Perfection
Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly.
Carly Shay was perfect. Perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect clothes, perfect personality, perfect grades. Perfect, perfect, perfect. It was expected.
Spencer expected it. She was to be the perfect little sister. She was perfectly sensible, but also perfectly kooky. She did her homework and the dishes. She was to be responsible one moment, and then artistic and crazy the next. But it wasn't a problem. Perfection can change at the switch of a flip, and Carly Shay was perfect.
Sam expected it. Carly Shay may as well have been Sam's mother. She scolded, she praised, she taught and she raised her. She offered Sam a warm house, a full fridge, and a support system. Some may have felt the strain of the nearly one-sided friendship, but not Carly Shay. Perfection is the perfect mother, and Carly Shay was perfect.
Freddie expected it. From the moment he first laid his eyes on her, Carly Shay was put onto a pedestal; a pedestal that kept rising. With each "I love you," the pedestal rose a foot. His eyes sought out qualities that didn't exist, but Carly Shay made up for them. Perfection always lives up to expectations, and Carly Shay was perfect.
Gibby was the first to notice it; the first to question her. It had been so easy to blow his question off; so easy to bend the truth into an alternate story. But not a lie. Perfection never lies, and Carly Shay is perfect. No, she didn't lie, but she didn't tell the truth, either.
"Why do you carry that toothbrush around?" He had asked.
"Oh this?" She was so nonchalant about it, he couldn't not believe her. "My dentist says to brush after every meal. Got to keep the enamel shiny!" She flashed him a smile and waggled the toothbrush around. Confidence was easily faked, though perfection never fakes. Perfection only pretends, and Carly Shay was perfect.
Seventeen minutes after eating her lunch of an apple, a few almonds and a bottle of water, like clockwork, Carly Shay went to the restroom. She checked underneath the stalls for feet, and when her search yielded none, she pushed open the door to the last stall. Its hinges were rusty and crooked, while the toilet handle was rusty. Nobody used this stall, not even the girls on the verge of desperation. It was Carly Shay's well kept secret.
She crinkled her nose, as perfection does when it smells something unpleasant, and sprayed some perfect smelling body spray. With perfect, practiced movements, she yanked the toothbrush out of its case and shoved it down her throat. She barely gagged anymore. She was swift, quiet and clean, because perfection always is, and Carly Shay is perfect.
After flushing, she carefully washed off her toothbrush. She brushed her teeth vigorously and methodically, leaving her smile shiny and her breath minty. Carly Shay brushed after every meal, just like she said she did. She left the bathroom, a large smile on her face. Carly Shay is back to her perfect life. Perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect clothes, perfect personality, perfect grades. Perfect, perfect, perfect. It was expected, after all.
Author's Note: Okay, so there you have it, the preface. I'm not sure how long this will be, but I will post at least once a week. If you suspect that somebody you know may have an eating disorder, seek help. Eating disorders can be deadly.