INSTABILITY | M.C | COMPLETE

014

Avery had stopped crying but still wouldn't talk. Michael's heart clenched on the thought of her being in so much pain. He wished she would say something.

Anything.

Silence took over the room in a suffocating way.
He wouldn't pressure her but he needed to know what was wrong. He hated seeing her like this.

Avery's head was spinning.
It moved a thousand miles per second. She tried to open her mouth and say something; to explain what happened.
But she couldn't.
She had been crying for hours. She had never felt so week. She felt broken, like the only emotion she could give out was sadness and the only thing that came out were tears.
But she couldn't cry anymore.

Michael couldn't help but think that even in this awful situation, she felt great against him.
If this was under any other circumstances and she was pressed against his chest, he would have kissed her. But she needed a friend right now. And that's who he is going to be.

Avery sniffled and put barely any distance between the two. "I- I'm sorry." She grabbed her sleeves and rubbed Michael's chest in an attempt to clean some of her tears. "I got your shirt all wet."

Michael grabbed both her wrists gently, to stop their moving. Avery looked up to meet his eyes. He let go of her wrists and moved her wet hair out of her face. "I couldn't care less about the shirt." He responded. Avery nodded in a stupid attempt to communicate. He waited a few seconds before he asked her what he had been avoiding in case in wasn't time yet.
"What happened?"

As soon as the question left his mouth, Avery's eyes left his and she looked down. She took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm fucked up Michael." She said, barely audible. Michael lifted her face by her chin so she would look at him. "I'm not normal. I don't even know what normal is. Just promise me, please. Once you know about this, take my baggage or leave it. I can't have someone being there only half the time. I couldn't handle it."

Michael nodded as different cases came to mind. What could be so strong that she had to hide behind such huge walls?

"I promise." He said and he truly meant it. But part of him couldn't help but feel like she was being pressured. "You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to. I don't want to force you to. But if you do, I'll listen. I won't leave. I'm in too deep" Michael soothed her and she nodded.

She took the slowest and shakiest breath she could've taken before making a confession.

"When I-I was 15 years old I got diagnosed with Anorexia. It started out innocent. I wanted to loose a few pounds. But then I saw I could loose so much more. There was a sense of triumph every time I stepped on the scale. Before I knew it, I was going days without eating. It went okay. No one really noticed until I started passing out. "

She felt a huge weight lift up her chest and she closed her eyes.

She couldn't see his reaction.

She knew what he was going to do. He was going to call her a freak, he was gonna kick her out and there would be nothing that she could do about it. He would keep his promise. He would never want to see her again. But there was no use in stopping now. She wanted him to know.

"I went to a facility when I was 16. I was better. I was truly getting better. I felt happy with myself. I wasn't there too long. I had my parent's support. " She took another deep breath and squeezed her eyes harder.
"Until now. It's back. Everything's back. And I can't control it." She started sobbing again and Michael immediately pushed her to his chest, to be in the previous position she was in. Then she spoke in between sobs. "My mother found out I'm bad again. She- she's gonna send me back. I don't want her to." Michael hugged her tighter, if that was even possible. She grabbed his shirt with his fists. "I know you think I'm a freak-"