She weighs herself in the morning. It is part of her routine: wake up at 5am, weigh yourself, look in the mirror, shower and get dressed. The scale says 90lbs.

"No way! I haven't eaten more than lettuce and water all week, how can I still be so fat?!"

She looks in the mirror and it's even worse than she thought. All she sees is globs of fat hanging off of her, jiggling when she pokes it, and tears stream down her boney cheeks which she squeezes as if they are chunky, baby cheeks. She closes her eyes and enters the shower, the heavy stream and the thick steam hiding her from the world around her--hiding her from herself.

***

She walks to school because it burns calories (not that she has any to burn), gets in line for breakfast and buys a bottle of water and a salad minus the dressing (lettuce).

"Is that all you're eating?" She jumps, and pretends not to hear.

"Hello?"

"What?" She snaps.

"Is that all you're eating?"

"Yes."

"So you're one of those girls that starve themselves for attention?"

Silence.

***

"No."