*WARNINGS* This story deals with anorexia. If you do not feel comfortable reading about that, I suggest you leave now.
Also, I've done research on anorexia but not everything may be correct. If I'm not describing it correctly or there are incorrect facts in here, I'm sorry. Bear with me, please. I have no clue where this idea even came from, honestly. But here it is and I hope you like it!
"No thanks," Bree said when Mr. Davenport offered her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "I'm trying to eat healthy now and bread isn't on my diet list."
"Then just lick the PB&J off," Adam suggested in a duh tone. Then, he proceeded to tear apart his sandwich and lick one side of the bread. Bree ignored him, as did the rest of the family.
"Why the sudden interest in eating healthier?" Donald wondered as she opened the fridge to retrieve the orange juice.
"Yeah," Chase added, "weren't you just pigging out with Adam and Leo last week?"
Bree nodded. "Yes, and the three-day food baby was a real eye opener. I just think that I need to be cutting back on all the junk I eat every day."
"Well, I think that's a wonderful idea," Tasha encouraged with a smile. Bree smiled back in return and grabbed an apple from a bowl in front of her. Chase shot her a weird look.
"I get the whole eating healthier thing, but are you really going to be eating just an apple for breakfast?" Bree shrugged.
"Yeah, I've not very hungry right now." Her stomach growled then, so she tried to cover it up by loudly crunching into her apple. Nobody noticed, much to her relief. After everybody finished, Donald retreated to the lab while the boys left for school. Bree was right behind them when she remembered something and turned back to Tasha.
"Hey, um, can I talk to you about something?" Bree asked kind of nervously. Tasha nodded her head toward the snack bar as she washed a plate. Bree sat back down and leaned her elbows on the counter.
"What's up?" Tasha asked, looking up at her daughter.
"I didn't want to say this in front of the guys because, well, they're guys, so they wouldn't get it," Bree began. "You remember Tyler, right?"
"Of course. He's cute and always offers to help with the dishes when he's over. I love that boy!" Bree laughed.
"Well, his mom is in charge of the Mission Creek Teen Pageant and wants him to be an escort. He doesn't want to be with some random girl, so he asked me to join. He showed me his suit for the show and, when I went shopping yesterday, I found the perfect dress that matched his suit. It's so pretty and was so comfortable when I put it on… But it's also kind of tight, so even after I held my stomach in so tightly I couldn't breathe, you could still see a little hump where my stomach was. So I'm actually trying to lose weight so I can look better in that dress."
"I understand your determination, but I hope you know that you don't have to be stick skinny to be in a pageant. If you don't like that dress, find another one. I'm sure Tyler will understand if you two don't match completely."
Bree wasn't convinced, but she nodded anyways. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, can you do me a favor and not mention this to any of the guys? I don't want them to get the wrong idea, you know."
"You're secret's safe with me. Now, get to school before you're late!" Bree smiled and disappeared in a blur. Tasha stared at the closed door, thinking about what her daughter just said. She hoped Bree would take her advice and not worry so much about her weight. With a sigh, Tasha returned to her dishes.
•••••
Tyler was waiting for Bree at her locker when she arrived. She smiled and pecked his cheek. As she grabbed her books for first period, she said, "So I found the perfect dress to match your suit yesterday." He leaned against the lockers with a goofy smile on his face.
"Oh yeah? What's it look like?" She pulled out her phone and showed him the picture she took in the dressing room. The dress was a maroon mermaid dress with long, lace sleeves and ruffles at the bottom that flared out. "Wow, that's hot. You look almost as hot as that dress."
"Almost?" Bree asked, taking her phone back.
Tyler shrugged. "Well, I can see your stomach a bit. A dress that hot can't have baby fat showing, Bree. And you know we have to be the hottest couple there that night." He shot her a knowing look. She frowned and looked at the picture again.
"I know," she said sadly. "But I'm working on eating healthier and losing weight."
"Bree, this pageant is in two weeks. I don't think eating healthier is going to cut it. Have you ever tried skipping meals?"
"Skipping meals?" Bree repeated.
"Yeah. I hear it's the most effective way. Or, if you're not strong enough to handle that, just eat, like, crackers or something."
Tyler was a jock, captain of the wrestling team. Strong was basically a requirement if you wanted to be in with him. Bree stuck her chin in the air and smiled, "Good thing I'm the strongest girl around!"
He laughed. "That's my girl. I got to head to math. See you later, babe." He kissed her on the lips before walking away. Bree looked back at the picture. My stomach is just barely visible. Maybe skipping a few meals wouldn't be such a big deal if I want to just lose a few pounds. How bad could it be? She wondered.