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

CHAPTER 4

She ate. It was only for show but she ate and she couldn't stand it. Lynette could feel the fat attaching itself to her thighs. Every bite she took was one bite further away from the perfection she had been working so hard to achieve. As soon as she finished the meal Lynette excused herself from the table and went to the bathroom. Before she knew it she was leaning over the toilet with her finger jammed down her throat. She struggled and gagged for a moment before everything came back up. Lynette took a relieved breath and leaned back against the wall unable to believe what she had just done. It had been so much easier than she'd ever imagined it would be and nobody suspected a thing. She stood up, washed out her mouth and went back downstairs before her children questioned her absence.

It was poker night again. Lynette had come to dread this night. The pressure to eat, the questions from her friends, the lies she had to tell. But tonight was different. Lynette would eat if they asked her, if they pushed her because tonight she had a secret weapon.

Susan opened the door and greeted Lynette with a hug. "Come on in. Gaby is sitting on the couch and Bree is on her way over with a new recipe she wants us to try." Susan paused and looked at Lynette, waiting to see how she would react to the mention of food.
"Great, I'm starving." Lynette lied as sat her purse down on kitchen counter. Susan gave a relieved smile and they both headed to the living room.
"Hey Lynette, long time no see." Gaby said from the couch. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were avoiding me."
"Why would I do that?" Lynette took a seat on the chair across from Gaby.
Nobody said anything for a moment. Just as Gaby opened her mouth to say something the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Susan jumped up and hurried to the door.
"Thank God you're here. What took you so long? Gaby is at it again."
"The cake took longer than I expected it would and I'm here now."

After some pushing from Gaby Lynette hesitantly took and ate one slice of cake. Without being told or asked she took a second, just to prove that she was eating. "This cake is delicious. What did you call it again?"
"It's called a Butterfly Cake. It's a variation of a cupcake. My grandmother use to make it for me when I was a little girl and I just recently found the recipe. Would you like more?"
"I couldn't. Two slices is enough for me."
"I'll take some more" Susan said without hesitation.
Bree turned to Gaby "would you like some more Gaby?"
Gaby eyed the cake longingly and then put her hand to her stomach. "I really don't think I could eat another bite if I tried. Besides, I've already had three slices."
Susan picked up the deck of cards. "Whose deal is it?"
"Mine" Lynette said "but can someone deal for me. I need to use the restroom."
"I'll deal" Susan said and began to shuffle the deck.
A few seconds later Bree turned to Susan "is there any way I could borrow your pearl necklace this weekend? Mine seems to have disappeared."
"Sure, why don't you go grab it now so you don't forget it later?"
"Excellent idea" Bree said and went to go get the necklace.

Bree ran upstairs to grab the necklace but stopped at the top of the stairs when she heard a strange noise coming from the bathroom at the end of the hall. She paused and looked questioningly at it but continued to Susan's bedroom. When she returned downstairs Lynette was back from the restroom and it was her turn.
"Lynette, was that you throwing up in the bathroom just now?" Bree casually asked as she sat down at the table.
"Uhm yeah. I must have eaten some bad seafood last night for dinner. My stomach has been upset all day." She reached for her glass of water.
Susan took a sip of her coffee. "Eating two slices of that cake probably didn't help it much."
Gaby turned to Lynette "where did you eat? Carlos and I are going out this weekend and I'd like to avoid spending the whole weekend leaning into my toilet."
Lynette choked down her water and looked at Gaby "I ate at the uhm…you know…that place over between the gas station and the supermarket."
"You mean Southern Style Chicken?" Bree asked with a puzzled expression on her face.
"Yeah…right. Did I say seafood? I meant chicken. I don't know where seafood even came from." Lynette laughed nervously.
"I see." Susan began to deal the cards for another hand. "Does that mean you're giving up the whole vegetarian thing?"
"It was tofu chicken." Lynette took another long drink of her water hoping someone would change the subject.

"Oh" Susan squeaked. "Ok. How did it taste?"
"I've never had tofu chicken. I've never had tofu anything. Did it look like chicken?" Bree asked trying to help Susan change the subject.
"Well, to be honest it tasted a lot like…"

Gaby turned to Lynette cutting her off mid sentence "Oh no. You're not getting off the hook that easily. Last time I checked food poisoning didn't affect people's memories."
"Whoever said it did?" Lynette shot back.
"And what person in their right mind would eat two slices of cake knowing it would make them sick?"
"Oh, so you'd have believed me if I'd just said I had food poisoning from the start…" Lynette scoffed.
"No, of course not. Nobody in their right mind would've believed that. Nobody believes anything you say anymore." Gaby said through clenched teeth, her eyes on fire.
"Then what is it that you want from me?" Lynette practically yelled as she stood up and ran her hands through her hair. "What do you want me to say? What are the right answers to your questions?"
"THE TRUTH! I WANT YOU TO START TELLING THE TRUTH."

Lynette clenched her fists and took several deep breaths. "I swear Gaby, if you accuse me of lying one more time our friendship is over."
Gaby stood up and walked over to Lynette. She took her hand. "Maybe I'll sacrifice our friendship to keep you safe." Gaby gave Lynette's hand a small squeeze and then let herself out.

NOTE: Ok, I wasn't sure about this chapter and I was really nervous about putting it up. Any and all reviews, criticism or praise, will be greatly appreciated. As always, I'll post another chapter after I get a few, just so I know people are still reading.