Falling Stars (The Pressure to Be Perfect)
A/N: Just a short Kaylie-centric fic. Set in season 2.
Also, I just wanted to make you guys aware of Demi Lovato's "Love is louder...than the pressure to be perfect" project. So many girls (and guys) struggle with eating disorders, and it's not easy to just "get over it." Sometimes, you might not even realize that you have an eating disorder at all. If you ever need someone to talk to, know that I'm always here. And feel free to check out these pages (I'm not promoting them, just trying to raise awareness):
w w w. s e v e n t e e n . c o m / h e a l t h / t i p s / d e m i - l o v a t o - h u b (remove the spaces)
w w w. l o v e i s l o u d e r. c o m (remove the spaces)
Stay strong xo
Kaylie Cruz was the good girl, the nice girl, the sweet girl, the pretty girl, the skinny girl, the rich girl, the girl-next-door. She was the girl who was good at everything, but best at nothing. She didn't burn as brightly as Emily or as hotly as Lauren or as strongly as Payson. Though she shone with a light that was pure and simple, it was deemed nothing special.
Until she surprised the world by beating Genji Cho, China's perfect little gymnast. It made Kaylie a star, made her the golden girl who shone brighter than anyone else.
She savored the feeling. Having been overlooked for so long, she relished the taste of power, of fame, of recognition.
And it began to consume her.
Once you rose to the top, the only direction you could go was down. And Kaylie was afraid to fall.
Months later, she looks into the mirror, at the spectre of the girl she used to be. Bone thin, brittle, ribs jutting out. Her hands shake; she can't seem to hold herself steady or strong anymore. She still has muscle, yes; she still looks pretty, yes; she can still smile, yes; but she has fallen harder than she'd ever imagined.
It's the brightest stars that always fall the fastest.