She takes off her bathrobe and stands in front of the mirror.
She sees her body as the sum of her flaws, stitched together to make something she hates.
Her stomach is too big, her thighs are full of cellulite, her nose is crooked, her face is covered in pimples, and her dark brown hair is pin-straight and almost always greasy.
After a quick shower, she puts on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt.
She rushes down the stairs and glances at the clock. Unfortunately, it is too late to catch the school bus.
She calls her best friend Madeline to ask for a ride.
"Madz ..." she begins.
"I can't talk right now."
"Why?"
"My Mom is giving me the third degree."
"What did you do this time?" she groans.
"You know how there was a party at Jake's place on Friday?"
"Yeah."
"I sneaked out of the house while she was sleeping, got wasted and came home at two am," she admits, lowering her voice.
"What the hell!" she yells.
"I'm grounded for a month."
"What are the parameters?"
"English, please," she grumbles.
"I am speaking in English."
"Dumb it down for me,"
"What are the conditions?"
"What conditions?" she asks, her confusion building by the second.
"You said you are grounded."
"Oh, yeah. I can't go anywhere except for school."
"That sucks."
"Yeah. So, I'll see you at school."
"Wait," she says, just before she hangs up.
"Yeah."
"I need a ride."
"I'll be there in five minutes."
"Thanks, you're the best."
"I know."
Before Cara gets a chance to say goodbye, Madeline hangs up on her.
While she waits, she eats a granola bar. It tastes terrible but she is determined to follow her diet.
She is overcome by a powerful craving, when she sees a tray of chocolate chip cookies that her Mom baked yesterday.
Her Mom is owns a bakery downtown, stays out late, and goes on a date every Friday.
Every time it's the same story, she meets an attractive man at the bakery or in some bar downtown. He convinces her that he wants to date her, but they end up having a one night stand.
He leaves the next morning before she wakes up and then she mopes around the house all weekend, baking cookies or muffins, drinking wine, and crying while watching a Meg Ryan movie.
On the weekends, Cara sneaks out of the house and goes out with Madeline to some house party or a bonfire by the lake.
For a solid five minutes, she completely zones out and stares at the cookies, willing herself to resist, she turns away from the kitchen table.
YOU ARE READING
Everything I Will Never Be
Teen FictionCara hates her body. When she looks in the mirror, she only sees flaws. Her insecurities are magnified when she meets the seemingly perfect Emily. When she finds out who Emily really is, Cara discovers that she is not at all who she thought she was...
