I sat on the curb in a dazed kind of state. For some reason my eyes were
practically glued to all the turmoil. Paramedics were treating people left
and right. Thankfully, none of the injuries were anything serious. The cut
on Marissa's arm wasn't all that bad once all the blood was cleaned off. My
eyes wandered around despairingly, as an older gentleman patched up my leg.
I think I might have been in shock, everything seemed so unbelievably surreal. Ya know how people say, "It happened so fast."? Well, they weren't lying. Marissa had told me she was going to call our parents and I've been sitting here ever since. The man taking care of me was a little unsympathetic with the rubbing alcohol.
I hissed silently, as I anxiously twiddled my thumbs, waiting for Marissa to return.
"You alright, boy?" The man asked me, as if it were required rather then actually being concerned.
I nodded my head feebly, and he still slapped my shoulder, and hobbled off.
I rested my head onto my knees, and wrapped my arms around my shins tightly. I started to recall the events leading up the first time I met Ralph. Well, in a whole different way at least.
It had been three weeks into the new school year of 7th grade. Every day for those three weeks Luke Ward and his bunch hassled me, and every day for those three weeks I tolerated it. I probably wouldn't have let anyone know about the happenings at school but seeing how I was coming home with unexplainable bruises and calls were being made by concerned teachers, it was inevitable for it to come up.
"Seth..." Dad began, sitting at the edge of my bed, after telling me that we needed to talk. I was sure he'd found that tape I so cleverly hidden in The Little Mermaid movie case, but his body language told me otherwise.
"You know that you can always talk to me and your mother if anything is ever bothering you, don't you?" Those big eyebrows of his furrowed, as his arm hung over my shoulder.
"Yeah... of course." I was fairly confused, and I think Dad detected that in my prepubescent voice.
He bit his lip at a loss of words, kind of like he did the first time I asked him where babies came from.
"Listen..." He started, his teeth freeing his lower lip, "If anyone at school maybe, was ever giving you a hard time, I'd want to you to feel comfortable enough to let me know..."
Oh... that.
I wanted to shrug his arm off my shoulder, but I didn't. I just sat there and did what I did best. I played dumb.
"I'd tell you, dad." I smiled up at him compellingly, and I think lying to him hurt him most. He nodded his head, and removed his arm from my shoulder. He stood up in front of me, leaned over, and kissed my forehead.
"Dinner's almost ready." He told me, and left my room, shutting the door behind him.
I sat there for a while, my stomach twisted with embarrassment. They both knew about the name calling and the frequent beatings. I felt almost so naked then.
"Seth, dinner!!" Mom called, and I left my thoughts in the room as I jogged downstairs.
I was hungry. Lately, I had been trying to cut back on food. I didn't tell my parents because I knew they'd protest.
"What are we having?" I asked, as I entered the dinning room.
"Spaghetti..." Mom told me, covering her mouth as she spoke, "I already served you." She added, nodding her head toward my plate.
I sat down where she placed me and frowned at what I saw.
My plate was small, and the portion she gave me was smaller. It was half of what I usually ate.
I slowly picked up my folk, and leisurely ate my meal... if you could even call it that.
I was done in minutes, and my eyes darted for the garlic bread. I took a rather big slice, and when I finished my hand went for another. The look on my mom's face stopped me. She almost had a look of disappointment. My hand recoiled, and I accidentally knocked over my cup of grape juice. It spilled all over my shirt and pants. I stood up quickly, and grabbed my napkin as if that really helped.
"Shoot..." I shouted and hurriedly made my way back upstairs so I could change. As I entered my room, I went straight for the bathroom where I peeled off my drenched shirt, and went for the sink to wash up, but I stopped when I saw myself in the mirror. I held my breath, as I let the tips of my fingers trace the stretch marks forming at the sides of my stomach. I sighed, looking down, as tears begged to come out of my eyes.
I was fat...
I guess I still thought it was okay, because my parents hadn't made it into an issue. But after seeing that look on my mother's face, it was clear to me that Luke Ward was right all along.
"I'm fat." I said for the first time in my life, and I made it real then.
I was Heff Cohen, and I didn't want to be him anymore.
I turned on the faucet, and let the cool water pour into my cupped hands. I brought them up, and splashed the water onto my face. I coughed, covering my eyes from the image in front of me.
I didn't know what I could do. I could feel the pounds coming, and I didn't want that food in my stomach any second longer.
I darted for the toilet, where I tried vigorously to throw up. I jammed my fingers down my throat as far as they could go, scrapping the back of my hand in the process. I was scared, and I couldn't believe this was me. I continued though, and as I went on it started to felt right. It was almost soothing, and I didn't want to stop.
After I felt as though I had gotten everything out of my system, I felt lighter, and I felt better then I had in a long time. I went to the sink again, where I cupped my hands and took a sip to wash out my mouth. I turned the faucet off, and I left the bathroom where I changed my shirt. I sat on the floor, and preceded to do sit ups. I kept going until I was completely out of breath. I went to bed early that night and went to school the next day feeling like a new man.
My name is Seth Cohen, and yesterday I became bulimic.
I think I might have been in shock, everything seemed so unbelievably surreal. Ya know how people say, "It happened so fast."? Well, they weren't lying. Marissa had told me she was going to call our parents and I've been sitting here ever since. The man taking care of me was a little unsympathetic with the rubbing alcohol.
I hissed silently, as I anxiously twiddled my thumbs, waiting for Marissa to return.
"You alright, boy?" The man asked me, as if it were required rather then actually being concerned.
I nodded my head feebly, and he still slapped my shoulder, and hobbled off.
I rested my head onto my knees, and wrapped my arms around my shins tightly. I started to recall the events leading up the first time I met Ralph. Well, in a whole different way at least.
It had been three weeks into the new school year of 7th grade. Every day for those three weeks Luke Ward and his bunch hassled me, and every day for those three weeks I tolerated it. I probably wouldn't have let anyone know about the happenings at school but seeing how I was coming home with unexplainable bruises and calls were being made by concerned teachers, it was inevitable for it to come up.
"Seth..." Dad began, sitting at the edge of my bed, after telling me that we needed to talk. I was sure he'd found that tape I so cleverly hidden in The Little Mermaid movie case, but his body language told me otherwise.
"You know that you can always talk to me and your mother if anything is ever bothering you, don't you?" Those big eyebrows of his furrowed, as his arm hung over my shoulder.
"Yeah... of course." I was fairly confused, and I think Dad detected that in my prepubescent voice.
He bit his lip at a loss of words, kind of like he did the first time I asked him where babies came from.
"Listen..." He started, his teeth freeing his lower lip, "If anyone at school maybe, was ever giving you a hard time, I'd want to you to feel comfortable enough to let me know..."
Oh... that.
I wanted to shrug his arm off my shoulder, but I didn't. I just sat there and did what I did best. I played dumb.
"I'd tell you, dad." I smiled up at him compellingly, and I think lying to him hurt him most. He nodded his head, and removed his arm from my shoulder. He stood up in front of me, leaned over, and kissed my forehead.
"Dinner's almost ready." He told me, and left my room, shutting the door behind him.
I sat there for a while, my stomach twisted with embarrassment. They both knew about the name calling and the frequent beatings. I felt almost so naked then.
"Seth, dinner!!" Mom called, and I left my thoughts in the room as I jogged downstairs.
I was hungry. Lately, I had been trying to cut back on food. I didn't tell my parents because I knew they'd protest.
"What are we having?" I asked, as I entered the dinning room.
"Spaghetti..." Mom told me, covering her mouth as she spoke, "I already served you." She added, nodding her head toward my plate.
I sat down where she placed me and frowned at what I saw.
My plate was small, and the portion she gave me was smaller. It was half of what I usually ate.
I slowly picked up my folk, and leisurely ate my meal... if you could even call it that.
I was done in minutes, and my eyes darted for the garlic bread. I took a rather big slice, and when I finished my hand went for another. The look on my mom's face stopped me. She almost had a look of disappointment. My hand recoiled, and I accidentally knocked over my cup of grape juice. It spilled all over my shirt and pants. I stood up quickly, and grabbed my napkin as if that really helped.
"Shoot..." I shouted and hurriedly made my way back upstairs so I could change. As I entered my room, I went straight for the bathroom where I peeled off my drenched shirt, and went for the sink to wash up, but I stopped when I saw myself in the mirror. I held my breath, as I let the tips of my fingers trace the stretch marks forming at the sides of my stomach. I sighed, looking down, as tears begged to come out of my eyes.
I was fat...
I guess I still thought it was okay, because my parents hadn't made it into an issue. But after seeing that look on my mother's face, it was clear to me that Luke Ward was right all along.
"I'm fat." I said for the first time in my life, and I made it real then.
I was Heff Cohen, and I didn't want to be him anymore.
I turned on the faucet, and let the cool water pour into my cupped hands. I brought them up, and splashed the water onto my face. I coughed, covering my eyes from the image in front of me.
I didn't know what I could do. I could feel the pounds coming, and I didn't want that food in my stomach any second longer.
I darted for the toilet, where I tried vigorously to throw up. I jammed my fingers down my throat as far as they could go, scrapping the back of my hand in the process. I was scared, and I couldn't believe this was me. I continued though, and as I went on it started to felt right. It was almost soothing, and I didn't want to stop.
After I felt as though I had gotten everything out of my system, I felt lighter, and I felt better then I had in a long time. I went to the sink again, where I cupped my hands and took a sip to wash out my mouth. I turned the faucet off, and I left the bathroom where I changed my shirt. I sat on the floor, and preceded to do sit ups. I kept going until I was completely out of breath. I went to bed early that night and went to school the next day feeling like a new man.
My name is Seth Cohen, and yesterday I became bulimic.