A/N 1: Including a TW here for mentions of eating disorder thoughts and behaviors. Reader discretion is advised. Now here is Chapter 13!

Chapter 13:

How Rosalie managed to walk into the gymnasium without falling over was nothing short of a miracle. Her headache was worsening and at this point, she was willing to eat anything if it meant her headache would go away.

'Lies…all lies' the voice in her head whispered. Fair enough…

"Benson? Benson!"

Rosalie managed to snap out of it to see Coach Burnside standing in front of her, trying to get her attention.

"By God, you look awful. Are you okay?"

Rosalie forced herself to nod.

"Bullshit. I can't have you on a balance beam looking like that. Did you eat breakfast this morning?"

Rosalie tried to speak but she couldn't form words. Even if she could speak, what would she even say?

"Coach, I have an extra protein bar and some fruit she can have if you think it would help," Rosalie heard someone say. Certainly not Chenille. Another teammate.

"That would help, thank you, Alvarez," Coach Burnside said, before directing her attention back to Rosalie. "I suggest you eat whatever Alvarez brought. You know damn well you need to eat before any sort of physical activity. Sit on the bleachers and when you've gotten yourself together, you may join us. This will not happen again, understand?"

"Y-yes Coach," Rosalie forced out.

Coach Burnside nodded curtly and stormed back over to the other gymnasts who were warming up. Rosalie made her way to the bleachers, her face red with embarrassment, and sat down. She then saw a protein bar and banana being handed to her.

"Here. Thank god I had extras,"

Rosalie gingerly took the food as she finally took a look at who this teammate was that was actually being nice to her. It was Kendall Alvarez, one of the seniors on the team. The seniors tended to be the meanest to the underclassman or just plain ignore them, but Kendall always kept to herself and never joined the seniors in any taunting or teasing. She was there solely to be a gymnast and she was an excellent one to boot. Chenille always managed to be number one, but Kendall was a close second.

"Seriously, at least eat the banana if anything. The potassium will make you feel so much better," Kendall kept talking softly so no one else would overhear. "Coach will bench you if this keeps happening. Just eat something,"

Kendall then hurried to join her teammates in the warmups. Rosalie stared at the banana, which was a perfect yellow, no brown spots to be seen.

'Banana: 105 calories'

She then took a look at the protein bar. It was Cookies and Cream flavored.

'Protein Bar: 200 calories'

Rosalie immediately shoved the protein bar aside in favor of the lower-calorie banana. She sighed as this would break her days long fast, but the idea of being benched was not an option. She needed to do this. She needed to be out there and practicing. She peeled the banana and took small bites. She wanted to stop at half but ended up just eating the whole thing. It took a while, but eventually, the headache dulled and she was able to function again. She tossed the banana peel into the nearest trash can and made her way to her team to finish the warmups.

During lunch, it felt like all eyes were on Rosalie. Even Coach Burnside was watching her to make sure she was eating with the team. Rosalie hated it.

This time, Coach got sandwiches and salads for the team, rather than pizza. Rosalie got a plain salad to look 'normal' in front of everyone and even nibbled on some lettuce for good measure, but she wanted to run away and hide from everyone's stares. She was so close to walking out of the gym when Kendall got up from where she was sitting and sat down next to Rosalie.

"Hey,"

"Hi…" Rosalie said in a natural shy tone.

"For someone whose morning started out rough, you really pulled through during your floor routine. You're so graceful with your flips," Kendall complimented and Rosalie tried very hard not to blush.

"Oh um…thanks. Your vault was good today,"

"You're sweet, but it needs so much work. I keep getting nervous before I start running, but I'll make it work,"

Rosalie noticed that everyone was returning to their conversations and not staring at her anymore which let her relax a bit. The other thing she noticed was how Kendall, who normally avoided her like everyone else, was now acting extremely nice. Rosalie was obviously grateful, but she felt like she had to keep a guard up. What if this was fake, or a prank? Kendall didn't seem like a malicious person who would do that, but you still have to be careful. As Kendall continued to talk, Rosalie picked at her salad and occasionally took a bite.

"Is that all you are eating?" Kendall asked.

"Oh, I don't really like sandwiches. This is fine," Rosalie said carefully, trying to sound convincing.

"Is it the sandwich meat? I know it can be gross sometimes. I know there is one that's just grilled vegetables. Want to try it with me?"

'Grilled Vegetable Sandwich: ...Unknown Calories'

"Um…" Rosalie wanted to say no but Kendall kept staring at her. Kendall then leaned in close and whispered,

"It's not fattening Rosalie. Besides, you'll be burning it off anyway when we get back to practice this afternoon,"

Rosalie literally wanted to scream and snap at Kendall but she bit her lip. She didn't need her playing 'angel on her shoulder' and being all concerned about her. At the same time, Kendall was a senior and well respected by Coach Burnside. She could go and squeal to Coach Burnside and get her kicked off the team. Rosalie was more worried about Chenille, but Kendall could easily flip a switch. She was sure of it.

"I guess…" Rosalie ended up answering and she mentally kicked herself for sounding wishy-washy.

"I'm sure it's a lot better than tuna salad or bologna. Come on!" Kendall pulled Rosalie up and they went over to the food table. They each grabbed a wedge of the veggie sandwich and headed back to their spots. Rosalie stared at it in her hands. It was roasted red pepper, spinach, and squash. It seemed decent enough. Probably lower calorie…but what about the oils the veggies were roasted in? And the bread? Those were added calories! Rosalie opened the sandwich and started nibbling on the veggies inside while Kendall stared at her. She didn't say anything, only stared. Rosalie stopped and sighed. Begrudgingly, she closed her sandwich and slowly took a normal bite. Kendall smiled and took a bite of her own sandwich.

The sandwich was good, Rosalie had to admit. She also had to admit that Kendall was right. This will be burned off when lunch was over. Maybe this will be okay. Maybe she'll be okay.

At the end of practice, Rosalie was feeling tired and achy, but better than how she was feeling that morning. Coach Burnside was extra hard on her, but that was okay. She wasn't being ignored. Chenille continued to shoot daggers at her, but Rosalie pretended not to notice. At this point, all Rosalie wanted to do was go home, but home was the precinct.

Rosalie took her time getting changed back into her normal clothes. She couldn't help but steal a glance in the mirror.

'Why do I look so bloated? My stomach looks hideous right now,' Rosalie thought as she pinched her stomach. Intrusive thoughts continue to rush through Rosalie's mind as she finished getting changed and hurried back to the gym to meet up with Coach Burnside. As she helped put away the mats, Coach turned to Rosalie and said,

"So I see you are back to your usual self, correct?"

"Yes Coach," Rosalie responded immediately.

"Good. I don't want a repeat of this morning coming from you again, do you understand me?"

"Yes Coach," Rosalie repeated, this time more sincerely.

"Gymnasts need to be strong, healthy, and smart. They need to be in tip-top shape, but they also need to eat well. If you are in need of a proper meal plan, I can give you one,"

"I'd love that please," Rosalie said eagerly.

"Of course. Only a couple of your teammates follow a meal plan. It has helped them so I would hope that it would help you,"

Rosalie nodded and there was some silence as the two continued to pack up and lock up the gym for the evening. As they walked down the school hallways, Coach Burnside spoke again.

"Your mother had let me in on what happened to you months prior. I haven't said anything because I wanted you to focus on the team and this season, but I want you to know something Benson. I may not seem approachable because I am stern with all of you, but if you ever need to talk or need anything at all, I'm here to listen and help. I care about my team and you are just as much of a team member as everyone else. Remember that, okay?" Coach Burnside spoke in her stern and strict voice, but there was just a touch of compassion and it made Rosalie feel warm and safe inside.

"Yes Coach, I'll remember that," Rosalie said softly, trying to keep her emotions at bay. Coach Burnside nodded and placed a hand on Rosalie's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"You're a good girl Benson,"

Rosalie nearly started crying right then and there, but bit her lip and forced a smile. Soon they were outside and sure enough, the police car was waiting for her at the front of the building.

"Good night Benson and make sure you eat a good breakfast tomorrow, you hear me?"

"Yes Coach, good night!" Rosalie answered as she hurried to the car. As the car drove her back to the precinct, Rosalie felt a sense of calm that she hadn't felt in a while. The kindness from Coach Burnside and Kendall today was something she wasn't expecting, but it was welcomed and she hoped that it would continue. It made her forget about her life just a little bit. It made her feel almost normal.

Olivia tried to be patient as she waited for her daughter to return from gymnastics, but she couldn't help but tap her feet and drum her pencil on her desk. She didn't have the chance to see her daughter off this morning and when John had told her that Rosalie looked sick, she couldn't help but be worried. She kept her phone glued to her side just in case her daughter or Coach Burnside called, but the only calls she received were work-related. She knew that she needed to relax a little, but with everything that's been going on, she had every right to be worried.

Soon enough the doors swung open and in came Rosalie, who looked fine and was even smiling a little. Olivia got up from her desk and pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

"Mom I can't breathe!" Rosalie complained in a muffled tone.

"Sorry baby, I'm just happy to see you," Olivia said as she loosened her grip. "John told me you weren't feeling well this morning. Are you okay?"

"I'm alright Mom. Must have been the oatmeal, which by the way, you know how much I hate it!"

"I'm sorry, but you needed something warm and filling. He said you weren't well prior to the oatmeal though…did you sleep well the night before?"

Rosalie seemed uncomfortable as she answered,

"Yes Mom, I slept well. It was just a splitting headache, but once I got to practice it went away. Can I go to the cribs now?"

"Not just yet sweetheart. It's been quiet here and I want to know more about your day. Come sit by my desk," Olivia led her daughter to her desk and pulled an empty chair close to her own. Rosalie sat down and Olivia took a close look at her daughter. Her face seemed so hollow, her eyes tired and her hair seemed to look thinner. She could see her collarbone poking through her shirt and it looked more prominent than it had before. She didn't look like Rosalie anymore, she almost looked like a shell of her once vibrant daughter.

"Mom you are making me uncomfortable," Rosalie squirmed in her seat and Olivia snapped out of it.

"Sorry baby…you look so tired and sick. I know everything must be weighing on your mind and I just wanted to help make it better. How can I make this better?"

Rosalie shivered and Olivia grabbed a hold of her hand.

"My goodness, your hand is like ice!"

Rosalie yanked her hand away and hid it her shirt.

"Mom stop! Please…I don't want to talk about…this right now," Rosalie begged and Olivia bit her lip, trying to stay calm and not overstep any boundaries.

"Okay we won't talk further about that, but still you're freezing!" Olivia said as she began to dig through her desk. "I can't turn the air conditioning off, the guys and Amanda will kill me, but I think I have some leftover hand warmers from last winter. Maybe they can help,"

"Mom I'm fine…" Rosalie started but trailed off as Olivia found the hand warmers and handed them to her. Olivia watched as Rosalie took them out of the packaging and activated them. It was August and she had to give her daughter hand warmers meant for winter. That wasn't normal.

"Better?"

"Yes…thanks, Mom,"

"I'm glad I had them. I wish there was more I can do. You shouldn't be cold in August,"

Rosalie was silent as her eyes darted to the ground. Olivia stopped and scrambled to think of something different to talk about.

"So…tell me about practice today? What did you do?"

"We warm up, then the morning is spent practicing each event. After lunch we then work on our strongest events, mine are balance beam and floor, but we work on everything. That's it really," Rosalie seemed a little uncomfortable, but Olivia assumed it was because they haven't really talked civilly in a while.

"Sounds like a lot. Have you been able to keep up?"

"Oh yes. I'm enjoying it," Rosalie answered, perking up considerably which made Olivia happy. This was good so far. No screaming, no storming away. Just a conversation.

"I'm glad. Really glad…" Olivia smiled and Rosalie seemed to smile as well. "Is there anyone you've been hanging out with? One of the girls from your grade perhaps?"

Rosalie shook her head, but then stopped and said,

"Actually…there's one girl. She's been…nice,"

Olivia perked up at the mention of a possible friend. She knew her daughter struggled to make friends so this felt like a miracle almost!

"Oh yeah? What's her name?"

"Kendall. She's a senior. She normally sticks with the other seniors but today she hung out with me,"

"That's wonderful! Perhaps you can…" Olivia started but caught herself. "I was going to say that perhaps you can invite her over…but that's not possible right now…"

Awkward silence. Both Benson ladies didn't know how to continue this conversation without going into territory that neither wanted to talk or think about.

"Well, um…I'm glad that you have a friend in gymnastics. I hope this continues throughout the school year. Now, you must be hungry after a long day. Want anything in particular?"

Rosalie froze and Olivia caught the sudden mood shift.

"Rosalie don't start with this, please. You need to eat and we aren't repeating yesterday. I will get you anything you want. Please…"

There was a pause, but suddenly Rosalie put on a smile and said,

"Perhaps we can get Uncle Munch to go to the bodega and grab us some egg and cheese sandwiches?"

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle.

"He surely can't pass up two hungry Bensons. I'll give him a call and have him make a pit stop before returning here,"

Rosalie nodded and kept the smile on her face.

"I've missed that smile sweetheart. I hope to see more of it," Olivia said sincerely.

'Baby steps Liv, baby steps. This is going well.' Olivia thought to herself. Things weren't going to change overnight, but she wanted her daughter to trust her and she wanted to be a part of her daughter's life. This seemed to be a step in the right direction.

A/N 2: Hello again folks. I know it has been a while. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure how to finish this chapter and then life got in the way. Anyway here it is, and hopefully, there are still readers somewhere.

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Leave a review if you'd like and stay tuned for Chapter 14!