Starfall

Alright?

“Wake up, sleepyhead!” a voice says. I open my eyes and lift my head up off of my pillow. I look over at my door to see Alex. “Will made breakfast.” he adds. “I’m not hungry…” I reply, yawning. My stomach growls. ‘Shut up.’ I mentally curse. “I heard that. Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback.” he says, closing my door and walking over to me. “Al please, I’m fine.” I answer. 

He sits on my bed. “When was the last time you ate?” he asks suddenly. I stare at him. “L-Last night.” I lie, trying to keep calm. “Are you sure?” he replies, sensing my hesitation. I nod. He sighs before getting up. He then picks me up bridal-style. “No, I’ll hurt you.” I whine. “You literally weigh nothing…” he whispers. I start to feel light-headed. Alex puts me on his back and piggybacks me all the way to the kitchen.

“Hi Nova!” Will chirps cheerfully. Alex sets me down. “Hi…” I say, yawning. “Aww, did Al drag you out of bed?” he teases. I nod, too tired to comprehend his teasing. He laughs. I grab a glass of water before sitting down next to him. Alex sits across from us. He and Will start eating. I watch them. “Aren’t you gonna have anything, Novi?” Will asks. I shake my head. “Please? We’re worried about you.” Alex says. ‘****, I can’t have them suspect anything.’ I think.

“Fine…” I say, pretending to be annoyed. I eat about a quarter of the food my cousin’s made. I put down my fork. “You good?” Will asks indistinctly, trying to talk with his mouth full. I nod. “Just full…” I reply. He looks at my plate. “You didn’t even-” Alex starts. “Excuse me.” I say abruptly. I get up and head to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind me.

I kneel down in-front of the toilet. I force myself to throw up. It doesn’t take that long before I get everything up. I get up off of the floor. My legs are shaking and my head’s spinning. I take a few moments to steady myself before flushing the toilet. I drag myself to the sink and look at my hands. There’s a few cuts from where my teeth have pierced my skin. I wash my hands and take a breath mint.

I open the bathroom door to see Will. “You alright?” he asks. I nod. “Were you sick?” he quizzes. I shake my head. “Just brushing my teeth.” I lie. He pulls me into a hug. My eyes widen in surprise. “You know I’m here for you, right?” Will asks. I nod. “If you’re struggling, you can talk to me. Alright?” he asks. I nod. We let go. “I’m gonna go stream.” he says before walking away. I feel tears burn my eyes. “I’m sorry, Will…”