I head in the direction of the counseling office, but I stop when I see Lauren. Relief spreads through me instantly. Of all my friends, she’s the only one who doesn’t judge me for being held back a grade, the only one who knows I haven’t been “sick for attention.”
“Hey, girl,” she says. “I got worried about you. I—well, I heard what Mrs. Mallory said.”
“Great,” I mumble. “Guess by now everyone knows.”
“That’s not true,” Lauren says, her face growing pink. “I only found out cause I’m your best friend and people are worried.” She’s totally lying. I’ve seen her lie before, and I know her enough to know when she’s not being honest. But I feel kinda grateful she’s trying to beat around the truth to keep me from feeling worse.
“Want to go grab lunch? I sorta—skipped—after—after the comment.” Now I feel my own face getting red. It’s embarrassing to have to admit this to anyone.
Lauren sighs. She looks at me sadly for a minute. “I can’t today. I have to help my mom go grocery shopping and get things ready for Thursday.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Are you going to be okay? You look really pale. I hope you’re not purging again.”
“Of course not.” Which is true. I haven’t slipped up that badly in about a month.