Melody

My room was decorated the way I liked it. The walls were collaged with pictures from fashion magazines I had cut out. They were shots from mostly high fashion shoots with many of my favourite models. They were all beautiful photos of what I aspired to be, and I didn't plan on taking any of it down, no matter what Margot said.

The picture of my mother always sat at the corner of my desk. It was a modelling shot from when she was much younger, but it was my favourite photo of her. She was sitting on an artistically hung swing that was tied to a tree, with a smile on her face. Her dress was an off-white flowing, bohemian type dress and her beautiful brown hair was curled and blowing in the wind. My mother's eyes were a striking blue and everything about her face was stunning. When I was younger, people said I resembled her, and though I wished it were true, I didn't see it at all. I sighed and looked away from the picture.

I walked over to my closet and opened it up to find something that could make Margot happy enough not to comment on my appearance. After riffling through my clothes, I finally pulled out a striking blue dress that usually made me feel comfortable, as it brought out some of the blue flecks in my green eyes.

I first took a long and relaxing shower while listening to some soft music. Once I was dry, I put silver studs in my ears and did my makeup before slipping on my dress. I then curled my hair and pulled on a pair of silver heels.

When I checked the time, I realized it was almost noon. I quickly made my bed and straightened my room before looking in the mirror one more time. I smoothed down my hair, and my dress, checking how I looked from every angle. I sighed. Maybe Margot was right; I did need all the time in the world.

I headed down the stairs, not wanting her to yell at me for being late as well. My father passed the foot of the stairs as I approached the main floor. As he made eye contact with me he stopped, and his breath hitched audibly.

"Is everything okay Dad?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He gave me a small smile and nodded.

"It's nothing. It just – I mean – you look just like your – sorry." He quickly walked off. I heard his office door close, and my eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Odd. My father was never at a loss for words.

I continued walking down the stairs and Margot suddenly appeared at the foot of the steps in front of me. She was in a purple dress, paired with a white cardigan. I wondered if she had been hiding behind a wall or something.

"That's what you're wearing?" She asked. I nodded smoothing down my dress uncomfortably. "Oh, Melody, you look like the help." My heart sank in my chest.

"Should I change?" I asked quietly. The doorbell rang.

"Well, it's too late now," Margot smirked, moving towards the door.

I sighed and walked over to the dining room, almost bumping into Mia. She was wearing a red, tight, long sleeved bandaged dress that had cuts in the mid area, showing off her stomach. Her body was nice, long and skinny. I was envious of her for that though I'd never admit it to anyone.

"Walk much?" Mia sneered. I glared at her but didn't respond.

Soon, three pairs of footsteps made their way towards us. I smiled politely at the women standing in front of me. They were Margot's book club friends – though I'd never seen them read a book – and would come over for lunch or cocktails from time to time.

Similarly, to Barbie coming in different hair colours and skin colours, these women were Margot in different colours. Amelia King, or Margot #2, had very pale skin, red short hair and wore a green skirt and matching jacket with a white blouse underneath. She was just as catty as Margot. Grace Evans, also known as Margot #3, had dark skin and her hair was straightened and pulled back into an up do. She wore a pink and white skirt with a long sleeved with a pink blouse. She was the slightly nicer one out of Margot's two friends.

"Hi Grace! Hi Amelia!" Mia beamed charismatically.

"Hello," I smiled shyly.

"Good afternoon girls," Amelia and Grace said in unison. They were more focused on Mia, and barely spared me a second glance. I preferred that to any negative attention.

My father soon surfaced from his office, and greeted everyone normally, as if that weird situation never happened a couple moments ago. We all sat down at the table, as the adults began talking, and shortly after, Leslie brought out lunch.

My heart stopped when I saw what was out for lunch: grilled chicken, salad, and baked, mini potatoes. It was one of my favourite meals and Leslie probably cooked it knowing that I needed the extra comfort with this awkward lunch. The delicious smell engulfed my senses and I could feel my stomach yearning for the food sitting in front of me.

My mind buzzed as I fought with what I wanted and what I needed. I wanted the food sitting on my plate, but I needed to stay away from it. I wanted to wolf it down, but I needed to get away from it. I had gotten away without eating anything but a banana since Thursday night so maybe just half would be okay... my stomached grumbled at the thought.

I picked up my fork and began eating. Slowly, I could feel my self control slipping away as I tasted the flavourful chicken and salty potatoes. I ignored the conversation going on around me, as it didn't concern me. I was so lost in eating I almost forgot about being demure for Margot and her friends. I felt a kick under the table and glanced up at Mia.

"You're eating like a cow," she mouthed. My face flushed in embarrassment. I was almost done what was on my plate. Margot was shooting daggers out of the corners of her eyes at me, but her friends didn't seem to notice.

How could I be so stupid?

I picked up my glass of water and drank it, leaving what was on my plate to be thrown out. I pretended to pay attention to the conversation and I continued to refill my glass and sip on water, until everyone had finished their food.

After lunch, Margot and her friends moved to the den, with glasses of wine in hand and Mia trailing after them like a puppy. My dad retreated into his office and I marched up to my room. I paced around my room unsure of what to do to myself. I was full, and I didn't like it. I felt uncomfortable and disgusting in my skin. I stared into the mirror and saw a bloated stomach on a wide body, as I wrapped my hands around my expanding waist.

I yanked off my dress then put on a pair of black leggings and an oversized black shirt. I put on a pair of running shoes and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I quickly jogged down the stairs and out the front door, careful not to slam it behind me.

A part of me knew it wasn't smart, but the alarm bells inside of me were too loud I couldn't stop thinking about how much I ate. I couldn't work out with everyone at my house, so this would have to do. I started my pace as a slow jog but began moving faster less than a block away from my house. My legs moved more and more quickly, the sound echoing in the empty street. It was a repeat of last time, as I was pushing myself too hard and too far again.

You're eating like a cow... The words burned my mind, and my legs propelled forward faster.

Like last time, I ended up at the empty park, but instead of collapsing, I did sit-ups, push-ups, squats and lunges, before running another three laps around the park. The food bounced around unpleasantly in my stomach and I felt extremely nauseous. I ran over to the garbage and heaved, releasing my lunch from my system.

In all honesty, I wasn't upset that I threw up. It made me less anxious knowing my stomach was now empty. I took a deep breath and stretched my legs for a moment before running again. I ran two laps and felt the burning feeling as my body told me to slow down, but I kept running. Soon, the dizziness telling me that I needed to stop. I pushed past it once again. Little black dots began clouding my vision, but I didn't care, because all I could think about was Mia's and Margot's words.

You're eating like a cow... You look like the help...You're eating like a cow... You look like the he– I stopped abruptly, unable to see at all. There was a ringing in my ears and I got extremely frightened.

"Melody? Melody, can you hear me?"

I was suddenly starring up at the sky, which had streaks of pink and orange across it. The ringing in my ears grew quieter, and the male voice grew louder.

"Melody? Melody?" I blinked in confusion and realized I recognized the voice. I glanced to my left and my heart dropped to my stomach.

"W-what happened?" I asked, still dazed. Carson White was sitting next to me.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "You fainted."

Carson White was sitting next to me.

Carson White was leaning over my sweaty, disgusting body, sprawled out across the grass in a public park. The thought finally registered.

"I – oh hell!" I muttered, sitting up abruptly. I didn't need a mirror to know I looked terrible; probably like a wet rat. I ran a hand through my hair. "I'm so sorry. I didn't – I shouldn't be here. Oh God." My breathing hitched and I began gasping for air.

"Melody, shh, it's okay," Carson whispered. He put a hand on my back in an attempt to calm me down.

My eyes widened, and I flinched at the sudden contact. I didn't want him to feel the fat on my body. Or the sweat. Quickly, I stood up. Or, at least I tried to. In my haste, I didn't realize the instability of my legs. My legs shook, and I fell towards the grass again.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!!" I hissed to myself. I wanted to scramble away from him, but my legs wouldn't work. I was about to stand again but Carson's voice halted me.

"Melody, stop! You need to sit down," Carson cautioned. I sighed but obeyed. "How do you feel?" He asked staring into my eyes. A lump formed in my throat, so I looked away. I swallowed hard before speaking.

"I'm fine," I replied. Lie. I felt dizzy and disgusting. This was horrible. Carson was staring at a sloppy, sweaty Melody instead of a well put together Melody. The amount of concern in his eyes was unsettling. "I – I need to go." I began standing.

"Stop!" Carson exclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder. I tried to slink away from it without hurting his feelings. "You've already pushed yourself way past your limit." Carson said.

"No, I'm okay," I protested. It was a little less whole-hearted than the last time.

"You threw up and kept going," he stated. I froze and looked down.

"H-how did you know that?" I asked quietly.

"I saw you from my window." Carson pointed across the street to a lovely looking house with big windows. My face felt hot, but I wasn't sure if was from running or embarrassment. "I thought you might be okay, but then you collapsed," Carson said. I frowned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–" I cut my sentence short. I did mean to push myself that hard; I just didn't need him to know that. "Sorry to bother you," I mumbled.

"You didn't bother me," Carson smiled. "I just think I should take you to a doctor," Carson said sincerely. The panic my body felt was immediate.

"NO!" The look of surprise was evident in his face. I blinked hard and corrected myself. "No, thank you, I mean. Just need to go home."

"I'll take you," Carson suggested. My face got hotter than it already was.

"No, that's okay," I smiled. "I'll just hang here for a bit and then walk home." Carson's facial expression told me his response before he opened his mouth. This was going to be much more difficult than I thought. Why did I come out so early?

"Melody, you can barely stand. I'm not leaving you here." Carson's eyes bored into mine. I shifted as my heart thudded heavily against my chest. His light brown smouldering gaze held mine. My mouth spoke before my brain thought.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Carson repeated to make sure he heard me correctly. I nodded slowly. I was more shocked at my answer than he was.

Nonetheless, Carson stood up swiftly – probably before I could change my mind – and stretched a hand out to me. I sucked in a breath and reached out a shaky hand to his. As I pushed myself off of the ground, my legs refused to support my body, and I felt them buckling once again.

Effortlessly, Carson caught me and simply scooped me up into his arms. I tried to quiet the panic in my mind screaming for him to let me go as he walked across the park and towards the house he had pointed at earlier. It had big windows and the brick and panelling combination was lovely. I wasn't too focused on it though as I was too busy willing myself to feel as light as possible. I hadn't been carried since I was a little girl and my dad would throw me on his shoulders. Even when other kids were giving each other piggybacks in middle school, I didn't join knowing I was too heavy to be carried.

I swallowed hard and tried to detect any trace of struggle in Carson's face. He glanced down at me as if he felt my gaze on him, and I quickly looked away. We were now in Carson's driveway. He stopped and opened his car door. Carefully, he helped me get into the car and closed the door before walking around to the other side.

He sat down as slowly I put my seatbelt on. We were quiet for a moment and then Carson reached for the radio as I psyched myself up to be semi-normal and salvage this embarrassing interaction.

"Is there something you like to listen to?" He asked. I shook my head with a small smile. I liked music, but I wasn't too picky. "So, you don't like TV, and you don't like music... what do you do for fun?"

"I didn't say I didn't like them..." I replied teasingly. "I'm not picky with music, and I have a few shows I like." Carson smirked and turned up the radio a little.

"Well, apparently, Miss Melody is complicated," Carson rolled his eyes. I grinned in response, but my smile slightly faded as I realized how true his statement was. We drove quietly, the radio filling the space, while I pointed him in the proper direction.

It wasn't a far drive, and we pulled closer to my house faster than I would have wished for. Despite Amelia and Grace's expensive cars not being parked in my driveway anymore, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"What's wrong?" Carson asked, as he parked in the driveway.

I didn't reply right away. I couldn't be nice about this without telling him what exactly was going on. I couldn't just say he couldn't come in because my stepmother was a more vicious reincarnation of Cinderella's. I couldn't just explain how they would make fun of me for looking like this in the presence of a boy, or why he needed to carry me home. I couldn't explain any of it to him or to them. I took a deep breath.

"I – I have to go in by myself," I said quietly. "I'm kind of sneaking back in."

Carson's eyebrows rose slightly. "But you can barely walk."

"I'm sure I'm fine now," I insisted. Carson pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Okay," He sighed. I smiled. "I'll be over there until you get inside."

"Thank you," I replied. "For everything."

I got out of the car slowly, and believe me my legs shook horribly, but I held on to it until I managed to get to the brick wall of my house. Carson pulled the car out of the driveway and moved to the curb, watching me go in. I held the wall as I took careful steps. As I got to the first step, my knee gave out and I fell forward, catching myself before I hit the ground. I then kept moving towards the front door. When my hand touched the handle, I turned back to wave at Carson before going inside.

When I stepped inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. No one was in the room, and it allowed me to slowly make my way to the stairs. As I began stepping up slowly, I heard a throat being cleared behind me. I turned around to see Mia standing there.

Well damn...

___________

Author's Note:  I couldn't resist uploading another chapter! I really do hope you like this one! It was fun to write and had my heart pumping for sure!

In all seriousness if anyone finds themselves doing something like Melody is doing to herself (ie, not eating properly and/or over-exercising) please talk to some one (& you can always talk to me) because it is a serious matter and can lead to health issues or worse.

Vote and comment – because I would love to know what you guys think! I wanna know your thoughts on Mia, Rose, Carson, Margot, and of course Melody! Have a great day!

Melody's outfit: