Charlotte
Lucy's statement sent Cassie into a frenzy as she hugged her stroked away her tears she suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders making her face her. Lucy still hung her head tears coming down as she tried to look up her body shaking. When she started talking though her voice was small very un-Lucy like.
Lucy: "You heard him Cass he called me a hog, Jeff called me a pig they wouldn't say those things if it weren't true"
Cassie: "Look at me Lucy"
Lucy still wouldn't look up at her she just cried I swear my heart broke with each tear shed my anger rose what a jerk how could he do this to her? He stood by doing nothing he knew how upset how hurt she was. Cassie wasn't giving up though.
Cassie: "I SAID LOOK AT ME LUCY DUNN! Stop crying and look at me!
Lucy's head shot up as Cassie grabbed Molly's compact mirror a few napkins without giving Lucy time to reply she wiped away her tears. Reapplied her makeup. Cassie was so intense it scared me there was a fire in her eyes, her breathing was labored as she grabbed a water bottle shoved it in Lucy's mouth.
Cassie: "Drink now"
She didn't let Lucy refuse she grabbed her hair pulled her hair back shoved the water down almost choking her.
Cassie: "Lucy Elizabeth Dunn I am done listening to you cry over that loser if he can't see how amazing you are than screw him let that hussy have him you my dear friend are way too precious too beautiful and too damn smart to throw your life away wasting your youth over some immature fool that can't see how damn good he had it"
Lucy: "He's only telling the truth I'm fat!"
Cassie grabbed her pulled up her shirt and pinched her stomach Lucy flinched her whole face twisted in pain.
Cassie: "Where's the fat Lucy? All I feel is skin tell me show me!"
Lucy: "Your pinching it that's fat all around there my stomach my legs my butt everywhere it surrounds me!" Stop Cassie your hurting me!"
Cassie:"How Lucy how can I hurt you?" Cassie twisted harder as Lucy screamed silently in pain my whole body became tense my chest started hurting didn't she see her face? She was going to far now.
"If this was fat Lucy than you wouldn't feel it you feel it like this Lucy because there is no fat it's all skin, Lucy skin hanging over bones, there isn't an ounce of fat on your delicate body listen to me Brett wasn't calling you a pig all he was trying to say was that you don't listen you don't let him talk, think Take the time Lucy to hear other people out let others talk we have something to say"
Lucy seemed in shock as she pushed her off falling back breathless. I could see her fighting Ana again she grabbed her head. Cassie wouldn't quit though.
Cassie: "Don't listen to her what is she saying? Talk to us Lucy were here for you talk to us"
Kendra, Molly and I quickly closed in our little circle taking her in our arms she started crying again holding her head.
Lucy: "I can't silence her she's shouting at me she's siding with Brett she keeps telling me I am ugly, I'm sick, I'm worthless, I'm a fat cow a pig."
Cassie: "She's lying Lucy look at me she's wrong she's sick not you she's ugly your beautiful you can silence her stop letting her control you look at us listen to us not her, she's wrong were right were your friends were the ones with you every step of the way not her"
Molly: "She doesn't care about Brett She only cares about destroying you Lucy she's making you hear what she wants you to hear"
Lucy: "I belong on a barn I should be slaughtered everything I touch I destroy, I don't deserve to have Brett"
Kendra: "You don't belong on a barn Lucy uh your way to high maintenance for farm life I mean really Lucy do you see yourself tending chickens?"
The way Kendra said it the look on her face was perfect we all started laughing rubbing her back I wrapped my arms around her bony back.
Lucy: "I'm nothing without Ana"
Molly: "No she's nothing without you Luce you hold the power you can tell her to shut the fudge up and go pound on someone else head"
Molly snapped her fingers as she rubbed Lucy's legs which were way too thin.
"Were always going to be here for you Luce She will leave as soon as she knows your fighting as soon as you decide to take control back she'll be too weak but bitch you can't get rid of us were stuck with you like glue but not as ugly or as messy cause you know were too fab to look drab"
Lucy cracked a smile as Kendra ran her hand through her hair Cassie kept rocking her.
Lucy: "I can' t eat if I eat I won't be able to fit into my uniform if I get fatter no one will hire me I won't be cheer captain they don't want fat pigs"
Cassie: "That's a lie Luce weight doesn't define a person what defines them is who they are inside, their compassion their strength. You won't be happy when you are skinny or fit a certain standard of beauty society has created. Happiness starts when you love yourself from the inside. Once you are able to see that, your mind will open up and unleash your true life's purpose and your dreams."
Lucy: "If I am not thin I can't be perfect I have to be perfect! If I'm not thin I'll never be good enough"
Cassie stroked her face while Kendra brushed her hair pulling it back braiding it gently I kept hugging her mid section as Cassie and Molly held her in front.
Kendra, "Every person has flaws. Nobody is perfect and, quite frankly, who wants to be? Flaws and imperfections make us special, they make us unique and interesting." Cassie: "Flaws shape your character. You don't need to hide them, you need to embrace them. Otherwise, life would be quite boring, don't you think Luce?"
Molly: "If anyone is judging you by what's outside Lucy than there's something wrong with them, beauty isn't defined by skin or weight it's what's in your heart, don't let some producer tell you what your worth they only care about their bank account they don't give a damn about you, it's not personal it's business to them."
Lucy started to calm down as she looked up Cassie slipped a piece of bagel in Lucy's mouth gently but firmly shutting her jaw making her chew, swallow.
Lucy: "I won't be able to stop I'll gain too much weight"
Charlotte: "No babe you won't I won't let you were here for you just take a few bites I promise will be here you won't get fat, just eat a few bites at a time till you feel full"
Lucy: "I'm broken there's no fixing me I can't I can't keep this down I'm getting fatter I can feel it I have to get rid of it!"
Every single one of us grabbed her holding her down as she started crying again Cassie was almost holding her like a wrestler damn she's tougher than I ever knew. Remind myself not to piss her off. Molly slipped another piece of bagel inside her mouth this time Lucy chewed on her own than Molly gave her some water made her swallow.
Molly: "No Lucy it's just Ana talking you barely had anything just one bite there's like one tenth of a calorie in it she's just trying to scare you, your not broken your hurting your scared it's just all this pain you have bottled up inside it's killing you let it go Luce let it go let us help you"
I tore off a grape popped it in her mouth she chewed but made a face, so I gave her a handful of Rice of off Kendra's tray. She chewed that better, than took a sip of water, we let her rest for a few moments.
Charlotte: "Perfection is a disease of a nation, we take the worst parts of ourselves we shine a light on them and we focus so much on them we forget the parts that truly matter the parts that make us beautiful, like your heart Luce you have one of the strongest most purest hearts of anyone I have ever met your so fiercely loyal it hurts you when someone betrays you, so you take that pain and you turn it on yourself, we need to fix what's inside we need to fix this hurt so we can silence Ana forever"
Kendra: "Lucy if there's one thing I learned from sixth grade from being a cheerleader is that we are expected to be perfect to be the hottest bitches but were only human were only little girls trying to make it in a plastic surgery world. Plastic smiles and denial can only take us so far then we break when the fake facade leaves us in the dark. Were left with shattered mirrors and the shards of a beautiful girl"
After twenty minutes we had managed to get her to willingly eat two teaspoons of rice, three bites of a bagel, ten sips of water. It wasn't much but it was a start, best of all she forgot about Brett. Laying in Cassie's arms she closed her eyes her breathing was less labored now. We were all exhausted by the time it was done laying back I let my head fall into Kendra's lap as she texted Archie. Kendra's fingers through my hair felt amazing. Damn though my stomach hurt, I needed to get rid of everything I had just eaten but there was no way I could go now Lucy would know she would want to follow if she did we would lose all we just fought for. Plus the girls would discover Billie they can't ever know about Billie. They would think I was sick to but I wasn't no doctor or pill that can take my pain away.
The pain's inside and nobody can free me from my body, they couldn't stop what was happening to me and unless they could than they could never discover Billie without her I would rather be dead.
Cassie suddenly jumped up dear god was she serious? How did she have any energy left? Was she really about to cheer? Arms up yup she was great she wasn't doing this alone that much I knew, sure enough Kendra grabbed my hands, Molly tried to crawl away bitch no way if I had to you had to, so I grabbed her dragging her. Might as well make it count use this as an excuse to get some calories shed.
"Quayles hear us listen to our wail"