Read Online What If... All Your Friends Turned On You by Liz Ruckdeschel - Free Book Online Page B

THE SCALE .

EVERYTHING IN
MODERATION
    Sometimes extreme circumstances call for moderate measures.
    â€œY ou’re eating that?” Coco sniffed at the chicken breast and steamed broccoli Haley was eating for lunch. “You know what they say: a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”
    â€œIt’s a lean, skinless, broiled chicken breast with no sauce,” Haley said. “It’s almost pure protein. No carbs. Plus broccoli is, like, packed with vitamins and has almost zero calories. You can’t get much less fattening than this.”
    â€œWhatever you say.” Coco sipped her hot water with lemon.
    It was the first day back at school after winter vacation. Haley had gotten up early that morning to go for a long run. It was freezing cold outside, but she had to admit she felt pretty great afterward, and her cheeks retained a rosy glow.
    Coco’s New Year’s Eve speech had inspired her, in a way. She was furious with Reese for what he’d done in the Caribbean, and she wanted to be at her best when she confronted him. She also wanted to do something to boost her energy levels and to help herself feel better, so that Reese’s betrayal wouldn’t leave her feeling depressed. So, she was exercising more than usual, drinking a lot of water, eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting out foods that clouded up her system, like heavy sweets and simple starches in the packaged breads and crackers category. Overall, she thought she was doing pretty well. She’d shed three pounds of baby fat and was looking tall and lean, but still had respectable curves.
    What she wasn’t willing to do was take the Coco Cleanse, which, as far as Haley could tell, amounted to ingesting lots of hot water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and little else. Even diet soda was off-limits, as Coco insisted it led to bloating and that the added chemicals weren’t a friend to skin.
    Now she and Coco were having lunch together inthe cafeteria, if you could call Coco’s cup of water lunch. “You want a bite?” Haley offered her a piece of chicken.
    Coco shook her head. “That’s not on the Coco Cleanse. You’re not following the regimen, and I hate to say it, Haley, but it totally shows.” She pinched the skin on Haley’s upper arm as an example.
    Haley tried to keep her temper. “That’s muscle,” she said, seething.
    Haley had a feeling that for Coco, this “healthy regimen” was really about deprivation, starvation and self-control, certainly not health. She accurately guessed it was a way for Coco to feel in charge after Spencer had pulled the sarong out from under her on his modelizing trip to Nevis. “I’m worried about you, Coco. I’m afraid you’re taking this cleanse thing way, way too seriously.”
    Coco pulled a fashion magazine out of her bag and pointed to the model on the cover. “Look at her. Look how skinny she is! She makes me look like a total fatty. Apparently, this is the kind of girl Spencer likes, so that’s what I’m going for. And I won’t stop until I get there.”
    â€œYou’re pretty close already,” Haley warned. Coco smiled with satisfaction, but that wasn’t Haley’s intended effect. She couldn’t help but notice that her friend’s skin and eyes were starting to look dull and tired. Coco seemed to have lost some of her fierce spirit and compelling edge. Sure, she could be a littletoo spirited at times, especially if you got on her bad side, but without that spark of personality, Coco was missing most of her overall appeal. How could Haley tell her that to her face without having her own head chopped off and served to her on a platter?
    Now that most certainly was
not
a menu item on Coco’s New Year’s diet.

    Coco has always had a tendency to go overboard, and this cleanse is no exception. It’s as if she’s lost all sense of proportion. If you