Halstead Imagines

Mentally Healthy

A/N: Thank you for reading and sorry it's taken me so long to update! Please remember to vote and comment!

TW for eating disorders (there is no mention of weight or calories though because I know that those can be very triggering). Visit this link to the national eating disorders association if you are in the US and need help: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

Anyway, enjoy!

Abby's words kept replaying in your head as you laid in your bed and tried to stop your quiet sniffles:

You're unhealthy, Y/N.

God. You didn't even know why Jay stayed with her. It was like she hated you. Well, not your personality specifically, just your body. They had been on and off for about ten years at this point, the longest time they were "off" was when Jay thought he had divorced her, but it turned out not to be true. But, in 2020 when the pandemic hit, they were in the honeymoon stage once again, and then Jay asked her to move in with the two of you...and it hasn't hit an "off" since. 

You never told Jay you didn't like Abby because you thought they'd probably break up again. And, you'd be out of the house and off to grad school in a year, so you figured you could put up with her for that long.  But after this, you weren't so sure. 

She was just upstairs while you were in your room downstairs and you didn't want to be anywhere around her. You knew Jay wouldn't be home soon, but if he randomly came home with takeout for a late lunch for the three of you (which he had been doing since the pandemic started, and right now it was at least once a week, twice a week during the height of the pandemic), that you wouldn't want to be here and explain your bloodshot eyes to him. He didn't know what had been going on for years since that one comment when you were in middle school, so how the hell were you supposed to explain ten years of fucked up eating behaviors in the span of an hour when you were supposed to be eating lunch?

"Screw this," you muttered.

You quickly grabbed a change of clothes and your laptop, journal, and a book and shoved them into your backpack. Then, you ran upstairs and filled up a water bottle.

"Where are you going?" Abby asked when she saw your backpack.

"Out. Away from here," you answered.

"Looking like that?" she asked, referring to your sweatpants and hoodie. 

"Yes, like this. And, if you so desperately need to know where I'm going to act like you fucking care, I'm going to Will's."

"Don't you dare swear at me again!"

You cocked an eyebrow. "You try to act like my mom, like you're a part of this family, but you'll never be like that to me, so how about we stop trying? Because after the conversation we just had, I'm sure as hell done trying."

Without waiting for her response, you grabbed your keys and quickly walked out of the house and to your car. 

"Fuck her," you muttered as you got in your car. 

Then, you started your drive to Will's with angry music on and tears still in your eyes. 

***

When you got there, you knocked on the door. There was no answer, so you knocked again. Again, no answer. So, he was either sleeping or not home. You hoped it was the latter. 

You quickly found your spare key and let yourself in. You plopped down on the couch, expecting to journal, but instead, you just covered your mouth with your hand and began to sob again.