Again, I'd like to thank my reviewers.
It was about time I updated…
Even though I may update this story irregularly, I always finish what I start.

Miranda stuck her head around the corner of the door. "Hey there!"

Lizzie and Gordo looked at each other. That confrontation may come sooner than we thought…

"Am I… interrupting something?" Miranda wondered, not expecting to see Lizzie and Gordo together.

"What? No…" Lizzie answered. "Come in. What brings you here?"

Miranda stepped into the McGuire kitchen and held out a shirt on a hanger. "Thought you may want to have your shirt back. Look, you almost can't see the stain anymore."

Lizzie gratefully took the shirt from Miranda. "Thanks… I, um… thanks…" She wanted to say more, but what should she say? What do you tell your best friend when you think that she has an eating disorder? Lizzie remembered what happened last year, when she first suspected Miranda of having a problem. She had tried to talk to her on a trip to the mall, but everything had gone wrong and they ended up having a big argument in the middle of a store. Now Lizzie looked to her right, where Gordo was standing. You talk to her, the expression on her face tried to tell him. But she could see that it was as difficult for Gordo as it was for her. And so they both just kept standing there and the awkward silence also became noticeable to Miranda.

"What's going on?" she wondered suspiciously.

"…Nothing…" Lizzie said.

"Yeah, nothing," Gordo agreed. "Well, nothing… There is something we need to talk to you about, but we're not sure how to tell you."

"What… O," she stammered and she looked at Gordo, at Lizzie and then she looked at both of them together. "Has it finally happened? Are you two…?"

"No!" Gordo exclaimed.

"No no," Lizzie agreed, "I mean… well, no. It's something completely different."

"Something very serious," Gordo added. "Maybe we better sit down."
Why is it that people always sit down when they need to tell you something terrible? Is it a way to define an important moment or is it just a stalling technique, postponing the inevitable bad news?

Lizzie and Gordo seated themselves on the sofa, while Miranda hesitantly sat down on the edge of one of the armchairs.

The angst in her eyes told that she suspected what Lizzie and Gordo were going to tell her and she was not at all comfortable with that.

OK, there we go, Lizzie said to herself. Take a breath and tell her.

"Miranda… We want to talk to you about what's been going on lately, since you've come back. And maybe… maybe much, much longer… Do you remember last year, when we were making that video clip?"

Cautiously, Miranda looked up. "Sure…" she answered. Now there was no doubt left about where this conversation was going. "…We came up with a whole choreography to that song. What was it called? O, I remember, it was 'Us against the world' from that Swedish group – I think it was called Play. Whatever happened to them? We never heard anything from them after that," she ranted and she nervously wiggled with her leg while she was talking. "So it's true; it's really hard to build a career in music industry and…"

"Miranda," Gordo interrupted, "we are not here to talk about forgotten Swedish girl groups."

She quieted down and stared at the floor.

"There was something going on when we shot that video and I'm afraid it's happening all over again," Lizzie said sadly, "or perhaps it never stopped."

"We're seeing the same signs," Gordo said. "You're not eating, always exercising…"

"And when we were at the mall, you were all… body conscious," Lizzie added.

"And on top of that all, you passed out in the gym last Wednesday."

Miranda was breathing heavily and still desperately trying to avoid any eye-contact.

"…So you see Miranda, we're afraid that… it's just like last year and that you… you…" Lizzie paused and bit her lip. "That you've got an eating disorder."

Miranda stared blankly in front of her. For a moment it seemed as if she was going to speak, but then she turned silent again. And then she really got started.

"So you think you've got it all figured out, don't you? Poor, pathetic, stupid little Miranda. I dieted a little too much once, so of course I must always be anorexic. What a load of crap! I never should have told you guys anything!"

"No!" Lizzie and Gordo cried out in unison.

"We don't think you're stupid at all," Lizzie said. "We're just worried about you, Miranda."

"Stop 'worrying' and stay the hell out of my life!" Miranda yelled.

"But we only want what's best for you," Gordo opposed. "You see, my parents see lots of people like you in their practice and they all need…"

"O! Right! Little Gordo's got it all figured out, hasn't he? Gordo thinks he knows it all, because his mommy and daddy are shrinks. You don't know anything, Gordo, anything!" Miranda yelled and she jumped up from her chair pointing her finger at Gordo. "Have you got any idea how arrogant you are? Thinking you know everything, 'cause you're a 'straight A' student? With your lame movies and all your other pathetic little obsessions. You're just a really weird kid and you're telling me that I'm not normal?"

Lizzie couldn't take it anymore. "Miranda, stop! I know this is difficult for you. I even understand your outburst right now, but shooting insults at Gordo is a step too far!"

Miranda huffed. "Ah, yes. Lizzie and Gordo, Gordo and Lizzie, 'best friends', the two of you always stand up for each other. What is it, Liz'? Afraid of confrontations, as always? Doesn't it fit into your perfect 'Lizzie-world'? Welcome to the real world. Or is that too much too handle for the sweet, perfect little Lizzie. O, everybody loves Lizzie. Lizzie, with the perfect behavior; never in trouble, always polite, always weak! Lizzie with the perfect bleach-blond hair. Lizzie with the perfect all-American family. Lizzie and the pop stars. Lizzie and the boys…"

Then Lizzie did something she shouldn't have done. It was wrong and she knew it, but she was so aggravated by now that she did it anyway.

"So you think we are all crazy weirdoes and you're just fine, huh? If you really don't have an eating disorder, then prove it. Prove it!" And Lizzie took the tray with cupcakes and put it in front of Miranda. "Here, eat one. Eat one and prove us all wrong. Come on, what are you waiting for?!"

"Are you out of you're freakin' mind? Who the hell do you think you are?" Miranda yelled.

"So it's true," Lizzie smirked. "You do have an eating problem."

"Shut up, you bitch!" Miranda yelled. "I don't have a problem. You're just a lousy cook. No-one wants to eat that shit that you always bake!"

"Hey, knock it off!" Gordo said. By now, he too was too aggravated to realize how wrong Lizzie's plan was. "Don't you dare talk to Lizzie like that! And by the way, she's a fantastic cook."

"O, look at Gordo, standing up for his girl," Miranda said, her voice running over with sarcasm… "You two just make me sick!"

"Why do you have to be like that, Miranda?" Lizzie said. "Why can't you just admit that you've got a problem? And stop being such a bitch!"

"That's enough! Just shut up and get out! Both of you. Get out!"

"Stop it Miranda. This is my house, you can't kick me out!"

"Fine! Then I'll leave. I don't ever wanna see you again," Miranda yelled and she turned around and started pacing towards the door.

"Yeah, sure, don't face your problems. Leave when it gets hard. Coward!"

Miranda turned around. "I'm not a coward."

"No? Then take this and eat it!" And Lizzie took a cupcake from the tray and put it in Miranda's hands. Lizzie took a few steps back and stood with her arms crossed, demanding Miranda to eat it.

"You know what you can do with your cupcakes?!" Miranda screamed. "Here!" And in blind rage, Miranda threw the cupcake at Lizzie's face. In her anger, she almost missed and the cupcakes grazed the side of Lizzie's face instead.

"What the hell, Miranda?!" Gordo exclaimed.

"You see, she's doing all kinds of crazy stuff, just so that she doesn't have to eat anything," said Lizzie, who wasn't frightened by Miranda at all. "I was right; she's really has got an eating disorder."

"I don't!" Miranda yelled. "So you want proof; you want proof, hm?!"

"Yes I do!"

"Fine. Here you've got your stupid proof."

And Miranda took another cupcake from the tray, brought it to her mouth, closed her eyes and she ate it. No, she wasn't just eating it. She took huge bites, hardly chewed and swallowed each piece with more disgust on her face.

When she was done, she plumped back down on the couch. As loudly as they had been fighting before, so quiet was it now. But they all knew nothing was really quiet between them. You could cut the tension with a knife.

They sat there in total silence for almost a minute and it seemed like an hour. No-one dared to speak. Miranda's foot was trembling; Lizzie and Gordo just stared blankly at the floor. Then suddenly the oven's timer rang.

"I… better… oven…" Lizzie stumbled.

"I'll help you," Gordo said, glad for an excuse to leave and quickly followed Lizzie into the kitchen.

Once there, Lizzie put on her oven mittens and pulled out a plate with cookies. Cookies… They were the last thing on her mind right now. She stepped back to take a breath, but she heard footsteps on the stairs, followed by the sound of the bathroom door closing. It had to be Miranda. Lizzie looked at Gordo and his pale face told that he was thinking the same thing. Lizzie let go of her cookies and ran up the stairs, with Gordo behind her. When they arrived at the bathroom door, Gordo hesitated, but Lizzie didn't and briskly opened the door.

And there was Miranda, bent over the toilet. She was throwing up.

(posted on 31 March 2009)