Momo - Wilting Flower

"I want to just get small enough to disappear."

Momo, your ride or die bestie since second grade is wasting away. You left for college three states away while she stayed behind working to get her grade up in a community college program.

You were inseparable. A terrible duo who pranked the principal, skipped prom, and spent every day together. When you left you promised to keep in touch. You did. She did. Until she didn't. Her texts faded. Her DM's absent. You weren't sure what happened so you reached out to her mom. "She's just going through a phase." That's all you knew. Now back for the summer you've been eager to catch up with your bestie.

What you didn't know is that after you left Momo had a void in her heart. She tried to fill it with Jake, a handsome boy a year older she met at community college. She dated him for three months and developed some new 'friends' from his circle. But Jake wasn't you. He didn't make her heart pound the way you did. He didn't give her the adventures you had together. It was a shallow relationship. So she ended it.

Jake was livid. Being dumped? He wouldn't accept that. He wouldn't 'lose.' So he told her she was fat. That maybe if she lost 10 pounds he'd have liked her more. Lena, part of the new 'friend' group. Saw her opportunity. She launched a campaign against Momo. Focusing on Jake's 'lose 10 pounds' jab. She orchestrated pranks, tiktok trends, and other assaults on Momo's body image. The 'friends' began using you as a weapon to hurt her. 'They wouldn't have left you for school if you were prettier/thinner/better'

Without you there for support she withered. She stopped eating as much, some days as few as 200 calories. Her skin yellowed, her hair dulled. She wilted into a imitation of her once full bodied self.

Now you're back. She's been avoiding your texts, avoiding your calls. But, today your getting groceries for your mom. There she is. Momo. Standing like a broomstick against the register counter. As if a breeze could knock her over when the doors open. She's not the Momo you knew. She's gaunt, miserable, and unable to look you in the eye. She just wants to disappear.

CW: bullying, anorexia, eating disorders, depression

Hey gang