Read Online Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett - Free Book Online

compete in the Miss Teen Tennessee pageant early next year. At this weight, I might as well not even enter.”
    “See if you can follow me here, Lara,” Dr. Fabrio said. “I think what is happening is that you are blaming the reaction to the problem on your stress, rather than blaming the problem itself.”
    I looked at him blankly.
    “In other words, the rashes, the weight gain, are symptoms of something that is bothering you.”
    Smile. “You’re saying this is all in my head?”
    “Look, Lara, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. The teen years are very, very tough.” He rubbed his chin again. “I’d like to put you on Doxepin—it’s an antidepressant with strong antihistamine effects. You’ll take two at night before you go to sleep.”
    “And I can stop the prednisone?” I asked eagerly.
    “Slowly,” Dr. Fabrio cautioned. “Take half a pill less every two days until you stop, is that clear?”
    “The Doxepin won’t make me gain weight?”
    “That is not a known side effect of this drug.”
    “Thank you, thank you, that’s wonderful,” I said happily. “I’m so relieved.”
    He patted my hand. “I hope Doxepin is helpful. But you might want to consider some kind of counseling tohelp you with whatever is stressing you out.” He stood up. “There’s no shame in it. It can be very beneficial.”
    He scribbled out a prescription for the new drug, and I clutched it in my hands like a lifeline as I rushed into the waiting room. Now it all made sense. I wasn’t crazy. It was the
prednisone
that was making me so hungry. But now that I could stop taking it, I would lose the eighteen pounds quickly and I could pretend this whole, awful experience had never happened to me.
    “What did he say?” my mother demanded, standing up.
    “No more prednisone!” I cried happily, hugging her.
    “Oh, honey, that’s great,” my mother said, hugging me back. “What a nightmare this has been, huh?” She went to the front desk and gave them her medical insurance card.
    “Mom, do you think I’m stressed out?”
    “Now, that’s ridiculous,” my mother said.
    “Do you think I need counseling?”
    “You?” She laughed.
    “That’s what I thought.” I smiled. “Let’s just go fill this prescription.”
    We bundled into our coats—the weather had turned chilly—and, our arms around each other’s waists, headed out of the doctor’s office.
    “I s it my imagination, or was that the worst movie I ever saw?” I asked Jett as we left the movie theater that evening.
    “Worse than that, even,” Jett joked as he held the door open for me.
    “Snow!” I sang out. While we had been suffering through a terrible movie, it had started to flurry. I lifted my face to it and stuck out my tongue.
    “Let’s go get ice cream,” Jett suggested, pulling me toward the Baskin-Robbins at the end of the strip mall.
    “I don’t need ice cream,” I told him.
    “Hey, everyone needs ice cream.” He kissed my cheek.
    Baskin-Robbins was already crowded with other loud moviegoers. “What do you want?” Jett asked, getting in line.
    I smiled at him. “Nothing, and don’t try to talk me out of it.”
    He turned and put his arms around my waist. At first I flinched, sure he felt the circle of fat at my midriff. But now that I knew I could throw out the prednisone and what he felt was truly temporary, I relaxed in his embrace.
    “So, is it my imagination, or are you happier tonight than you’ve been in a while?”
    He was so amazing, so sensitive to my moods. Yes, I wanted to tell him, I am happy! I don’t have to take prednisone anymore. I’m going to lose all the weight I gained. The nightmare is over!
    But I didn’t say any of that. I just smiled, said, “You’re right,” in what I hoped was a provocative, mysterious way, and kissed him lightly on the lips.
    “Well, good, whatever it is.” He gently pushed a lock of hair off my face. “You look really beautiful tonight.”
    “I do?”
    “Yeah. Incandescent.