Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.
Arthur blinked, turning his head. He saw the swing door of the girls toilets' close, and realised he had a split second. He pushed the door open, and went in.
One cubicle's door was shut. The other three were open. Arthur was about to knock on the cubicle door, when the main door began to open. He ran into a cubicle, looking the door.
"Ari?" it was a gentle voice, not raised. "Ariadne, are you in here?"
A sniffling sound confirmed this, and Arthur heard footsteps walking to the door, followed by another request. "Please, open the door, and talk to me. I've been pulled out of a meeting, and I need to know you're ok."
Arthur blinked. He heard the door scrape open. "I'm here."
"OK." The woman's voice was sympathetic. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was in Chemistry," Ariadne began, falteringly, "and Andy started making comments, and I couldn't..." Arthur heard her voice break. "I couldn't handle it."
"Ariadne, Andy will be spoken to." The woman's voice was firm. "But, you can't let it upset you like this."
"But, it does!" Ariadne's voice had jumped slightly. "Its because I'm fat!" He heard her voice break again. "I've tried everything, Ms Strickland! I've tried diets, exercise, everything! And still the weight doesn't come off!"
"Maybe its not time right now." Arthur could hear the sympathy in the woman's voice. "Ari, dieting can make things worse. Concentrate on living healthily, and you'll find the weight will start to fall off."
"I-" suddenly, a bell started to ring, loudly. The woman sighed.
"I have to leave, I'm afraid, I have a meeting with a parent." Arthur heard footsteps. "Its recess, but make sure you get to your next class."
"OK."
Arthur heard footsteps, and the door opening. He was about to open the door, when it opened again, and he heard three voices.
"Did you see the way Ariadne ran out of Chem?" He swallowed, listening closely. "Jeez, she's so sensitive, and over something that's her own fault!"
Arthur blinked.
"Yeah, I mean, why doesn't she just stop eating?!" Another voice chimed in. "That would help!"
"But did you see the way that cute guy stuck up for her?!" The third voice was incredulous. "I mean, someone good looking arrives, and he goes for the fat girl!"
"Poor boy. Maybe he's insecure." Arthur heard a sink tap being turned on. "Insecure guys go for the fat chicks. Or maybe he just wants to feed her!"
There was a burst of laughter at this. Arthur felt repulsed.
"Well, maybe he'll get lucky." The owner of the first voice was speaking again. "No-one else wants to date her! Can you imagine a guy being with you if your bigger than a size 4?!"
The bell rang again, and the voices started to leave.
He heard the other cubicle door open. Ariadne had exited her cubicle, and was standing at the sink. Suddenly, he heard her voice.
"You're so fat. So ugly." He realised he was talking to her reflection. "But its ok, these will help fix it."
Arthur blinked, shocked. Before he could stop himself, he'd pulled back the bolt to his own cubicle door, and started to walk out of it. "Ariadne, please-"
He looked at her. She was standing at the sink, a bottle in her hand, and what looked like a pill in the other. She put the pill in her mouth.
Arthur moved. "Don't!" he shouted, grabbing for the bottle. "What are you trying to do, kill yourse-"
To his shock, she pushed him, and he grabbed at the sink, trying to hold onto the smooth ceramic edge. His fingers slipped, and he felt himself falling. Before he could stop himself, he was on the floor, his head smashing against the sink.
He blinked, and suddenly found himself staring at the ceiling of his own apartment. He turned, and looked at Ariadne, still sleeping peacefully beside him.
Arthur began to shake, with shock and anger. He wanted to shake her awake, demand she talk to him. Ripping the IV out of his arm, he began to head for the kitchen, needing a glass of water.
As he poured himself one, he willed himself to stop shaking. What he had seen had upset him, and disturbed him. Ariadne...taking pills. What if she still was? What if that was how she kept her figure?
He rubbed his forehead, suddenly feeling everything had twisted out of recognition. He'd assumed she'd lost weight healthily, possibly a growth spurt. But...pills?
What if she's bulimic? Has an eating disorder? God, what haven't I or the others noticed?!
Feeling slightly sick, Arthur took a swallow of water, appreciating its coolness. His mind was swimming. He leaned against the sink, wishing he'd respected her privacy.
"Arthur?"
He stopped, stunned. The timer had run out.
Slowly, he turned. Ariadne was standing in the doorway, a confused, unhappy expression on her face.
"Arthur," she began, her voice faltering. "Arthur, did you just-" she swallowed - "did you just go into my dreams?"
Arthur bit his lip. "Yes," he said, brokenly. "I did."
"You..." she shook her head, her eyes widening. "Arthur, how could you?! How could you violate my mind like that?!"
Arthur swallowed. "Ari, please, I-"
He stopped, and opened his arms. As she collapsed into them, he realised she was crying.
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