Siobhan looked up at her friend with mournful eyes, and Madison hurriedly said, �Go get Kenni and Tara and meet us in the nurse�s office, okay?�
Alyson nodded, �Gotcha. I�ll be right there okay, Syvanni, honey?� she said, touching Siobhan�s cheek. Siobhan nodded tearfully, and they kept walking towards the nurse�s office as Alyson ran towards the doors leading to the courtyard.
�She hasn�t been eating well.� Madison was telling the nurse as Kennedi, Alyson, and Tara burst into the nurse�s office. The nurse smiled at them reassuringly, knowing who they were by the worried looks on their faces.
�How long has she not been eating well?� the nurse asked, looking at Madison, as Siobhan was too shaken up to talk.
�I think a week, maybe a little more. I found her in the bathroom and she�d thrown up, though so she must have eaten.� Madison said.
�I-I didn�t want to throw up. I ate breakfast this morning because I was so hungry, but all it did was make me nauseated.� Siobhan whimpered.
�I believe you, sweetie.� Tara said, taking a seat next to her friend, and rubbing her back.
�What did you eat, Siobhan?� the nurse asked.
�Um, a doughnut. I thought the sugar would give me energy.� Siobhan sniffled, her head on Madison�s shoulder.
�Well, what sugar does is give you a blood sugar boost, but the boost is very temporary and it will make you tired fast, and sometimes nauseated. I have some noodles if you want, there�s good carbohydrates in that.� the nurse offered.
Siobhan nodded, �I really want to eat. I�m sooo hungry.�
The nurse got up and got some noodles out of a cupboard and placed them in the microwave. Siobhan looked at Madison tearfully, �DO I have to go to the hospital?� she asked.
Madison gave her friend a supporting glance, �I don�t know, sweetie.�
The nurse soon came back with the noodles and Siobhan blew on them before spooning some into her mouth and chewing slowly. �How much do you normally weigh, Siobhan?� the nurse asked.
Siobhan turned red, �Um, about 112 pounds.�
�Well, for a girl about your height, the minimum weight is 109 pounds. When you�re done eating, I�m going to want to weigh you, so I can report to your doctor.� the nurse explained.
Siobhan blushed again, �Am I really that skinny?� she asked.
�Yes, sweetie, you are.� Tara said, a little frown on her face.
Siobhan turned to face Tara, �Are you mad?� she asked.
�No, honey, just worried. What made you do this?� Tara asked.
�Sometimes everyday stress or a traumatic childhood event can bring someone to the point of not eating.� the nurse explained.
�Ahh.� Alyson immediately understood.
�Her best friend died when she was in 7th grade.� Kennedi explained to the nurse.
Siobhan nodded tearfully and swallowed her bite, �Yeah, and I-I don�t think I�m over it yet.�
�Oh, honey.� Madison just had to say those two words and pull Siobhan into a hug before the floodgates broke.
�Annie never got a chance to live and grow up. She-she�s not going to get a prom in the spring like we are. She never will graduate and get married and have the five kids, the first daughter named Siobhan, that she always said she wanted.� Siobhan cried.
�Oh, I know, sweetie.� Tara slipped her arms around her friend from the other side. Alyson came around in front and kneeled in front of Siobhan�s chair, and rubbed her friend�s knees.
Kennedi watched them, her eyes misty. She�d never seen Siobhan lose control over Annie before, and she�d known her a good year and a half. All she�d ever heard was talk of Annie in passing, usually Siobhan commenting that Annie had liked something or had said something. She had been told the story of Siobhan and the other three meeting several times, though.
�Does she talk about Annie much?� the nurse asked suddenly, directing her question at Kennedi, as though she�d just read Kennedi�s mind.
�Not much. But I�ve only known her nineteen months, and Maddi, Ally, and Tari tell me she talked more about her in the earlier years in high school, right guys?� she asked them.
Alyson turned her head and nodded, �Yeah, she did. But she hasn�t....not since the day we met, which was three years ago now.�
�What hasn�t she done?� the nurse asked, obviously not getting what Alyson meant, although all of her friends did.
�Broken down in tears.� Tara supplied, trying to soothe her friend enough to calm down.
�Well, maybe to avoid her feelings getting all bottled up like this again, you can encourage her to talk about Annie more.� the nurse suggested.
�I think we were afraid to. We didn�t want to make her sad.� Alyson said, and the three other girls nodded in agreement.
�Not just the negative things, though. Talk about Siobhan�s positive memories of Annie, too. The fun times they had. I�m taking it the rest of you didn�t know her?� the nurse asked.
Tara shook her head, �We didn�t meet until the 9th grade, after Siobhan moved here from New York.� she explained.
The bell rang then, �Damn it! We missed lunch!� Tara said, and then immediately blushed for swearing in front of a grown-up.
�Don�t worry. You girls can eat here and then I�ll give you passes to your next classes. I�ll even call the teachers if that�s going to be an issue.� the nurse reassured them.
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