Only Emptiness Remains

One Step Forward

The next thing Brittany knew, she was slumped over the kitchen table. She could barely feel the chair underneath her as numbness consumed her once again. More to the point, she could not process what had just happened mere seconds ago at all. She slightly raised her head, which was no easy task considering how full her belly was.

The young Chipette sighed when she saw the bowl and used utensils in front of her. It was like evidence from a crime scene staring right back at her. Reminding her of what she had just done. She started with the oatmeal. The very oatmeal she had realized was from this morning's breakfast she had slept through.

The oatmeal that was no doubt the breakfast Eleanor was speaking of in her note, pleading with Brittany not to eat just yet. The one she was planning on heating up for her the moment she got home so that the baby of the Chipettes could sit down with the eldest. Watching her every move. Waiting to see if she even ate it. And if she did, was she going to run straight to the bathroom immediately after that?

Brittany had shaken her head in frustration as she thought about this when she peeled the shrink wrap off of the container that Eleanor had put it in. She proceeded to pour the oatmeal into a ceramic white bowl, watching it tumble down like a waterfall. Just the idea of her youngest sister sitting there and watching her as she attempted to eat (which she would probably end up failing to do again) was enough to make her NOT want to wait up for her.

She placed the oatmeal bowl into the microwave and shuddered at the thought of being watched like a hawk during a moment of weakness. Brittany Miller had always hated appearing vulnerable in front of anyone. Even her sisters, who she was the most likely to let her guard down with if she were to do that in front of anyone. Just the thought of potential scrutiny at this time made her skin crawl.

Of course the taste of the silky smooth oatmeal barely registered with her as she practically inhaled it in a single gulp. She was quick to go right back to the refrigerator and scope out last night's dinner that she had also neglected to eat. Of course, the first thing that caught her eye had to be the cream of broccoli soup. The very one she remembered trying to eat last night, but just couldn't bring herself to as she had the urge to purge before she even got past the first spoonful.

Then the eyes of her sisters on her, waiting to see what she would do next. As if she were some tv show they were both invested in. The disappointment she could feel radiating from each of her little sisters when she gave up, told them she couldn't eat anymore soup, and explained her reasons why. As if that very tv show just had a big dramatic moment interrupted by a commercial break.

Or even worse, a major cliffhanger ending with text that said "To be continued..." right before a super long hiatus. Leaving the audience to wait several weeks or even months before reaching a conclusion. Assuming this wasn't some show that got cancelled before the cliffhanger could be resolved, of course.

And now that specific soup was sitting in a container looking like a cold off-white mushy blob. As memories of trying to eat the soup she let go cold the previous night came flooding back to her. She could feel the icy liquid and cold metal of the spoon on her mouth all over again as she re-lived this moment in her head. The thought caused her to scrunch up her nose in disgust as she turned her ice blue eyes away from it. To say this made that particular option extremely unappealing to her right now would have been the understatement of the century.

With a racing heart, she then decided to look for a dish she would find just a little more appetizing at this moment. That's when she noticed the spaghetti that she did not even give Eleanor a chance to put on a plate in front of her. Without giving it another thought, the teenage girl promptly grabbed the container of stringy pasta and opened it up. She dumped all of it into the same bowl she ate her oatmeal out of.