Beautiful Bones (a story about self-harm and eating disorders)

Hi, my name is Sophie. When I was in 5th grade my parents were killed in a car accident, ever since my life has been down hill, it's like the devil wants revenge on me for being so spoiled.

I'm the only girl. I grew up with 6 brothers and I'm the youngest. My brothers pick on me for being short and having flat hair. They would pick on me for my bones(I was so skinny)

Everyday at school I'm bullied. It's been that way since 5th grade. Right after my parents died. I would come home and cry for two years. But in seventh grade the crying stopped and Cat became part of my life.

For those of you who don't know, cat is self harm. It's an abriviation.

I'm going into the eighth grade with a smile on my lips, hoping that nobody sees my scars. Hoping I could blame the cat, I mean it makes sense, right?

It's time for lunch on my first day, and I'm so nervous to eat. I'm walking to my table and all of a sudden I'm pushed. My food goes into my face and onto my new blouse that my grandmother gave to me. It was beautiful.

"Whoops.." The girl rolled her eyes at me. "You didn't need that food anyway" What a snob. "Chunky.." She poked my stomach and arms.

I started skipping meals, breakfast was out of the picture and nobody knew I wasn't eating lunch. I sat alone or in the bathroom. Weeks went by and my brothers starting noticing how I was getting skinnier and skinnier and splitting dinner every night. "Sophie what are you doing?" It was my brother Shawn, he was only a year older than me. "Why aren't you eating?" "Not hungry, I guess." He paused and lifted my shirt only up to my ribs, "soph, you could see your bones. You gotta eat kiddo." Wow, as much as my brothers teased me I guess they really care, the rest were at the door. Shawn looked over at Nick, Tom, Anthony, Robert, and Daniel. They all were starting to tear up. Nick was the oldest. 18. "I'll drive you to the doctors tomorrow, we'll all skip school and go have some fun." They all walked over and kissed me on the head one by one. "Goodnight Sophie, we love you." Shawn shut the door and smiled at me. What made them care so much? Why didn't they show it before?

The next day they drove me to the doctors, and that was the day I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. I stood in the room holding Shawn's hand and sitting on nicks lap. And then I noticed, they were all crying.