Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. They belong to Dick Wolf (except for Liam).
Author's note: Okay, I know this one isn't as good as the last ones; it's more of a filler, so don't judge too harshly.
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Alex couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned all night. She felt so dirty and wanted to wash herself, but she knew that Liam would wake up and get angry if she moved. So she lay on the bed next to this boy, praying that he wouldn't hurt her again, trying to hold back her tears.
* * *
The next morning, Liam took Alex out to see Chicago on Broadway. He held her hand the whole way through and put his other arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. She hadn't forgotten about last night, but she was glad that Liam seemed to have.
He took her out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. He let her have whatever she wanted. She decided to take advantage of her good fortune while it lasted and ordered a pasta dish, not worrying about the amount of carbs and calories it contained. Liam ordered them a chocolate cake for dessert. Alex took a couple dainty bites before giving the rest to him.
Liam gave her an approving nod. "That's right, baby. You're going to stay thin and beautiful for me. God, I love you."
Alex gave him an uneasy smile in return.
They went back to Liam's place and watched a movie, a romantic comedy that they both enjoyed. Alex put her head in Liam's lap and he ruffled her hair.
After the movie, they went to bed. Alex lay awake, her head aching from where Liam had kicked it yesterday. It was starting to bruise – one of those injuries that doesn't make itself known for a day or so, but then it hurts like hell.
Her stomach started to grumble. Alex checked to make sure Liam was sound asleep before gingerly climbing out of the bed and padding into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of milk.
Suddenly, Alex heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She gulped the milk down and wiped her mouth, trying to hide the evidence that she'd been eating something.
Too late. There was Liam, growling, "What are you doing?"
Alex held the glass behind her back. "Nothing. I couldn't sleep."
"Are you eating something?"
"Just – just water."
"Liar," he barked. Then he said, sounding more disappointed than angry, he said, "You are getting a bit heavy, Lex. Maybe you should start paying more attention to what you eat." He glanced at the carton of milk on the table. "You know, that's 2%. You shouldn't be drinking it. There's lots of fat and you don't really want to gain any more weight. You have enough fat already."
Alex looked at the ground. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I will."
"Good. Ready to come back to bed?"
"In a minute," said Alex. "I just need to go to the washroom."
She put away the milk and made her way toward the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror for a moment, critically examining her body. She stepped onto the scale. 105. She sighed. She had to lose five pounds.
She hated the way she looked. She was so ugly and . . . fat. That was why Liam didn't love her. Alex turned toward the toilet and stuck her finger down her throat. She gagged at first, but finally her dinner came up. She vomited until there was nothing left in her stomach.
Finally satisfied, she flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth. Then she went back into the bedroom and lay down next to her boyfriend,
"You okay, Lex?" he asked.
Alex sighed and curled toward him, laying her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. I'm fine."
She was. Now.
* * *
On Monday morning, Alex met Olivia in the cafeteria as she always did. Olivia was bent over a book, cramming for a test. She barely looked up when she saw Alex. "Alex, oh, my God! I have a math test and I didn't study – I'm going to fail!"
Alex gave her a small smile. "No, you won't. You never do."
Olivia looked up. "Hey, Alex, you don't look too hot. Are you okay? Did you eat anything today?"
Alex shrugged. "I wasn't hungry. I'm fine, Liv."
"How was the weekend with Liam?"
"Good."
"What did you guys do?"
"We went to see Chicago on Broadway and went out for dinner."
Olivia looked at Alex, a twinkle in her eye. "Did you do anything else?"
"No!" exclaimed Alex, panic rising within her.
Olivia put her hands up and moved back. "Whoa, okay, calm down. I was only kidding."
Alex's breathing slowed. "I – I know."
Olivia peered more closely at her. "Are you sure you're okay, Alex?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."
Just then, Liam sauntered into the cafeteria. "Hey, baby. I'll walk you to class," he said to Alex, taking her wrist.
Alex glanced at Olivia, then back at her boyfriend. "Sure," she said, though with a slight tremor in her voice.
Olivia observed this scene curiously, not knowing what to make of the look in Alex's eyes. Could it be fear? "Hello, Liam," she said, placing emphasis on his name.
He barely glanced at her, offering just a mumbled, "Hey."
"Well, I'll see you later, Alex," said Olivia.
"Yeah. Good luck on your math test."
"Thanks."
Liam took Alex's arm and led her out of the cafeteria. His tight grip made Alex nervous. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied, giving her arm a sharp tug to make her move faster. "Can't I walk my girlfriend to class?"
Alex quickened her pace to keep up with him and didn't say anything else.
* * *
At lunch, Liam and Alex met up with Elliot and Olivia. "How was your math test, Liv?" asked Alex.
She shrugged. "I probably failed it. I'll survive."
Elliot laughed. "Hey, you guys want some burgers? There's not much of a line."
Liam and Olivia nodded.
"Alex?"
Alex shook her head. "No, thanks."
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Elliot got up to get the food. Liam leaned back in his chair and wrapped his arm possessively around Alex, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Olivia, who raised her eyebrow and gave Alex a look. She shifted uncomfortably in his grasp.
Elliot returned with the food a moment later. "Sure you don't want anything, Alex?"
"I'm sure," she replied.
Olivia took a big bite of her cheeseburger. Liam eyed her disapprovingly. "Do you know how many carbs are in a burger like that?"
Olivia laughed. "You sound like a teenage girl!"
Liam frowned. "Well, Alex isn't having any of that crap. She's going to stay beautiful for me."
"If you think a toothpick is beautiful, that's your warped point of view," snapped Olivia.
Liam raised his eyebrows. "No. Just looking out for my girl. We don't want her to get . . . chunky."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Alex looks fine. She's just the right weight." She looked to Alex, who was sitting with her head ducked down in embarrassment. She wondered why her friend wasn't defending herself.
"You sound like your mother," chuckled Elliot.
Olivia shrugged. "My mother never tells me that."
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and started to run his fingers up her thigh under the table. "She doesn't need to. You know how beautiful you are, Liv."
She giggled and swatted his hand away. "You sure tell me often enough."
They were so wrapped up in their banter that they didn't even notice Alex, who was sitting still and silent, her long blonde hair hanging strategically in her face to cover the purple bruise that had formed underneath her right eye.
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