Brothers (they are the worst)

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next one. the middle child, or the fourth child, Aiden.

i'm not going to lie. Aiden was a bit chubbier than the rest of the family. he was one of the people in the family that wouldn't stop eating. until one day.

i remember he came from school one day, sobbing. my dad asked why he was crying. he said that kids were bullying him and taking pictures of him because he was a "fat ugly pig". i felt bad. he didn't deserve that. he wasn't really nice to me, almost all of my brothers weren't . but he's still my brother.

my dad offered to go have a talk with the principal. Aiden didn't want him to talk to the principal, fearing that people will call him a snitch. he just said that he'll lose weight so he won't get bullied.

he took it too far. he wouldn't eat. no snacks, no meals. nothing. he said that it was called "fasting". he was losing weight rapidly, but he knew it was an unhealthy diet. he was also committed to work out AT LEAST two hours a day. he would only drink water or lemon water. he didn't drink sodas or juices or anything like that.

whenever we would go out to eat, he would just ask for the smallest thing from the KIDS MENU. it was usually chicken tenders or boiled vegetables or just celery and carrots with hummus. he looked like he really wanted to eat, but he restrained himself.

he lost about 20-25 pounds in a MONTH. that is really unhealthy. he would faint occasionally, but he said it was nothing. this was his type of self harm. starving himself or even sometimes cutting himself because he was too fat. he was obsessed with losing weight.

the family was scared of Aiden's drastic weight loss. he turned very skinny. he eventually turned 15 pounds underweight for his height. he would always complain that it wasn't enough—that he was still too fat. he became really unhealthily skinny. that's when my father decided to put this "fasting" to an end.

he didn't let Aiden go to bed starving. he would stop his work just to see if Aiden has been eating. whenever he was on his breaks at work, he would call one of us to make sure Aiden is eating something. my father always ate with him when he had the chance. he wouldn't let Aiden go until he ate at least a quarter of what was given to him. on family dinners, he would still be up, trying to get Aiden to eat something.

he didn't tell a doctor until he found out what Aiden has been doing. Aiden had been throwing up any food he consumed to stop him gaining weight. he walked in on him gagging it out. my father rushed him to the doctor.

he was diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia. my father locked himself in his room, whom he shared with my mother. he was crying and crying. he couldn't take it anymore. he screamed and yelled. he was mentally tired. my mother and the rest of the family were scared that my father was going to do something stupid.

my mother finally unlocked the door after having trouble unlocking it with a bobby pin. my father was just there. laying on the bed crying. the healed lines on his arms were greeted with new red lines. he was clean for years. since his first child was born, he never did it again. but now, he snapped.

Aiden felt guilty. he thought it was his fault for stressing our dad out. he tried eating, but food just made him sick. he didn't know why. he used to love food. but now he isolated himself from food so much, he despises it now.

nobody gave Aiden a break. i remember Aiden came home from school crying because someone called him "skinnier than a twig". people were still making fun of him—rather he was fat or not.

he tried to eat. for our dad, who was stressed about everything. he gained a few pounds and my dad was really happy. but Aiden wasn't. he wanted to work the weight off, but he didn't want to disappoint dad.

and i'm glad he didn't. not for dad—but for his health. i'm glad he is doing okay, even though he's a shitty brother.