My Brothers

Chapter 18: Broken, Broken, and Even More Broken

E V A N N A

I stormed into my room, slamming the door shut behind me. What was wrong with Jayden? What's his problem?

I was close to another breakdown when the door opened. I turned around and saw Ethan standing by the door.

Great.

"Evanna—"

"Don't listen to Jayden," I said. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Are you starving yourself?"

"No. I ate. I ate a lot."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't remember, but it wasn't that long ago, I promise."

"Evanna, be honest. Have you been starving yourself?"

"No."

"I found food in the trash, was it you?" He asked. "I trusted you, Evanna. You said you'd eat—"

"I'm sorry," I blurted, breaking down completely. "I'm sorry I broke your trust... please don't be mad at me."

He came up to me, running his fingers through my hair. "I'm not mad at you, princess. I'm just worried. You're making yourself sick. It's not healthy."

"I know..." I whimpered, wiping my tears. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said. "How long has this been going on?"

"A f-few weeks," I answered.

"When was the last time you actually ate?"

"Yesterday..."

"What did you eat?"

"Ice cream..."

"Was that all?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Evanna, you have to eat," he said, pulling me into a hug. "It's really bad for you, and you're such a beautiful girl. Don't do that to yourself."

I broke down once again, tears escaping my eyes, flowing down unstoppably. "I'm so sorry..."

He cupped my face in his hands. "Did you make yourself throw up?"

I avoided his gaze, another tear making its way down. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I tried... to eat..."

Regret, shame, and guilt overwhelmed me and I couldn't stop my tears. This was all my fault. Everything's my fault.

I make everyone worried and I push the people I love away. I hated myself so much...

"Evanna, go downstairs with me, and you're going to eat, okay?" He said softly. "It's going to be hard and I understand. But please don't starve yourself. Or purge. It's ruining your body."

Why did I tell him? Why did I tell Jayden? I'm just a problem. A mistake. A failure. I didn't deserve to live.

"Or I'll bring some food upstairs," he said. "Little by Little. You don't have to eat the whole thing. Just a small bit. I'll be back up, okay?"