"I made breakfast," Emmett informed me, as I came out from my bedroom. "I'm grabbing something with Michelle," I said, grabbing my keys off the counter. "Okay," he agreed. "I'll just let this beautiful omelet go to waste then." I rolled my eyes, laughing as I grabbed a bottle of water. "Are you coming to my game tonight?" "Yeah," I agreed. "But I've got to run, so I'll see you later." He waved at me with his spatula as I jogged out of the door, my phone already pressed to my ear. "Hello dear," my mom's voice greeted. "Hey mom," I answered, as I stepped into the elevator. "How are you?" "Fine." "And what can I do for you?" Straight and to the point. "I need my credit card back." Silence. "I mean, unless you don't trust me," I added, playing onto the last time we saw each other, when they analyzed me at a lunch restaurant. My mother wasn't the best mom, but she still had a conscience. "We do," my mom promised. "It's just that this is a big step Emily." "I know," I agreed. "I'm ready for it." "Let me talk about it with your father," mom promised. "I'll call you back this afternoon." That's as good as I was going to get. "Okay," I agreed. "I love you Emily." "Love you too," I mumbled, before hanging up. I drove to the school, heading to the library once I reached campus. I had a major paper due in AP Comp in a week, and I'd like to get a start on it. "Emily?" a familiar voice asked behind me, as I was about a quarter of the way into my paper. I turned to see Parker standing by the bookshelf, his eyebrows raised at me. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. All he had to do was mention seeing me here and Emmett was going to flip out because I'd lied to him. "AP Calc tutoring," he said, nodding to a table across the room where a group of students were sitting. They didn't exactly look like his type of crowd. "Don't give me that look," he warned. "You just didn't strike me as an AP Calculus type of guy." "Yeah well I'm not." I couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you here?" "Just getting a head start on my paper." "And you couldn't do that at the apartment?" No, because Emmett would ask too many questions. "I just needed some peace and quiet." "Parker!" one of the girls from the table hissed. "Keep your pants on," he called back, at full volume. "Be there in a sec." The librarian glowered at him. "Does Emmett know you're here?" Parker asked me. Here was the determining factor. Do I tell Parker to keep this from Emmett or lead him to believe that Emmett knew? Both had its benefits and risks. "Yeah," I agreed, with a nod. "He knows. Why wouldn't he?" "Okay," Parker agreed, before one of the girls called his name again. He muttered a string of curse words under his breath before jogging back over to his AP Calculus friends. I couldn't help but laugh, slapping my hand over my mouth. Looks like Parker is whipped. ~*~ "What's this?" Emmett asked me, holding up a letter that had come from me from our parents. I knew exactly what it was. I ripped it open, revealing my brand new credit card. Emmett raised his eyebrows at me, waiting for an explanation. "Not that I don't love using your card," I said, tucking mine into my wallet. "But I need one of my own." "Okay," he agreed, slowly. "What if I wanted to go to the mall and you weren't here?" I proposed. "Or if I wanted to adopt a puppy?" "You better not ever bring a dog into this apartment," Emmett warned. "Dad would kill you." "It's just a hypothetical situation." "I guess," he agreed. "And now I'm leaving," I said, with a smile. "Aren't you going to eat some breakfast first?" I stared uneasily at the omelet he was making. "I'll just grab something on the way." "You've said that for three days now," he said, turning to face me. "Okay, and?" "It's just odd." I didn't want Emmett getting suspicious. "I just have this huge AP Comp paper," I said, offering him a smile. "As soon as it's finished, I promise to eat some of your omelet." He stared at me wordlessly, clearly not buying what I was saying. "I have to go." "You'll be home for dinner though?" he asked, his voice tight. "Yes," I agreed. He nodded before turning back to his omelet. ~*~ "Thank you," I said, with a smile. "Enjoy your workout," the chirpy lady behind the counter encouraged, with a smile. I slipped my Gold's Gym membership card into my gym bag before heading back to the locker rooms to change into my workout clothes. I had a pounding headache as I changed, feeling a bit more sluggish than I usually do. But I pushed through it, heading out to the treadmills. I did a long, grueling workout, my body aching by the end. But those were the best ones. I stopped by the vitamin supplement store on the way home, a different one than I used to go to. "What can I do for you?" the lady behind the counter asked me. I went down the far aisle, finding my usual appetite suppressant. I picked up a box and placed it on the counter. "14.99," the lady informed me. I handed her my credit card, and she swiped it without a hitch. I wasn't going to misuse these this time. Last time I'd been popping them every hour, and ended up accidentally overdosing. But I was smarter this time. I was going to do it right. "Thank you," I said to the lady, taking my bag and leaving the store. Emmett was still at the apartment when I got there. "Don't you have to be at work?" I asked, silently glad I'd left the appetite suppressants in my car. "In a few minutes," he agreed, with a smile. I took a seat on the couch, propping my feet up on the coffee table and reviewing my paper before emailing to Michelle for her to edit. "Dinner is in the oven," he informed me. "Take it out when the timer goes off?" I nodded in agreement. "I know I've been working a lot lately," he said, leaning against the counter. "But I have this Friday off. So we can have a pig out party and watch bad movies." That sounded awful. "Okay," I agreed, with a tight-lipped smile. He flashed me one last pearly white smile before leaving the apartment, whistling as he swung his car keys around his finger. I'd have to figure out a way to get out of that one. ~*~ "You're home late," Parker commented, as I came in the door. "I guess," I agreed, tossing my gym bag down by the couch. "Where were you?" "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were my dad now." He reached down behind the counter and placed my box of my appetite suppressants on the counter. For a moment, it felt like the world stopped spinning. "Did you go through my room?" I demanded. "Kind of," he agreed. "What the hell is the matter with you?" "I'm concerned about you." "Don't even try that bullshit with me." "You might think you have everyone else fooled, but I could see right through what you were pulling." I couldn't help but grind my jaw. That little piece of shit. "Emily," he said, quietly. "I'm afraid that you're going down a dark path." "You have no idea what you're talking about." "And you have no idea what you're doing." I raised my eyebrows at him. "What do you think you can achieve by becoming thinner?" I shook my head, folding my arms over my chest and staring up at the ceiling. This is not happening right now. "I care about you Emily," Parker said, his voice soft. "We both know that's complete and utter bullshit." "I care about you enough to want to help you," he amended. "I don't want to see you throw your life away." "You have no idea what you're talking about," I repeated, because it's true. He doesn't know what it's like to be me. To constantly feel the pressure to be perfect. "I know that you're better than this," he said, looking me straight in the eye. "And that if you let me, I can help you." "I don't need your help, or anybody else's for that matter." Parker was silent for a few moments, and I found myself staring at the ceiling, fighting back tears. "Why do you feel the need to do this?" Parker asked again, more quietly this time. "Because I want to be pretty," I said, more to myself than to Parker. "I just want to be pretty." And then the tears started to flow. I felt Parker's arms wrap around me, and I pressed my face into his chest, letting him comfort me. "Did you tell Emmett?" I asked, through my tears. Emmett was going to kill me. No, that was an understatement. He was going to rip my head off and tear me to pieces. "No," Parker said, shaking his head. "But I'm going to have to." "Let me do it, okay?" "Okay," he agreed, softly. And then I buried myself deeper into his chest, never wanting him to let go. I felt safe here.