Alex Carter: A Red Band Society Fanfiction

The Fall Itself

**Hey all! Just felt the need to add a trigger warning here! This chapter includes destructive ED behaviors. (Also meaning this portion can be skipped, the brief synopsis includes Emma's relapse, ending marked by the dashes.)  So please, be mindful and take care! <3**

Emma's footsteps grew faster as she reached the top of her stairs. She slammed her door shut and went to lock it, and saw that the lock had been removed, undoubtedly not long after this afternoon, when she confronted her parents about her grandmother's eating disorder. Her genetic predisposition. "Are you kidding me," Emma yelled, her eyes scanning the room frantically, only to lay sight on the door they'd overlooked. 

She grabbed her phone and ran towards the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  She twisted the lock emphatically, and when she heard the click, she felt marginally safer. As though she'd bought herself some time and space. She opened her phone and dialed Leo without even thinking. She leaned against the white porcelain tub as the line trilled. She didn't understand how today had ended up going so terribly wrong. 

She tried to steady her breathing, to calm herself down, and so as to not sound so panicked when Leo picked up. But as the line kept ringing, she began to sniffle, and when she heard his voicemail, she felt the hope she'd tethered herself to slip away, and she threw her phone on the ground while a sob teared up her throat. 

She didn't even stop to watch it shatter, though the splintering sound ripped through her. She began to pace in the confined space, tension winding her up like a toy. It was all too much, suffocating, actually. 

Though she knew it to be figurative, she felt as though she couldn't breathe, her breaths becoming quick and shallow. She hated how heavy she felt. How eating dinner had felt like a lass, and not a win. A betrayal, that sat heavy in her stomach. She had been forced into eating, and why couldn't they see just how much self-control she was employing? She didn't lash out, she even ate the whole damn meal. But they didn't have to suffer the consequences, see that it was destroying her. 

While her mind was reeling, there was one tiny thought that crept into her mind, one she had no problem picking out in the crowd. It's not too late. She tried to brush it away, but it didn't really. It stayed quiet, but it didn't need to repeat itself. 

"Okay, okay, okay," Emma repeated to herself in an attempt to soothe. Her pacing quickened. She tried to deepen her breaths, but it made the feeling of suffocation worse. She froze, her hands pressing against the sides of her head. Fine! She wanted to yell. Fine, I'll do it, just make it stop!

She ran over to her cabinet above her sink, ripping open the door. She grabbed the toothbrush sitting there, and knelt before her toilet. 

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Leo had no idea how they ended up like this, with Kiara straddling him, her hot breath hitting his lips as she kissed him. His hands were around her, pulling her against him, her white skirt riding up slightly.  Her lips moved against his, her tongue darting out to taste his lips. Pair that with the fact that she seemed just as hungry as he did, and Leo couldn't get over how good this felt. 

His hands moved to her neck and jaw, holding her in place to deepen the kiss, his fingers weaving into her dirty blonde hair. Without stopping, her hands slipped between them deftly, undoing the button on his jeans. He immediately notice the increased give in his pants, and pulled away, somewhat quickly. She froze as she'd just unzipped his jeans. "My leg," he said, his voice soft. 

She quirked her head to the side. "What about it?" 

He shook his head, but looked directly at her when responding. "I've never done this, like this," he clarified. 

"So?" she breathed, still dizzying close to him. Her beauty continued to dazzle him, adding to the confusion how they ended up like this, her staring down at him with her piercing eyes, while her soft hair tumbled over one shoulder. Her thighs straddling his, hands resting against his waistband. 

"I look," Leo couldn't really finish the sentence. He'd never had to, he wasn't sure how these conversations were supposed to go. 

Kara shot him a look, as if to reassure him it didn't matter. "I don't care," she said, dismissively. "Do you?" she asked after a second. 

Leo couldn't think of words to describe what he felt about all of this. About Kara, as incredibly hot as she'd always been, had exponentially become more attractive in the last 5 hours as she showed her human side. This was Kara, bitchy Kara, telling him to not be ashamed of himself, confirming he was okay to continue. The objective sweetness of the gesture wasn't lost on him either, but he also didn't want to mess it up by verbally acknowledging it. So, he figured the best way was to show her, and held her face in his hands, pulling her back down to kiss him. 

As they crossed lines they never dreamed, somewhere deep in the hospital, Hunter lay unconscious. The surgeons worked meticulously, attempting precision through the blood. They managed to pull out sections of his liver, everyone quiet except for vital communication. If Hunter had been awake, he'd probably make a joke about having so many people doting on him, though that was always an inspiring thing about hospitals. Strangers devoting their lives to the lives of others. 

Jordi was also in the hospital, being far less noble. He'd faked taking his painkillers, lying straight to Kenji's face. He placed them with the others, having snuck out and swiped a few from the geriatric wing. He worked meticulously, far too focused on such a menial task. But he knew that if he wasn't, the guilt of his actions would surely consume him. 

Emma's father had stopped by to check on Emma, concerned after the tense moments at dinner. His wife had assured him everything was fine, that she'd eaten her whole meal, but he knew his wife well enough to know that she was allowing her pride to blur her vision, and he knew his daughter well enough to not fall for that same trap. 

When she didn't answer after he knocked, his concern grew. He opened the door, and upon seeing the empty room, it rose even further. It became panic when he tried to open her bathroom door, only to find it had been locked from the inside. "Emma?" he called out, jostling the locked doorhandle. "Emma!" He shouted again, banging on the door with his fist. When she continued to not respond, he shouted again. Louder, firmer. "Emma, open this door!" Nothing. He leaned back slightly, angling his body. He then slammed his shoulder against the door, invigorated by feeling it shudder against its frame. He then shoved against it once more, harder this time. It gave way, the force of his body throwing him into the now open room. He saw his daughter on the floor, and screamed for her mother.