I should have known

Chapter Eleven

“Celebratory dinner on me?” Demi asked excitedly as they all returned to her car after Stefani got changed. That’s when Stefani was thrown back to reality. Reality sucked.

“Okay” Stefani replied, trying to sound as excited as Demi was. Marissa grabbed Stefani’s hand, trying to assure her that everything would be okay. Stefani took a deep breath. I can do this, she thought to herself.

Demi drove to probably the fanciest restaurant in LA, where every item on the menu cost almost as much as a diamond ring. “Extravagant much?” Marissa said, rolling her eyes as she scanned the menu for the cheapest option.

“It’s a special occasion” Demi replied. “Plus, it’s on me!”

Stefani scanned the menu for something light. Her stomach was still not 100% after her episode last night. “Can I please have the Asian salad?” She asked politely. She had never chosen her meal choice that fast in her entire life.

Demi nodded. “I think I’m going to have the same” She said, almost proudly in typical Demi style. Stefani smiled. Demi always pulled the funniest faces.

“Okay, I’ve chosen!” Marissa said, standing from her seat. “I’ll go order for us”

“Thanks, M!” Stefani and Demi replied in synch, laughing at the coincidence.

“So, how did you like ballet?” Demi asked sweetly.

“It was amazing!” Stefani replied, reminiscing on it all. “You didn’t have to do that for me...”

“I just like to see you happy.” Demi replied. “And you need some friends around here” She smiled.

Friends, Stefani thought to herself. Every time she has made friends, they all turn on her eventually when they find out how fucked up she is. Demi will be the same, she convinced herself.

Stefani tried to engage in the small talk Demi and Marissa were making while they waited for their meals to arrive. She couldn’t stop the voices circulating her mind, warning her not to eat a single morsel of her dinner. Those voices almost had Stefani convinced that ballet dancer’s never ate. Just look at your teacher, they taunted. Those voices had a point. Stefani’s ballet teacher was so thin it would surprise her if she had ever eaten in her entire life.

“Eat up” Demi’s voice said, dispersing Stefani’s voices into thin air momentarily. Stefani smiled, grabbing her fork hesitantly before taking her first bite. Marissa shot Stefani a friendly smile.

*Beep beep*

Stefani checked her mobile. [Marissa: 7:31pm – You can do this!] She shot a smile back to Marissa, but it was falser than an old man’s teeth.

Stefani took another bite of her meal, followed by another and several more until she had finished the entire bowl. Her stomach churned. This was the hard part.

“Y’all done?” Demi asked, reverting back to her strong Texan accent momentarily. Before Stefani even had a chance to make an attempt at escaping for the bathroom to puke, she was buckling her seatbelt in Demi’s car.

Marissa and Stefani lagged behind Stefani as they got out of the car and headed inside. “You going to be okay?” Marissa asked kindly.

Stefani looked into Marissa’s eyes, showing obvious pain. “I don’t think I can do it.” She said truthfully, knowing that if she was left alone, she would puke until nothing was left inside.

“Come on, I’ll make you some nice hot Camomile tea” Marissa replied, wrapping her arm around Stefani’s shoulder. “Want some tea?” She asked Demi on the way to the kitchen.