Skinny

Chapter 15

(A/N) I want to thank everyone who has read and voted, you guys have no idea how much it means to me! Remember, if you are going through any of this stuff, please find a trusted adult or a close friend and confide in them. You don't have to deal with this alone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My whole body shivered in attempt to keep me warm on the cold, hard ground. There wasn’t much noise in the woods, only the sound of passing cars in the nearby street. My whole body was beginning to turn red against the cool breeze, signaling winter was practically here. I hadn’t thought too much on the consequences of running away from the hospital. It had been warm in the building, warm enough for me to wear shorts if I wanted. I was regretting running away in what I did: gym shoes, capris, and a short sleeve t-shirt. I could feel a cold coming on, thanks to my dumb decision. However, I did not want to go back.

It had been three days. Three days of me avoiding any type of cop car, avoiding any car that looked like my parent’s, finding shelter from the cold, and sleeping in the woods. Every morning I would find a public bathroom and strip down then investigate my body for tics or other insects. Thankfully I hadn’t found any, which was surprising.

The first night I had slept in an alleyway. Some nice elderly lady had seen me and gave me a blanket out of her car. I thanked her and watched her drive off, silently thanking God for the kindness of random strangers. The blanket had been the only shelter I had against the cold those three days. It helped, but not so much.

I had no idea what time it was, but knew it was morning. The sun was halfway up in the sky, signaling that it was quite early, so I pushed myself off of the ground and grabbed the blanket. After folding it and tucking it under my arm, I made my way out of the woods and looked in both directions. There weren’t too many cars out on the road, which was a relief. I crossed the street and headed towards the Wal-Mart that I spent most of my days in just to keep warm.

I usually spent about an hour warming up in the building before heading outside and running. I knew I smelled repulsive, but that wasn’t what was going through my mind. All I could think about were my father’s words and how I needed to lose weight. It was as if someone burned them into my skin, not allowing me to forget.

I wandered my way through the store and came to a familiar aisle. Each day I would use the scales and check my progress. It was something I had to do; it made me feel better about myself. I quickly scanned for the one I had used each time, then placed it on the ground and stepped on. A smile spread across my lips when I read the number; 95. It was astonishing how much weight I could lose in such short time when I put my mind to it.

After staring at the number for a good thirty seconds more, I stepped off and put the scale back in its original spot. I then made my way to the bathroom and set the blanket down on one of the benches before heading to the sink. Rolling my sleeves all the way up, I lathered my arms with soap and water, trying to scrub the dirt away. When I was finished with my arms, I quickly dried them off then pulled my hair back so I could wash my face. I knew I would be in here in a few hours doing the same thing, but I wanted to get cleaned up even before I ran.

After washing my face and legs, I walked back out of the bathroom and towards the body spray. I took a bottle of Axe off of the shelf and sprayed it all over me, then put it back and started towards the front of the store. I knew staying in there longer would make me never want to leave, so I had to push myself to go.

Stepping outside was torturous. It was as if the temperature had dropped twenty degrees while I had been inside Wal-Mart. I quickly hugged the blanket around my body and went to the park. There, a large pond resided that was surrounded by a paved path. I was able to run around the whole pond for hours and never get bored. The scenery was amazing, so I always had something to look at and keep my mind focused on.