“One hundred and nine pounds.” Lily announces.
Moet’s heart sinks. How could she have possibly gained two whole pounds overnight? It must’ve been the cakes. She knew she shouldn’t have strayed from her diet. But it was just so tempting! She couldn’t give up a chance like that!
Lily sighs. “Moet, you know you’re supposed to stay to your diet. We need you to lose seven pounds—nine now—for the recital! God damn it. You know, you can be just so difficult sometimes.” The forty-something woman runs her hand through her highlighted hair in a frustrated gesture while her daughter looks on with a mournful look on her face.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs quietly.
“Sorry… Sorry… What does that word even mean nowadays?” Her mother angrily mutters while pacing back and forth across the room. Running her hand through her blonde hair a couple more times, Lily finally sighs and turns around to look at her daughter. “Okay, starting tomorrow, you train twice as hard, twice as long, and eat only the necessities. Got it?”
Her stomach cramps a bit in response at the thought of the hunger pains she’d go through. But she knew in the end, it’d be worth it. She’d look beautiful and thin and everybody would look at her dancing on the stage and think, “Wow, I wish I was as pretty as her.” Moet just wished for once in her life, someone would think of her that way. Just once was all she asked for. So she nodded in obedience.
Lily just waves her hand in a dismissal as if to say, “Get out of my sight.”
And like the good daughter she is, Moet obeys.
The thoughts were coming again.
Rain-soaked leaves littered the forest floor as the girl trudged through the foliage.
Moet drops to her knees and clamps her hands over her head to stop the visions.
The girl looks up and she sees the river’s water turned black by night flowing peacefully along the riverbanks.
No. Don’t go any farther, Moet screams inside her head.
Walking towards the river with the hopes of seeing some glimpses of silver fish swimming along downstream, the girl catches a glimpse of something pale off to the right.
Tears streaking down her cheeks, Moet curls up into a ball and tucks her head behind her knees, rocking back and forth.
YOU ARE READING
Strawberries & Cigarettes
Teen FictionShe has obsessive-compulsive disorder. He finished all the required classes for graduating by his freshman year. She trains in ballet four hours a day, five days a week. He doesn’t understand people. She’s scared of waking up. He’s scared of not kn...
