Chapter 4
Amanda and Kim are in the kitchen of her apartment and she's sitting at the table with her cup of coffee. Kim is putting the food in the refrigerator and in the freezer. Both girls wonder if Nate or his mother is going to notice that there's no food in the refrigerator.
"I think that I would know if Lena had a problem with drugs and alcohol, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure." Amanda says.
"Don't listen to Nate's mom." Kim replies.
Kim says that she had a problem with drugs and relationships. Amanda says that she and their father had gambling addictions and bad relationships. They talk about their mother's drinking. Amanda tells her sister that she hoped that Lena would never drink any alcohol after going to an AA meeting.
"She's repeating what Nate told her." Amanda says.
"We're repeating what Lena told us." Kim replies.
Amanda wonders what she should do about Lena's drinking. Kim suggest that they have a girl's night out with Lena but Amanda says that Lena is too depressed to get out of the apartment. The girls just want to help Lena get over her breakup with Nate but they don't know what to do.
"Amanda?" Lena asks.
"In the kitchen." Amanda replies.
"This might get heavy. Would it bother you if I make popcorn?" Kim asks.
Lena comes into the kitchen in her pajamas and she's still depressed. Amanda has never seen Lena sadder than ever before. Kim has never been hungrier in her life. Amanda thinks that Kim should be careful with what and how she eats.
"Did you get all of my stuff?" Lena asks.
"It's on the couch." Amanda replies.
"And in the fridge." Kim responds.
Kim is done putting the food in the refrigerator and in the freezer. Amanda drinks her coffee while trying to figure out why Lena is drinking again. She hopes that Lena isn't popping pills like Nate's mother said that she was.
"You didn't happen to see Nate, did you?" Lena asks.
"No, but we ran into his mom." Amanda replies.
"Really? What did she say?" Lena asks.
"She told us that the reason why you and Nate broke up was because you're been partying a lot." Amanda replies.
Lena wonders why Nate's mother would say that Lena has been drinking and popping pills. Amanda says that if she has a problem, she and Kim will help her out. The three girls don't know what to think or say one another.
"Did you believe her?" Lena asks.
"No, but I'm concerned about you." Amanda replies.
The next day, Amanda and Kim are out to eat lunch with Declan, Tony and Christina. The sisters tell them that they have a friend who might be drinking. They try to find ways that Lena can get help with her drinking but Amanda says that Lena was going to an AA meeting.
"Your mother was always drinking every night and I was always the one who had to do what a good parent would do and yet, I lost custody of you girls after the divorce." Tony tells his daughters.
"Do you remember jungle juice?" Christina asks.
"Oh, yeah. It had alcohol and fruit which wasn't the greatest. I remember one time I was drinking that stuff at a frat party and I passed out after realizing that I couldn't breathe and saw the rash all over my face and arms. The fraternity had to call 911 and an ambulance and they had to rush me to the hospital. The ER doctor had to tell my mom that I had an allergic reaction to rum." Declan replies.
The group feels that Lena should get help before it's too late. Amanda hopes to help Lena stay sober so that she won't do anything that she regrets. Kim says that they can't change people but people can change themselves. Kim is eating her food but since she misses her boyfriend, she wants to eat other some of the other food too but she just eats her own food.
"I only did drugs because of Jeff but never drank a lot." Kim says.
"I had a gambling addiction, only smoked at the casino and drank there too and only drank during occasions." Amanda responds.
"I've never did any of these things. At least there won't be any alcohol at the wedding since there are going to be children there." Christina says.
After lunch, the group go back to their homes while Kim goes back home with Amanda and Declan. Amanda asks Kim why she wanted to eat the other food that was at the table. Kim tells her that she misses her boyfriend and that food is her comfort.
"I just don't want you to have an eating disorder like you did when you were 16." Amanda says.
"I'm not who I was when I was 16. I'm a different person now." Kim replies.
Kim and Amanda play with Jesse and Frannie as they talk about what happened when Kim was 16 years old. Amanda says that it was hard for her to watch her sister go through an eating disorder. Kim says that it was hard for her to go to school when she had the eating disorder because she would get sick after meals so she had to drop out of school. She remembering spending a month in the hospital in order to get past her eating disorder.
