Read Online Picturing Perfect by Melissa Brown, Lori Sabin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melissa Brown, Lori Sabin
Tags: Contemporary
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having one of the strangest days of my life made it difficult to relate to Auden's laughter.
"I am drunkety, drunk, drunk, drunk," Auden said, her volume increasing each time she repeated the word. Twirling around the bathroom, pinching the fabric of her sweater dress, Auden spun herself through the air before bumping into the wall.
"Whoops."
Auden laughed again as she entered the largest stall of the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and giggled to herself as she used the toilet.
I stood at the sink, waiting for her to emerge from the stall. The toilet flushed, but she didn't move. Her charcoal ballet slippers were still pressed to the floor. She was still sitting on the toilet.
"Aud?" I said, knocking on the door of the stall. "You okay?"
"I think I'm gonna puke," she whimpered.
"Oh." That's all I could think to say. Auden had a tried and true phobia when it came to vomiting. She was terrified of it and would do anything and everything in her power not to do it. Snapping into caregiver mode, I walked to the stall door. We'd been here many times before during our college years. I took a deep breath and asked, "What can I do, sweetie?"
The latch loosened on the large stall door and it slowly creaked open. Auden was fully dressed, sitting on the toilet. Her skin was ashen and as she clutched the handicap bar to her side.
"I don't wanna do it," she whined, her brow knitted, her hair disheveled.
"Shh," I said, smoothing down her hair. "Do you want me to get your mom? Or Maya?"
"No!" she shouted, grabbing onto my forearm.
"Okay, okay," I said, pushing her hair behind her ears.
"Just stay here with me…please," she whimpered, a tear slowly dropping from her eye.
"Of course, sweetie," I replied, squeezing her hand.
"I'm gonna sit down now," she said, pulling herself up and sitting down on the terracotta tile. Following her lead, I placed the latch back on the door and sat beside her on the floor. Auden placed her elbows on the seat of the toilet and leaned against her folded arms.
"Breathe in and out," I said softly as I rubbed her back. Taking deep breaths in and out, in and out, I tried to get Auden to follow my lead. After several minutes of this, Auden tugged at the neck of her sweater as sweat trickled down her neck. Yep, she was gonna vomit.
"I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna," she whined as she shook her head vigorously back and forth. Doing my best to stifle my laughter, I just kept thinking about how grateful I was for the distraction. Auden was always entertaining, even when she didn't mean to be. She attempted to swat me when she heard my chuckles.
"You're a brat."
"Sorry, sweetie."
"I have to lay down," she said. And as much as I wanted to stop my best friend from laying down in a public bathroom, I said nothing. I simply moved out of the way and let her rest. She laid her head on her arm and closed her eyes.
I sat back against the wall, resting my head against the stucco-textured paint. Just when I thought Auden had fallen asleep, she whispered, "I think it's passing."
"Maybe your food is settling," I offered, rubbing her calf gently to comfort her.
"Maybe," she replied. "This sucks."
"I know. Puking is the worst."
"Can I tell you something?" Auden croaks out.
"Of course," I said, lightly rubbing her leg.
"I'm not happy. Ever since we got back from Europe. Something is just…not right."
"Is it your job?" I asked, hoping she'd give me more information. I wanted my best friend to be happy again and I'm not sure her current job in sales was really the right route for her. When she first told me she wanted to go into pharmaceutical sales, I was floored. It was so competitive. So cutthroat. But Auden loved a challenge. And talking with people had never been her weakness. But maybe it wasn't all she'd hoped it would be.
"Maybe, I don't know," she mumbled. "I just feel like I don't belong anymore."
"Don't belong where?"
"Here…I don't know, anywhere I guess. I just feel weird,
"I am drunkety, drunk, drunk, drunk," Auden said, her volume increasing each time she repeated the word. Twirling around the bathroom, pinching the fabric of her sweater dress, Auden spun herself through the air before bumping into the wall.
"Whoops."
Auden laughed again as she entered the largest stall of the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and giggled to herself as she used the toilet.
I stood at the sink, waiting for her to emerge from the stall. The toilet flushed, but she didn't move. Her charcoal ballet slippers were still pressed to the floor. She was still sitting on the toilet.
"Aud?" I said, knocking on the door of the stall. "You okay?"
"I think I'm gonna puke," she whimpered.
"Oh." That's all I could think to say. Auden had a tried and true phobia when it came to vomiting. She was terrified of it and would do anything and everything in her power not to do it. Snapping into caregiver mode, I walked to the stall door. We'd been here many times before during our college years. I took a deep breath and asked, "What can I do, sweetie?"
The latch loosened on the large stall door and it slowly creaked open. Auden was fully dressed, sitting on the toilet. Her skin was ashen and as she clutched the handicap bar to her side.
"I don't wanna do it," she whined, her brow knitted, her hair disheveled.
"Shh," I said, smoothing down her hair. "Do you want me to get your mom? Or Maya?"
"No!" she shouted, grabbing onto my forearm.
"Okay, okay," I said, pushing her hair behind her ears.
"Just stay here with me…please," she whimpered, a tear slowly dropping from her eye.
"Of course, sweetie," I replied, squeezing her hand.
"I'm gonna sit down now," she said, pulling herself up and sitting down on the terracotta tile. Following her lead, I placed the latch back on the door and sat beside her on the floor. Auden placed her elbows on the seat of the toilet and leaned against her folded arms.
"Breathe in and out," I said softly as I rubbed her back. Taking deep breaths in and out, in and out, I tried to get Auden to follow my lead. After several minutes of this, Auden tugged at the neck of her sweater as sweat trickled down her neck. Yep, she was gonna vomit.
"I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna," she whined as she shook her head vigorously back and forth. Doing my best to stifle my laughter, I just kept thinking about how grateful I was for the distraction. Auden was always entertaining, even when she didn't mean to be. She attempted to swat me when she heard my chuckles.
"You're a brat."
"Sorry, sweetie."
"I have to lay down," she said. And as much as I wanted to stop my best friend from laying down in a public bathroom, I said nothing. I simply moved out of the way and let her rest. She laid her head on her arm and closed her eyes.
I sat back against the wall, resting my head against the stucco-textured paint. Just when I thought Auden had fallen asleep, she whispered, "I think it's passing."
"Maybe your food is settling," I offered, rubbing her calf gently to comfort her.
"Maybe," she replied. "This sucks."
"I know. Puking is the worst."
"Can I tell you something?" Auden croaks out.
"Of course," I said, lightly rubbing her leg.
"I'm not happy. Ever since we got back from Europe. Something is just…not right."
"Is it your job?" I asked, hoping she'd give me more information. I wanted my best friend to be happy again and I'm not sure her current job in sales was really the right route for her. When she first told me she wanted to go into pharmaceutical sales, I was floored. It was so competitive. So cutthroat. But Auden loved a challenge. And talking with people had never been her weakness. But maybe it wasn't all she'd hoped it would be.
"Maybe, I don't know," she mumbled. "I just feel like I don't belong anymore."
"Don't belong where?"
"Here…I don't know, anywhere I guess. I just feel weird,
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