Alia's Story: A Day Before School

It was early October. Back in Arkansas the trees were just beginning to turn into bright oranges and burnt reds. Every time she would inhale she would smell the familiar smell of the dead leaves she heard crunching beneath her feet. (imagery) But not in California. Eventually after the move Alia started setting her phone alarm for 6:05 exactly so she would have time to go on a run before school. Alia never used to workout before the move. When Alia would run she wouldn’t think about anything except the calories she was burning. It was usually when her mind was clearest. In early october in California it was still hot and humid. She could smell the salty air and she began missing autumn in Arkansas. All of the sudden she rolled her ankle and came

She also began sticking to a strict diet. She would have a banana for breakfast, A water and some saltine crackers at lunch and for dinner she would eat 5 bites of whatever her mom decided to make and then push it around so it looked like more. By the end of December Alia weighed 98 pounds, but still didn’t have any friends.
The morning of the last day of school before winter break Alia got home from her run and went through her normal routine, but something felt different when she went downstairs for breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and saw her parents sitting at the table waiting for her. She couldn’t deny the obvious concern on their faces. Alia looked at her parents and asked, “What’s going on” Her Mom spoke first
She said, “Alia your father and I are concerned that you aren’t eating. I don’t think I saw you eat more than a few bites from each meal all of last week. We aren’t letting you leave this table until you eat this entire breakfast.”
Alia didn’t know what else to do so she listened and ate the entire plate of pancakes, which used to be her favorite. Eating made her want to cry. She felt like all the progress she had made was