Is This Our Second Chance

Chapter 14

"Good morning!"

I'm pulled out of deep sleep by someone jumping on top of me.

"Please no, please just five more minutes." Groaning, I peel open my eyes to see a pair of green eyes smiling down at me. Not fully awake yet, I swat at him. "go away, it's too early."

"Love, it's not too early. Now, c'mon I made you breakfast. You need to get going so we aren't late for school." He places a kiss to the tip of my nose.

"Do I have a choice?" I groan and throw my arm over my eyes to shield from the sunlight.

"Not at all." He says with humor. "I'll be downstairs waiting." I feel him shift off me pulling my blankets with him so I can't curl back up.

"You're no longer my favorite!" I shout after him.

"Sure, I am!" He shouts back in my direction as he's heading down the stairs.

I stare up at my ceiling pondering the last twenty-four hours. I really don't want to go to school today. Rolling my tongue over my teeth, I realize that Zach probably guessed this, which is why he's here this morning so early.

I run through a shower and throw on some sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt before heading downstairs.

The smile dropped from his face when he saw me.

"What are you wearing?"

I look down at my outfit. I figure it's a safe choice to blend into the crowd today. I ignore his question and slide onto a barstool.

"Can't I just grab an apple so we can get going? I just want today to be over already." I mumble as I prop my chin up on my arm on the counter.

"Not an option." He slides two eggs and a piece of toast across the counter. "Eat this, then we can get going."

"Not hungry."

"Wrong answer."

We end up staring at each other for a moment before I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." I grab the fork and start shoveling the eggs in my mouth. They taste good but I'm to stubborn to say so.

When I finish the last bite, I can't help but stare at the empty plate. I look between Zach and the plate before I feel tears start to build up in my eyes.

He immediately pulls me close, wrapping me into a hug. I press my face to his chest, letting out a sob.

"It's okay," he whispers, rubbing my back in soothing circles.

"It's not," I cry.

Zach places a kiss to the top of my head. "I'll help you through this."

"I just want to be pretty." The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

I feel him tense up. "What makes you think you aren't" he askes, leaning back to wipe the tears off my cheeks.

"The mirror would be good start."

"The mirror can be deceiving." He uses his thumbs to wipe my tears away for me.

I reach up to get rid of the excessOhhh go under my eyes. I hate crying in front of people, and I seem to be doing it a lot lately.

"I hate the scale," I dejectedly admit to him.

"The scale isn't your enemy," he reminded me once more. "You are beautiful. You are worth more than you give yourself credit for. The scale doesn't define you."

I really want to believe him.

A few days have passed since Zach was able to break me out of my self-induced trance. Honestly, he is helping more than I ever expected him to. We spend hours after school laughing at my self-destructive thoughts and their nothingness. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest.