Home is a person - Lizzie Olsen

-27-

Freya's pov

5 months later

Life is good. It's not amazing, but it's good. Lizzie has full legal guardianship over me, I don't have my tube anymore, and I've started at my new school.

"Freya, do you want to go get some food after school?" My friend asks me.

If you asked me that a few months ago, I would have a full breakdown. Eating full meals, is still a challenge, but I know how to manage my worries now. I know that my body needs and deserves food. There are some days that I do end up forcing myself to get rid of it, but recovery isn't perfect.

"Of course, we'll meet at the front?" I ask, grabbing my stuff out of my locker.

"Yup, see you then!" She says.

I text Lizzie that i'm going out with a friend after school, so she doesn't worry.

Lizzie has helped me so much through my recovery. She's sat with at the table for hours while I cry over a meal, helped me through panic attacks, cleaned my arms, held me while I cried, and helped me through my first breakup. Most people would say that home is a place with four walls and a roof, but for me, home is a person. Lizzie is my home.

I've also started going back to therapy recently. It's helped a lot to talk to someone about the shitty parts of my life.

I can't believe that I get to have a future now outside of my eating disorder. It used to take up my entire life. I'm not saying that i'm totally recovered, because is anyone actually fully recovered from going through something like that? But, I am definitely better, and I feel better too. I've gotten my energy back and now i'm back into climbing.

I've been working extra hard at school to get a scholarship for my dream school. I still want to be a cop, it's been my dream since I was a kid.

Lizzie's pov

I get a text from Freya saying that she's going out after school. I'm so proud of her. It's crazy how much progress she's made over the past few months, and i'm officially her mama.

I've always wanted a daughter, and Freya is quite literally my best friend - sorry Scarlett.

Freya's pov

I walk into French class, and realize that our teacher is here yet. We wait a few minutes before the substitute teacher shows up.

Holy shit. How is this even possible? How is my dad's friend a teacher. He looks me dead in the eyes, and I feel my breathing pick up a bit and I walk out of class to the bathroom.

I hear him call after me, but I ignore it. This cannot be happening. I run into the girl's washroom and sit in the corner, trying to calm myself down. It doesn't work, and i'm struggling to breathe.

After a minute, our guidance counsellor comes in and starts screaming at me, which makes everything worse. I feel like my lungs are just giving out on me. She just ends up leaving, and I end up calming myself down.

I call Lizzie to tell her to pick me up.

'Mama?' I croak.

'Hey baby, is everything okay?' She asks through the phone.

'Can you pick me up please.' I ask.

'I'm coming honey, i'll meet you at the front entrance.' She says.

I hang up and go wait at the front.

After 5 minutes, I see her car and walk to it.

"Hey hon, is everything okay?" She asks

"Yeah.." I say.

"Baby, don't lie to me. What happened?" She asks, starting to drive home.

"Our french teacher wasn't there, so we had a sub...but it was my dad's old friend- the one who uhm yeah."

"Oh my god, i'm so sorry. Did he do anything to you?" She asks, in a worried tone.

"No, he recognized me, but I ran out as soon as he looked me in the eye. I guess he called our guidance counsellor to find me, but she just ended up yelling at me while I was having a panic attack." I explain.

"Oh my fucking god. I'm going to call your school and-"

I cut her off. "No mama, I really like this school. I have a lot of friends here and I like most of the teachers."

"Okay, honey. How about we binge some movies when we get home?" She asks.

"I'd like that, thanks" I say.

"Anything for you my sweet girl." She says.

I had to work a lunch shift and the person I was serving tried to tell me how to do my job?...