by Grace Campbell

Created on: March 21, 2009

"You have to promise that you will not tell a soul!" Emma cried, eyes wide open. She trusted me. As her best friend, how could I let her down? As her best friend, I should not tell anyone, but this one was big. This secret was life-changing, but I knew she would never talk to me again if I told.

"Okay. Promise," I choked out, "I will not tell anyone. You have my word." Now there was no going back. I gave her my word and I could not tell anyone her dirty little secret. Even if it could kill her. I looked at her limp form. You could tell she was anorexic. If fact, you could practicly see her ribs jutting out. She was way too thin, but I could not help her. I could not tell anyone. She would hate me for the rest of my life. I would not be able to deal with that.

"Are you not hungry?" I asked her later that week. I Grimaced and waited for a scolding. She lifted her gaunt, icy blue eyes and glared at me.

"No I am perfectly fine. Who needs food anyways?" She replied taking a sip of her Coke zero. It was only half empty, but she threw it away, claiming she was full. I sighed. I wished I could save her. Tell her mom or someone. But this was her secret; not mine. I had no right to go and ruin it for her. Anyways, she did not look that bad; just a little sick, that was all.

The next Saturday Emma collapsed. We were at a baseball game, watching her older brother pitch when she just fainted. I did not know how long it had been since she had eaten but based on this fall, probably about a week. Time froze. I could not stop staring at her gorgeous, tiny face. She looked gone, like she was not there. Who knew food, or the lack of it, could do that to someone as eccentric as Emma Rodriguiz?

I snapped back into action. I pulled her up and called out to her mom. This was it. I had to tell. I had to break my promise to save my best friend. Mrs. Rodriguiz rushed up to us asking what had happened and I told her everything. She looked at me with disbelief. Regardless, she called an ambulance and suggested that I stay there at the game to tell Sam, her brother, that they had to take Emma to the E.R. I wanted to go with them. To tell Emma I was sorry when she awoke, but I stayed.

On Sunday, I went to see Emma. At her the door to her hospital room, I hesitated. She probably would not want to see me. She probably hated me for breaking a promise; her trust. I turned the knob and stepped up to her bed slowly. She was watching T.V. with untouched hospital food on the bedside table.

"Um, hi," I said quietly. Lightly touching her arm as if she were an old, crippled man, not an anorexic fifteen year old. She looked at me for a long time before saying, "Thank you." I was stunned. Thank you? She was thanking me for being a bad friend? For spilling her secret? For RUINING HER LIFE? I asked her why this was and she just smiled.

"A friend would have made some stupid exuse for why I fainted, but a best friend would have told the truth to save my life. You are a hero Krissy. You are a true friend," she explained lifting up her food and taking a bite. "Who needs to starve themselves anyway?"

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