Castles crumbling (Taylor Swift's little sister)

Chapter 16

The doorman of the center had no time to stop you or close the door that was open since a patient had recently entered, but soon as you got out of the center and you were about to start running away, you found Blake.

- "Hey sweetie, where are you going?" She said.

Instead of being angry or actually running away, you ran into Blake's arms. You broke down. Blake opened the door of her car and let you in, then turned to get into the car herself. She quickly texted your mom "she's with me. Don't worry". Andrea answered: "thank you so much for being at the right place at the right time". In fact, Andrea told Taylor about the exam results and the purging incident, so Taylor suggested to call Blake and ask her to support Andrea in case you wanted to run away from the center, as you, in fact, did.

- "They said all kind of horrible things. They want me to gain weight" you said sobbing.

- "They just want you to be healthy. We all want that" she replied.

- "Blake, they said my heart rate is too low. They convinced my mom of getting me into this outpatient program, I must leave school early every single day and come here to eat and have therapy. I don't want that."

- "I know you don't want it; I know it sucks, but you need it. You don't see it, but you are sick. You need help" Blake said trying to calm you down.

- "What would they think of me at school? What if I fail all of my classes? What if people start talking behind my back?"

- "It doesn't matter what they think or say about you. It's none of their business. You won't fail your classes because you've always been a good student, the school must adjust to your needs and offer the support that you need."

- "I'm going to get fat Blake. I don't want to gain weight. I'm not even that skinny, I'm average. Why would they make an average person gain weight?" You asked wiping your tears.

- "Honey, you don't see it, but you are not average. You are really fragile right now; they are the professionals, and we need to trust them. But the most important thing is to change your mindset, you're depressed and malnourished, you are not thinking clearly."

- "I'm scared, Blake". You said.

- "I know you are, and it won't be easy, but you've got people right here beside you. I'm here for you Honey".

- "Thank you, Blake, I love you."

- "Love you too, you're like my little sister. Now, let's go back to your mom."

You agreed and got off Blake's car. Your mom was waiting for you in the car, your mom and you thanked Blake and said goodbye. Your mom drove you to school and in the way you said:

- "I'm sorry mom. I shouldn't have left running like that. It was too much."

- "It's okay darling, I know it must be scary. But I really think this is our best option. You can't keep going on like this. You heard them, even if you don't believe it, your body is shutting down."

- "I really don't see it or feel it. But I really want to try to be happy again. I'll start the program on Monday".

- "I'm glad to hear that, darling. It's better if you're willing to get into in it and I'm not forcing you" she said.

Did it mean that you were not actually choosing it? Was it an already made decision? You got a bit mad, but before you could keep thinking about it, your mom said something that made you even more anxious:

- "I'm going to talk with the principal about this. If you're starting the treatment on Monday, she must know why you'll be leaving school early."

- "No mom, please don't. I really don't want them to know about this. Please. What if she thinks I'm weak?"

- "She won't think that, and if she does, you and I know it's not true. But she needs to know, if she doesn't, how would they help you to stay on track with school?"

You knew she was right. Even though you were extremely nervous, you knew you had to have that talk with the principal.

You arrived to school and went with your mom to the principal's office. You were deeply praying for her not be there, but when you got there she was sitting there behind her computer. Your mom asked her for a word and she gratefully accepted

-"Of course Mrs. Swift, please come in. How's everything going? What about you, Elizabeth? How are you?"

You were unable to speak, you just gave her an anxious smile.

-"Everything's alright Mrs. Tallin, thank you". Your mom said.

-"I'm glad to hear that. What can I help you with?" Mrs. Tallin asked.

You didn't know how your mom was planning on telling her what was wrong, cause everything was wrong. However, she just went straight forward:

-"Elizabeth has been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and she will be starting an outpatient treatment on Monday, but she will need to leave school earlier than usual, I will be picking her up at 12pm and drive her to the treatment center. She must attend from 12:30-5pm everyday to the program".

Your jaw dropped. You turned your look away from Mrs. Tallin as soon as your mom said the word "diagnosed". You could feel her pity look. After a few seconds she said:

-"Elizabeth, look at me"

You froze. But you lift your gaze.

-"There's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sorry that you're going through this. I get it. I really do, my sister battled with anorexia when she was a teenager. It was though, but with treatment and patience, she got better. She still struggles a bit to this day, but she always says that recovery was so worth it".

Your eyes watered. You had to swallow back your tears. You were a second away from crying, but she continued:

-"Please, do not worry about school, that should be the least of your priorities right now. You've been an excellent student your whole life and I'm pretty sure that you are not going to fall behind. But, even if you did fall behind a little, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Don't worry about having to tell your teachers about this, I'm going to talk to them, but I'm not gonna say what is exactly going on, I'll just say that you are leaving earlier because of a medical condition. I'll tell them to send you over email the topics as well as briefs explanations you miss when you are not here, if you miss a test or an exam, I'll tell them to reschedule it for you. Don't hesitate to ask for help, if you need extra time for an assignment, don't hesitate to ask for it either. Okay? I'll try to keep in touch with you to see how you're doing"

You felt extremely relieved. At least school and grades didn't tortured you that much anymore. But you still weren't sure about his recovery thing.