Sick Obsession
Disclaimer: Oh if I owned this, it wouldn't be a comedy. I enjoy teenage angst far too much. All rights go to Kiyohiko Azuma.
I can't believe I got as many reviews as I did—yes, three reviews is "many" to me. Thanks so much!
Chapter 2: Distorted Advice
Tomo sat along the edge of her bed, munching on a handful of her seaweed flavored chips, trying to process what had happened at Yomi's house. She grabbed another fistful of chips, popping them in her mouth. She wondered how Yomi did it. Did she stuff herself with sweets, just to make herself sick after? Tomo knew what it was. Bulimia: a term they went over every year in gym classes since year 4. Miss Kurosawa discussed it one day last summer, right before swimming lessons had started. Then Tomo had picked on Yomi in her bathing suit, saying she had gained weight...
"Yomi's crazy flexible 'cause her body is made of almost nothing but fat!" Tomo had cried.
"Double chop! Quit being so damn rude," Yomi shouted.
She didn't get angry much anymore. Like she was too tired to really care. Sure Yomi bit out short remarks like, "stupid" or "idiot," but Tomo hadn't seen Yomi angry angry in a while. Even in elementary school, Yomi always made sure to put Tomo down. Tomo curled a hand into a fist, smacking it against her knees. What was Yomi's family life like? Even after years of sneaking in through her bedroom window, Tomo really didn't know. Mrs. Mizuhara was seldom home; Tomo knew she was a business women, and Mr. Mizuhara spent long hours at his office. She didn't think they put a lot of pressure on Yomi, as Miss Kurosawa had described. Bulimia. Yomi definitely had the eating and puking symptoms, but it was Yomi.
Tomo set the bad of chips on the floor next to her. She suddenly didn't feel so hungry. She imagined Yomi eating all those sweets. She chewed on her lip; there were a lot of sweets wrappers. Tomo brought her knees to her chest. After Yomi had confirmed that her throwing up was on purpose, Tomo nodded. Then cowardly left, mumbling "Right." She needed to go back. What if Yomi was doing that again? What if she was hunched over her toilet again, with vomit dripping down her fingers, her eyes so red and bloodshot, a satisfied glint in her eyes?
Tomo rested her head on her knees. She couldn't quite summon the energy to pluck herself from her spot by her bed. Tomo let her eyes drift shut. Beneath her closed lids, she could picture Yomi in her bathing suit from last summer. Yomi was so tall; she wasn't fat.
Tomo left home early, waving quickly to her shocked mother, intent on asking Miss Kurosawa more about it. She had fallen asleep on the floor; she had woken up to an uncomfortable crick in her neck and her face matted with chip crumbs-but she had woken up early. As she approached school, Tomo saw Miss Kurosawa and Miss Yukari exiting a car. She stilled for a moment, wondering who drove. She exhaled as she noticed Miss Kurosawa standing on the right side of the car. Plus, it wasn't the Yukari-mobile, she thought.
"Miss Kurosawa," Tomo called, waving her hand. Both teachers turned. "Can I talk to you?"
Yukari said, "No cheating. You had a month to prepare for your finals." She cackled.
"It's not about finals," Tomo said.
"And she wasn't talking to you!" Kurosawa exclaimed, bopping Yukari on the head.
"How can I help you?" Kurosawa smiled warmly at Tomo.
Tomo scratched her head, "It's kind of-" she looked around at the almost empty courtyard. "Private."
Kurosawa cocked an eyebrow, "I think Miss Yukari might be a better resource for you."
Tomo shook her head.
"But she is your homeroom teacher."
"N'yamo-" Yukari whined.
"Never mind," Kurosawa quickly amended. She placed an arm around Tomo, leading her away from the still-bawling Yukari.
"You're so cruel!" Yukari cried from a distance.
Once they reached classroom 1-5, Kurosawa gazed at Tomo evenly. "What do you need to talk about?" she questioned.
Tomo set her bag on a desk. She shook her head. "It's not me, right?"
"Ok."
Tomo walked to the window. She noticed Yomi at the school gates. Kurosawa settled herself at the teacher's desk. "I can't help, if you don't tell me," she coaxed.
Tomo spun around. "Why are some people bulimic?" she blurted out.
"Excuse me?" Kurosawa paused, one hand halfway to her brief case,
"You went over eating disorders last spring, so..."
"Yes," Kurosawa straightened, "but that was almost a year ago. Why are you asking now?"
Tomo returned to watching Yomi from the window. Yomi looked normal today. She was conversing with Chiyo-chan, and, if Tomo hadn't witnessed Yomi last night, she would never notice anything off, like Yomi's short replies. Chiyo-chan bounced around, not noticing that Yomi didn't speak much.
"Bulimia," Kurosawa stated blandly, certain that Tomo wasn't going to speak up, "is basically episodes of eating large quantities of food, binging, then getting rid of the food, purging. This can be by abusing laxatives, vomiting, over-"
"It's puking," Tomo said.
"Okay then." Kurosawa folded her hands, trying to recall what she usually taught about eating disorders. "Bulimia is usually marked by self hatred and a dissatisfaction with one's appearance. Bulimics are typically average or above average weight. Regular vomiting can hurt the esophagus, the heart. It causes electrolyte imbalance; it will rip the acid off your teeth."
"I said, it's not me!" Tomo glared at her reflection in the window. As she walked up to the school building with Sakaki and Chiyo-chan, Yomi didn't look like she had health problems. Though, Tomo remembered, last night as Yomi had lifted herself from the floor, she had been shaking really badly.
Tomo interrupted Miss Kurosawa's lecture on the consequences of eating disorders, "Why does she get dizzy after she throws up?"
Tomo bristled as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Who's she?" Kurosawa forced Tomo to face her. Tomo glanced out the window, turning her face away from Miss Kurosawa's. Yomi was out of sight, probably taking off her outdoor shoes.
"Just a friend," she mumbled. Tomo looked up, "How do they stop?"
"It takes years of inpatient or outpatient therapy, a strong support system, and, most important, a desire to stop the symptoms," Kurosawa said, speaking like a text book.
"Ok!" Tomo punched a fist into the air. "Dr. Tomo will make this all better!" Tomo smiled widely, thanked Miss Kurosawa, and departed the classroom.
"That's not what I meant," Kurosawa called out to empty air.
A/N: Yomi's dizziness is caused by dehydration off the top of my head. When you vomit, you lose a lot of water—even if you're consuming a couple cups worth during a binge.