bookforwhatitsworth

[bookforwhatitsworth]

Chapter Two: Beautifully Thin

“Skinny; and it will make you cry. Skinny; and it will make you lie.” ~Filter

Aura sat impatiently on her bed, her tiny legs bouncing up and down in anticipation. Her hair was fixed in a messy up-do, wisps falling onto her bony shoulders, tickling her collarbone. She felt absolutely lovely, donning a brand new strapless dress in a gentle pink color that highlighted the various highs and lows of her eyes. Hearing Dante’s car pull up, she leapt off of the bed and scampered out of her room. It was amazing to her that she still felt butterflies every time she saw him or thought about him. She heard of other couples falling out of love after a while, especially when it came to Remi’s relationships, which usually never lasted longer than a pack of Marlboros.

Aura opened the door just as Dante reached up to knock. He stood in her doorway, drinking in every inch of her breathtaking beauty. She blushed and looked away from him, brushing hair behind her ear. His fingers touched her chin, lifting her face. She looked directly into his gorgeous green eyes and smiled.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered. “Come on, let’s go eat.” Aura nodded and followed Dante off the front steps and to his car. He stopped at the passenger door, shrugged off his jacket, and draped it over her cold shoulders. “You look wonderful tonight, Aura.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head and opened the car door. Once they were both in the car, his hand glided gently to her knee, radiating warmth through her skin. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“Do you want to share?” She asked, holding it for him. He smiled and took it gratefully, lighting it with ease. Dante passed it over to her and she inhaled deeply. It was always so soothing and relaxing to smoke. And she loved sharing with Dante. Something they could share, an addiction, a need (for more than just each other). She was going to marry this man. She had never loved anyone like she loved him; she had never felt anything so intense. In fact, she was willing to eat in front of him, and almost willing to keep the food inside…but only almost. Her body was beautiful now, and she knew it is part of the reason he loved her so much. No one paid any attention to her before, except for Remi. But now, at least she had more going for her than personality. She had impeccable beauty.

--*--

After parking the car, Dante got out of the car and went around to her side to open her door. She stepped out of the car and smoothed her dress on her thighs. He was gazing at her, a toothy smile spread across his face.

“What?” she muttered sweetly, her face turning red again. He shook his head and laughed a little.

“You…you’re just so beautiful.” When those words escaped his lips, a rush of warmth spread through her and butterflies filled her stomach. “Come on, baby. We have a reservation. Let’s get inside; I’m starved.” She followed him into the restaurant and to their booth. Dante ordered for them both, entrées and appetizer. It was marvelous how well they knew each other. They knew all of each-others likes, dislikes, preferences, etc. They sat talking about everything and nothing while eating their meals. Aura looked down at her plate, half of her meal gone. She smiled over to Dante, who was finishing up his food greedily.

“Get me a to-go box while I am in the bathroom, please?” She asked, standing up. As she walked away, she could feel his eyes on her thin, bare legs.

She entered the bathroom and stepped into the cleanest stall she could find. Dropping to her knees, she placed two fingers in her throat. The cool porcelain was welcoming her sickness. She purged the calories she had put into her body, desperate to keep her body flawless. Lying to Dante wasn’t something that she wanted to do, not in the least. It was something she had to do. Anything to keep things the way they were: perfect body, perfect relationship.

--*--

It was warm there, on the couch in Dante’s bedroom, particularly being in his loving arms. The movie was dull and the couch was hard, but it didn’t faze her. Nothing else in the world could possibly matter as much as that moment did then. She took a deep breath, taking in his smell. There she was, curled up in his lap, kissing him need-ily, wanting nothing more than for it just to be him and her alone in the world.

[bookforwhatitsworth]

Chapter One: You’re My Favorite

“The more I think about, the more I want to let you know: That everything you do is super-duper cute…” ~ Nevershoutnever

Upon opening her eyes, Auralee noticed the snow outside her window. It was reflecting the bright winter sunlight and causing it to resonate across the yard. Slipping on some house shoes, she walked outside to embrace the magnificence of the first snowfall of the year. Snowflakes were still gingerly dropping from the sky onto her soft, pale skin. Giggling as one landed on her nose, she brushed a lock of her hair behind her shoulder, breathing in deeply. The cool air was so refreshing that it felt as though it was forming icicles in her throat. Closing her bright blue eyes, Aura fell backwards directly into the snow; a mess of dark brown hair falling around her. She lay there for what felt like hours, wishing it were possible to spend her day there daydreaming in the snow. Suddenly, a voice rang across the snowy yard, breaking her daydream as it hit her ears. Aura opened her eyes and sat up to see her mother motioning for her to come inside. She groaned and stood up, brushing the snow from her bony legs. Once again, her mom’s voice wafted across the yard, growing more and more irritated.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Aura yelled, frustrated by her mother’s impatience. As she approached the house, she cringed at her mom’s stance. She had her body cocked to the side, arms crossed in front of her, and her “fretful” look painted her face.

“Go get ready for school; you’re going to be late.”

She nodded and weaved past her, making her way to her bedroom to finish getting her books together. Outside her window, the snow was still delicately falling, coating everything with a glistening white. She sighed, desiring to go lie in it, letting it engulf her and freeze all of her cares away. Slipping on her warm cashmere sweater, Aura slipped out the door and into the kitchen where her mother was standing in front of a warm, freshly baked cinnamon roll and a cup of hot chocolate.

“Eat, you need to keep up your strength,” her mother chimed. Aura looked down at the food, grimacing at the smell. She opened her mouth to say ‘no, thank you’, but realized it wasn’t worth the argument.

“I’m already running late, mom. I’ll just eat it on the way,” she insisted, grabbing the food and walking out the door. As the door closed behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. She cautiously slid the food into the trash can and closed the lid, trying her best not to make any noise, and continued to her car that was waiting for her in the driveway. It had finally come to the point where she no longer felt guilty for throwing away the food her mother prepared for her. This was a necessary thing if she wanted to stay as thin and pretty as she always dreamed she would. The sweater was barely even keeping her warm. Yeah, she felt frozen solid almost constantly nowadays, but it never hurt to try. The car’s engine roared to life, and she backed out of the driveway. The snow was never much of an issue for the people around her town, especially when it came to driving. The first snow fall came around October and didn’t melt away until around April. Still, it came as no surprise when there were wrecks or skid marks on the snow covered roads on the way to the small private high school she and her friends attended.

Pulling into the parking lot, she noticed her boyfriend, Dante, standing beside his car, smoking a cigarette and waiting for her. As she pulled up, he threw the cigarette on the ground and put it out with his foot. She stepped out of her car, a beaming smile stretching across her thin face. Before she could say a word, Dante embraced her in a warm hug and kissed her forehead. Blushing, she looked up at him and ran her hands through his dark hair and grinned wildly.

“What?” He laughed, wrapping his arms around her small waist.

Aura shook her head and kissed his nose, “It’s nothing. I just love you and can’t wait to hang out with you this afternoon. Where do you want to go eat?” Dante rolled his eyes and grinned broadly.

“I don’t know why you ever ask. We both know where you want to go,” he said, lighting another cigarette from his pocket.

“And where do you think I want to go so badly?” She smirked; her voice saturated with happiness. He narrowed his eyes at her, jokingly.

“The Mexican Grille on the corner.” Aura giggled sweetly, making his heart melt.

“Awe, you know me so well!” She cried blissfully.

“Have faith in me, Aur. We’ve been dating forever. You’re my girl. Of course I know what you want.”

“Two years isn’t quite forever.” Dante flicked his Marlboro onto the ground.

“Come on; let’s get to class before we’re late.” He grabbed her cold hand and began to walk away, his touch warmed her numb fingers. Aura was in a state of complete delight. A perfect body, a perfect boyfriend, perfect friends, a perfect first snow. She couldn’t think of a reason not to be happy.

Once they arrived at her class, she unhappily kissed Dante goodbye. After promising to meet at their normal place after class, they departed. She quietly glided into her seat beside her best friend Remi, still tickled by the divine start of her day.

“Someone is in a good mood,” Remi chimed. “Looking thin, too! Have you lost more weight?” Aura smiled and nodded, glad that someone was noticing how fit she had become in the past two years. She loved the compliments, they made her feel accomplished.

“Another five pounds,” she responded proudly. She had never looked this good, or been this happy, in her entire life. Aura shifted happily in her chair and began to write a note to Dante as the teacher began to drone on and on about the skeletal system, the muscular system, and so on. Then, she started to daydream, thinking about the past two years with Dante; the day they met, their first date, their first kiss, going to the beach every summer. Everything was perfect, always had been. She felt another wave of happiness rush over her, barely able to pay attention.

“Aura Pinson, can you please tell the class what the fingers are also known as?” Aura’s head popped up, expelling her from her daydream.

“The phalanges,” she answered without skipping a beat. Her teacher, Mr. Amarno, slightly narrowed his eyes and smirked.

“Well, pay attention. Stop your fantasizing. If you ever want to gradu--” he began, cut off by the ringing of the bell. She quickly gathered her things, stood up and walked out of the door, blowing a kiss back to Mr. Amarno with a smug grin on her face. Dante was standing up against the lockers, waiting for her arrival so he could walk her to her next class. They both pulled little folded notes out of their pockets. It was their own little tradition, they wrote notes to each other in every class, so that they both have a note to read and write during every block. She felt really grateful that they had such an easy relationship; a few arguments, but nothing serious.

“Baby, do you think we will always be this in love?” she said suddenly. He stopped walking and held her face in his hands, looking straight into her eyes.

“Of course! You are, and always will be, my little doll. And I love you with every piece of my heart.” Dante leaned down and kissed her softly. “You’re my favorite.” She smiled, relishing in the sweet things he said. As they reached her class, they looked at each other sadly.

“I hate being away from you,” she whispered softly.

“I know, I do, too. I’ll see you after class,” he replied, walking away.