"The quickest path to self-destruction is to push away the people you love." - Cassia Leo

Two months earlier

Katie entered the bathroom, muttering to herself about Marisol, but silenced herself as she noticed the other two girls by the sink. As they finished drying their hands, they glanced at each other knowingly, passing Katie on their way to the door. Katie mustered her most polite smile.

"Hope you guys can make it to the debate."

After she heard the door shut behind the two girls, she turned on her heel and darted into the nearest stall. She locked the door behind her and left her bag in the corner as she dropped to her knees, hovering over the toilet, gasping for breath.

Months. It had been months, but Katie was back here again, her face over a school bathroom toilet, waiting for whatever it was that was inside her to expel. She wondered if it would be easier to use her fingers, just push them down her throat and make it come out faster. She just needed it out.

No.

She wouldn't give up months of progress for Marisol and her stupid rumor. She was better than that. She was Katie Matlin, the strong, involved, life-put-together woman. She was Editor in Chief of the school paper, she was the soccer star, she was running for school president.

And yet here she was.

Was she just destined to be this messy girl, throwing up whatever she couldn't handle?

She thrust herself backwards, steadying against the walls of the stall around her as she backed into the corner. Sobs began to choke themselves out of her, as she let herself break down for just a moment.

The bathroom door opened and shut, but Katie didn't care. She wasn't paying attention.

Until she heard, "Hey, are you okay in there?"

She stilled, forcing herself to silence her crying.

"Katie?" Marisol's shoes came into view just outside the stall. "Hey in there, are you okay? K-Katie, is that you?"

Katie forced herself to stand up, brushing a tear off her cheek and pulling her bag over her shoulder as she unlocked the stall and came out to face the person who she had once called her best friend.

Marisol widened her eyes, glancing into the stall and then back at Katie, as the blood drained from her face. "Oh my god, did you just-"

Katie snorted bitterly, the pain of facing Marisol burning in her chest. "Like you care. I'm going to lose it all - the boy, the election."

"I crossed the line, okay-" Marisol began. It was obvious that regret and fear at what she had done was soaking her words and stance, but Katie wasn't paying attention to that.

"You ruined everything," Katie cut her off. "All because some boy liked me better?"

Katie was finally letting it out to her best friend. She was at fault here; she had driven her to this. But if Marisol wanted to ruin her life, Katie would cut her out of it.

Marisol swallowed, painfully aware that she had gone too far, way too far. But she had never thought that Katie would-

"I hate you," Katie bit out, and Marisol stared at her in disbelief.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do," Katie shot back. "You're a horrible person, I can't believe we were ever friends."

"Katie," Marisol tried.

"You're dead to me," Katie lashed out.

As Katie turned away, her eyes were glassed with tears that she wouldn't let fall. She was better than this. She was better than Marisol, and the little bulimic everyone thought she was. She didn't need Marisol.

But even as she put more distance between her and her best friend, she felt her stomach sinking, for the friendship she had just ended. They had been friends for a long time, and she would have done anything for her.

But telling everyone about her secret, something she had struggled with - that wasn't something she could forgive.

A/N: Yeah, this is a short chapter, but I wanted to start off with the scene in the show that this is all coming from. (Season 11, episode 5, 8:30 mins in).

I'm not sure if I'll do a back and forth thing between Katie's pov and Marisol's pov, but we'll see how it pans out.

The first chapter was kind of a prologue, showing what the end of the story is like. The rest of the story is 'how we got to that point'.

Any feedback is appreciated! Even one word keeps me going :)

Kisses,

C