One Shots

30. [Reason To Believe]

TW: Eating Disorder

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"Guys, I'm worried about Jett," Scarlett said to her group of friends as they sat around the table in the cage they were in. "He hasn't been himself."

"What do you mean?" Lynne asked, spinning the straw in her drink.

"Just in general," Scarlett continued, twirling a piece of her hair nervously. "He's been saying how he's cold all the time, but it's so nice these days."

"Is that really something to be concerned about?" Asahi asked, tilting her head. "He always wearing long sleeves all the time, even if it is hot. I thought it was normal."

"No, I don't ever remember him ever saying he was cold all those other times." Scarlett rested her head on her hand, a look of confusion on her face. "And he looks sick all the time, too."

"Maybe he has a cold?" Maki proposed.

"For some reason, I think it's much more serious than that," Scarlett said worriedly. "I didn't mention it around the house, but Jett lost a lot of weight. Like A LOT a lot of weight."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

Scarlett shook her head, sighing in discontent.

"Whenever I try to go into his room to talk to him, he's always asleep. He comes home from school and automatically goes to bed."

"Did you mention this to your mom? Or your dad?" Maki asked, leaning in with a concerned glint in her eyes. "They should know about it."

"I wanted to...but I didn't," she said sheepishly. "I thought maybe I was just...overthinking it?"

"Well, think of it this way," Asahi finally said. "If you still think something is up, don't hesitate to tell your parents. That's what I did when I noticed that Tsukito's wrist was swollen and it turned out that he broke it without telling anyone."

"But I don't want to baby him," Scarlett said in a defeated tone. "Jett's a year older than me, I trust him to make good decisions. He hates it when our parents get involved in his personal business because of me."

"It concerns his health though, so it's probably necessary." Lynne placed her hands on Scarlett's. "Even if he doesn't like it, it has to be brought up some way or another."

"It's just a matter of finding that out, then?"

"Definitely."

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Jett was curled on the couch, a sketchbook opened across lap, when Scarlett had walked into the house. He really didn't look like he was well: his skin was pale, and even though he was wearing a sweater and joggers while also wrapped in a blanket, he was shivering. His hair looked brittle and dry, which was strange for him, since he prided himself on his pure black hair.

"Hi Scar," he said when she took off her shoes and walked into the house. "You're back already?"

"Yeah, it was just to get some lunch." She held up a bag. "I brought you some."

"I'm not hungry, but you can leave it for later. Maybe Dad will eat it."

He wasn't hungry? But...he didn't even eat breakfast today, since he rushed off to his gymnastics practice. Now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen him eat, well, anything.

This might as well have been a golden opportunity.

"Are you sure about that?"

Jett just gave her a tired look, raising one of his eyebrows. He really didn't look well