DISCLAMER: The only thing I own from this story is the plot. Everything else belongs to ABC and Mark Cherry.

CHAPTER 3

Lynette woke with a jump. She looked around trying to get her bearings but she felt groggy and couldn't concentrate on anything. So she closed her eyes. She could hear voices but could only understand bits and pieces of what was being said and she couldn't distinguish between different people.
"...I...years...anorexia..."
"...No...conclusions..."
"...ask...awake..."
Then there was silence followed by the clicking of heals and the shuffling of feet. When she opened her eyes again the world came into focus. Lynette remembered the party and getting upset. It was then that she realized that she was lying on the Solis's couch and the voices belonged to her friends. The same friends who were now sitting around her with worried looks on their faces.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Susan asked as she gently put her hand on Lynette's knee. "You had us worried."
Bree stared at Lynette, "what happened?" She opened her mouth as if to say more but instead looked at Susan who barely nodded her head no.
Lynette stared down at her hands. She knew she couldn't tell them the truth because they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't see that she was trying to achieve absolute perfection. They wouldn't see the beauty in what she was doing. All they would do was try and stop her and that would ruin everything. Lynette sighed "I know that I haven't been myself since the divorce. I've been defensive and crabby and I really haven't been taking very good care of myself. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that I worried you." She looked up to measure her friends' reactions and was instantly aware of two things: Bree and Susan believed her lies and Gaby knew the truth.
Lynette quickly looked away from Gaby and focused her attention on Bree who had begun to speak. "You shouldn't have to go through this alone. Let us help you. Talk to us." Susan nodded her head in agreement. Gaby continued to stare, arms crossed, mouth tight.
Lynette put on her best fake smile "You're absolutely right. It's just hard for me to accept help. I'll do better."

For a moment nobody said anything and Lynette could sense a tension in the room that she hadn't noticed before. Suddenly Gaby stood up. "Oh for goodness sakes, if you two aren't going to ask her I will. Did your passing out have anything to do with this new 'diet' you're on?" Bree's cheeks turned red and she directed her attention to the spider crawling up the outside of the window. Susan suddenly became very interested in the design of the rug on the floor. Only Gaby looked Lynette in the eyes.

Lynette sighed and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She tried again, carefully wording her response. "What is it that you're asking me Gaby?"

Gaby cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms "you know exactly what I'm asking you. Don't play dumb."

Adrenaline pumped through Lynette's veins, she felt her face flush. She took another deep breath. "I am not starving myself" she practically whispered. "I told you, I just haven't been taking very good care of myself and I didn't realize how poorly I was doing until tonight." She put her head in her hands and sobbed. "I've just been so caught up with the kids and trying to make things easier for them. There's just been so much to do…" She stopped, her words cut off by another sob.
Susan breathed a sigh of relief. "So the new diet really is a diet? Nothing else?"

"Nothing else" Lynette had become a professional liar.
Bree gave a hesitant smile and Susan hugged her. Lynette blew her nose and stood up "It's late. I need to get home. Tom is bringing the kids over tomorrow morning and I need to finish the laundry."
Gaby stood as well "I'll walk you to the door."
Bree and Susan stood. "MJ has a project due Monday and I need to help him with it tomorrow. I should get going too."

"I will not be the last guest to leave. It's terrible manners." Bree chimed.

"Then I will walk all of you to the door."

Gaby hugged each of her friends goodbye and thanked them for attending her dinner party. When she hugged Lynette she pulled her in close. "Don't do this." Gaby whispered so quietly that only Lynette could hear.

"Goodnight Gaby" Lynette said. "Dinner was wonderful." Then she, Bree and Susan headed home for the night.

It bothered Lynette how often she lied to the people she loved. It even bothered her how often she lied to people she didn't know. But she couldn't help it. The truth had to stay a secret from as many people as possible. She and Gaby hadn't spoken in a week, since the dinner party incident. Lynette hoped it would stay that way. Gaby was a variable, an unpredictable factor. She was only person who didn't believe Lynette, the only person who knew the truth. The further Lynette stayed away from Gaby the better.

Lynette crawled out of bed and got dressed to jog. She no longer jogged in the neighborhood, it was too risky. Instead, she ran through town to the park by river. Nobody she knew went there often so it was a safe zone. Lynette ran and ran. She ran until she couldn't run anymore and then some. She always made sure to go back home before her neighbors were up and about and before her children noticed her absence. It was for the best.

Another week passed. Another week of lies and excuses. They slipped off of her tongue like turpentine, one after another. Lynette stepped on the scale. Three more pounds lost. More restricting. More running. More lies. But it was worth it. She was so close to perfection. Just ten more pounds. Lynette stepped off of the scale, got dressed and went downstairs to make breakfast.

NOTE: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter; I've been on vacation for the last week and didn't have access to a computer until today. I'll keep writing chapters as long as I know people are reading it so keep the reviews up . Please and Thank you!