Through It All

Chapter 1

"Are you going to eat that?"

"Sorry?"

"Well there's got to be a shit ton of calories in it. Besides, you ate breakfast about four hours ago anyway. It's not worth it, hun."

The girl let out a timid "oh" whilst placing the flapjack she had purchased moments prior back down on the plastic packaging, wrapping it up, and standing up to find the bin.

"Willow?" called the boy sat opposite her.

She turned around, her blonde hair flicking her in the face, plastering a fake smile across her cheeks as best as she could, before responding,

"Yes babe?"

He smiled back at her, sweetly, winking.

"You know that I'm doing this because I love you, don't you? It's for your own good."

"Of course!" she lied. Her enthusiasm could probably have been more convincing than what she managed to spurt out, but his constant critiquing had exhausted her thoroughly throughout the day they'd spent together. Nevertheless, he didn't seem to pick up on it, and dismissed her to dispose of the forbidden snack without another word.

As she made her way back toward the table, her boyfriend stood up, ready to leave, and proceeded towards the door, simply assuming she would follow suit without any instruction or conversation attempt. Knowing she must do as she was told, even if it was non-verbally, Willow hurried over to where they had been sitting, grabbed her yellow raincoat and iPhone, and headed towards the door that she had just watched him march out of.

*****

"My mum has parked down the road to pick me up, so I'll uh, see you at school tomorrow."

He grabbed her tightly, violently kissing her glossy lips, before letting her go and waving her off as she made her way hurriedly down the street and around a corner to where she could see her mother's Mini Cooper.

"Hi, mum," Willow said quietly and with no intention to spark further conversation.

"Hey sweetie, you ok?" She was grinning from ear to ear. Being a single mum, and an only child, they had grown a close bond, and Willow knew that her she was the highlight of her mother's life. While that could motivate her to be cheerful, she found herself slightly saddened by thought of what she had become.

"Fine," she replied under her breath smiling slightly at her before looking straight back down at her own lap.

"How was your day with Jason then?" She asked, evidently anticipating some detailed report of perfect romance that the day had held.

"Fine," she said again, not realising until she had done so that it was an identical answer to the one she had tried to stop the conversation with last time.

In her peripheral vision, Willow caught her mother sigh, and turn back to face the wheel. It hurt to upset her like this, but it would hurt her even more if she found out the truth of her daughter's misery.

As she watched the town speed by outside her window in a blur, the music that had automatically flooded the car when the engine had been switched on was drowned out by her thoughts. Though it was there, neither of the girls acknowledged the tune or lyrics, and the car ride was as good as in silence.

Like in some dramatic and unrealistic film or music video, Willow stared out of her window, her head resting on the glass. As she did so, she felt a tear roll down her cheek, leaving a pale path through the rosy blusher she had meticulously applied hours before. She decided that wiping it away would be too much effort and use up non-existent energy, so instead, she sat, and thought. She thought until her brain could take it no more. And when it could take it no more, she just was, and did nothing more than exist.