Zac picked up the phone and dialed Aura's number. They hadn't spoken since they day he found out that she was starving herself. The phone rang in his ear, then Aura's mother picked up.

"Hello Zac. No Aura's not home right now. She's at some girl's house... I think her name is... now what was it?... oh yes, I remember, her name's Rhea."

"Rhea Patterson?" Zac asked in disbelief.

"Yes dear, I think that was her last name."

Zac couldn't believe it. Aura had always talked about how much she despised Rhea. She was a spoiled brat who had everything handed to her on a silver platter. And now Aura was over at Rhea's house. Something strange was going on and Zac was determined to find out what it was.

"I can't believe that we're so much alike," I said. "I had always thought that you had it so easy."

"Well now you know." Rhea's violet eyes bored into mine and I had to look away. "No one understands. Everyone thinks that I'm so sheltered and I have everything that I've ever wanted, but it's the exact opposite. I'd trade it all to have what you have Aura. All I've ever wanted were parents who love me. They give me everything except the one thing I want most in the world. So, this is the way I deal. I don't like admitting it and I've never told anyone, but you seemed like the kind of person who would understand."

"And I did, more than you ever knew. But trust me, you don't want I have. My dad left. He just up and left two months ago. I've heard from him once since that day. He never even said good-bye. That's the thing that hurt the most. I knew that him and my mom were having problems and I didn't want to burden them, but I was up in my room listening to them fight and then I heard the car drive away. And that was the day he drove out fo my life; no explanation, no nothing. He apologized when he came to see me two weeks ago but if he really wanted to apologize he wouldn't have waited a month and a half. I think he felt obligated to give me some sort of explanation. It would have been better if he never explained it to me. Then I could've kept wondering, I think the truth hurt a lot more than my fantasies. You're the first person I've told besides Zac." I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Rhea's eyes were wide as she hung onto my every word and I actually felt like she cared.

"Zac who? Do I know him?"

"Uhm, probably. Zac Hanson? Do you know him?"

Rhea's eyes got even wider. "You know Zac Hanson? The Zac Hanson?" she asked in disbelief.

"Uh yeah, I've known him forever. We're going out." I almost whispered the last sentence for fear of Rhea turning on me in either hatred or anger.

"You're going out with Zac Hanson? Wow, that is so cool. He's so cute!" she squeeled. "I can't believe I know someone who knows Zac Hanson! How long have you been going out with him?"

"Uh a little over two months. Can we drop this. I really don't like talking about it that much. If I knew you were a fan I wouldn't have told you."

"Oh, I just like their music, that's all. Anyways, that's cool. Does Simone know about your... eating habits?" She looked at me inquiringly.

"No, and I don't plan on telling her. She wouldn't understand. She's never been through anything like this before and I doubt she ever will. Zac figured it out last week. I never told him but he just put two and two together I guess."

"Is he going to tell?"

"No, I told him that I would never talk to him again and that we wouldn't even have a platonic relationship if he told anyone. That should keep him quiet." I felt a huge guilt as I remembered the look on Zac's face as I threatened him with our friendship if he told anyone. I hated doing it, but it was the only way.

Zac sat on his bed watching the rain stream down the window pain. It was the dreariest day and it fit his mood to a tee. He hated being torn between his relationship with Aura and doing the right thing. He wanted to tell somebody so badly, but he knew that Aura would keep her threat and never speak to him again. Maybe he could just keep trying to convince her to stop or else he would tell. But then she would never talk to him. He couldn't stand the thought of not having her in his life. She was his sanity, the one thing that kept him grounded through all of this. She was always there telling him how great he was, and how much he deserved this, and just being a true friend.

But she had changed so much since then. She was still the same Aura, but she was using their closeness as a threat. And he knew that she would act on her threats. The closeness they had was a bond so unbreakable that even Simone had not come between them.

Diana had always thought they would drift apart when Aura started school because she would be meeting girls her age, but that had never happened. Thye had just gotten closer over the years and now it had come to this. Their feelings for each other were more than just friendship.

His brothers had always told him that Aura and him would end up together because no one could be that close and not have feelings for the other one. And they were right. He picked up the phone and dialed Simone's number.

"Hello?"

"Simone, hey this is Zac."

"Hey Zac, what's up?"

"I have to talk to you about Aura."

"Yeah, what's up with her? She's been acting weird lately."

"Well Simone, I know why. But there's one catch. You hvae to promise not to tell Aura you know. And if you do tell her, I didn't tell you, you just figured it out. Ok?"

"Ok Zac. What is so important that I can't tell anyone?"

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