A/N: This story was first published over a year ago, as 'Behind the Fragile Mask' but I've rewritten it, with some change in the plot line and a name change of the main character. I'd love to read any reviews or ideas, and I always consider reviews when I'm writing, so I may even change a plot line just for you! I really hope you enjoy my little story x
Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to Shed Production and Acorn Media.
Any non Waterloo Road characters are mine, and I love them very dearly, so please don't steal them. I wouldn't hurt the people you love, so please be nice.
Trigger warnings: This story could be a slight trigger in eating disorders, and may contain descriptions of past abuse later on in the story. It also contains brief, non detailed description of purging, so emetophobics beware. (I also have emetophobia, so it won't ever be graphic at all.)
Waking up is the worst part of the day. It's the moment you realise that everything's exactly the same as it was when you fell asleep; you're still trapped, in the same disgusting body. I'm not sure when beauty became a synonym for skinny, but it most certainly is now.
The scream of an alarm clock pierced the morning calm, before prising a stony faced teenager from their bed. Her slight frame wandered across the room, towards a full length mirror, where the dewy eyed face deflated with disgust.
"Bets, are you up?! I'm leaving for work now, but I've left your porridge on the side, remember your coursework, and have a lovely day!"
"Thank you, see you later."
As the front door clicked shut Betsie plodded downstairs and out the back door, where she decorated next door's rose bush in porridge and orange juice. Betsie seized a diet coke from the fridge, and hurriedly left for school.
"Right everyone, quieten down, quieten down. I trust you all had a good holiday, and are dying to get back to some hard work?"
Her enthusiasm wasted, Miss Campbell sat to take the register.
"Before I let you all go, I just want to emphasise that this is your final year as high school student. Yes, some of you might choose to stay on here for another 2 years, but every single one of you needs to make the most of the time you've got left. I'm not blind in knowing that you'll be wanting to enjoy every second, but at times, this year might be really stressful, and you need to be aware that all teachers will be on hand if you need us for anything at all."
The bell rang for first lesson, and the pack of teenagers slowly filtered from the room.
Betsie's first lesson was English with Miss Boston. Nikki had known her since she arrived at the school, as a scrawny yet moon faced 12 year old, who enrolled only in year 8. Betsie never struggled to make friends due to her chatty and approachable nature, this made her one of the most loved girls in her year. It was no secret that she had moved to the town for a fresh start, with only her mother, but aside from Miss Campbell, only Miss Boston knew why.
Nikki allowed her class to settle before standing over them with her authoritative gaze.
"Has everyone brought their coursework?" Miss Boston's blunt tone lead to half of the pupil's heads to sink, and the remainder to scrabble inside scruffy bags, to retrieve crumpled sheets of illegible scrawlings. Betsie modestly placed her coursework on her desk, with uniform handwriting, and no mistakes in sight, she seemed the perfect student.
As the lesson drew to a close, the class was given an assessed task on the themes of discrimination in 'Of Mice and Men.' The unassuming girl's stomach began to growl in protest of it's malnutrition, before the entire class erupted in a fit of giggles. Eyes turned to Betsie as her stomach sang away, even Miss Boston struggled to suppress a smirk.
Another bell signalled the end of their lesson, and the class was dismissed.
"Betsie, make sure you eat before my next lesson, I don't want your digestive system causing anymore disruption, okay?" Nikki joked as she followed the pupils out of her room.