth, everyone wanted to be her and not Eleanor, especially when they knew the Westbrook.