Lightheaded Love

Spoiler

This is a really rough draft, and I wrote it on two separate occasions, so it might be a little bit choppy.

My stomach gnawed at the rest of my body, ready to consume other organs in order to satisfy its hunger. It roared unhappily, as if it didn’t know my routine. One meal a day. Only when I felt whoozy. Only when I thought I would faint.
It wasn’t even one o’clock yet. Not nearly time to eat- I still had at least four hours to go.
I mentally cursed my growling stomach and did my best to ignore it. Liza looked over at me reproachfully. I knew her words before she said them.
“Have you eaten today?” Her question was more a demand, and as I opened my mouth, her eyes grew hard. I closed it and shook my head. I wrapped my hands in each other, trying to hide scarred knuckles from her sight. I hated that evidence, how my teeth marked my hands when emptying my stomach, and she had noticed before.
Liza was always so judgmental; she didn’t understand how I was only watching my food. She ate so much, and didn’t even realize it. So many calories, for such little satisfaction. There was no point, especially when it only resulted in weight gain. Ugliness.
Her gaze lowered, as she dug through her pack, and triumphantly held up a sandwich in plastic wrap. Unfolding it, she handed me a half of her peanut-butter-jelly sandwich. 105 calories, just for a few bites of food. Ridiculous. I took it just to make her happy, whispering a quick, ungratefully toned “Thanks.” I turned away from her and her locker, making my way to my next class, sandwich held but forgotten. Her hand closed on my shoulder.
“Nuh uh. I’m going to stand here and watch you eat that. You aren’t throwing that one away.” So she knew about the food she’d forced on me in the past. I took a bite and gagged, the enormity of what I was doing revolting to me, physically and mentally. I chewed and swallowed quickly. Maybe if I swallowed it quickly, the calories wouldn’t register as much.
I glared at her. “Happy?”
“No. You have to eat the whole thing, right here, right now.”
“This is ridiculous. I have to get to class.” I turned again, and started to walk away, when she grabbed my shoulder again, and turned me back towards her. Her eyes had softened, and looked vulnerable, anger replaced by pleading.
“Please?”
I grimaced, and ate the rest of the revolting food. My stomach gurgled and I felt a cramp rip through it. Too much food, too fast. I’d forgotten how hungry I was though. She grinned, and looked relieved. “Thanks.” She gave me a quick hug, and for a moment, I was touched that she cared so much for me. I hadn’t thought anyone had cared about me. And, even if she was wrong about my health, it was nice to know that someone did. Our hug ended, and she smiled at me. “Okay. I have to get to class.” She held my shoulders for another moment, as if to say something else, but then turned away from me and started towards class. The hallways were thinning out, and I had the feeling that the bell was going to be ringing soon.
I felt too heavy to move. There was no way I was going to make it to class. Even when I did eat, I never ate an entire half of a sandwich. My stomach felt like it was going to explode, like it was overflowing and found no outlet other than up. Bathroom. Must find a bathroom. My mind snapped back into the hall, thoughts drawn from my stomach. I started running towards the end of the hallway, revolted by the sensation of extra weight around my midsection. There it was. I sighed and slowed, sure I was about to empty my stomach, as it should be.

My stomach cleansed itself easily, as it always does now- my body does it naturally. My throat hurt, but that was to be expected. I smiled into the bathroom mirror, gargled some water, and felt much better with that foul taste of sandwich and calories gone from my mouth. The raw taste of bile was comforting, a burn of triumph over everyone else’s limitations. I walked to class, late, but elated. Class is so much better when you know you’ve bested your body. There’s a feeling of triumph in everything you do.

You know that feeling, when you haven’t eaten for a long time? When it feels like your stomach is being pulled into your other organs, that the hunger is devouring your entire body, that there’s some gaping hole in your lower torso, and you feel ten pounds lighter? That’s the feeling I thrive on. That feeling means that I’m triumphant over my body, and the way that it calls out for those disgusting calories. Or, at least, the way it used to. Now it just stays in that state, where I feel so light I could fly. You get lightheaded when you’re in love, don’t you?

Spoiler

I love food- I've never had an eating disorder, and am totally okay with my body- this was inspired by a friend who recently took action to combat her disease with some serious urging.
I just wanted to see if I could adopt the mentality for a story- eating disorders are a terrible and traumatic event- almost always underestimated.

I think you captured the mentality of someone with an eating disorder almost to a T. I've had people close to me struggle, and I've even been accused of having an eating disorder a few times (so don't, I love food) so I can picture it in my head while comparing it to your version, and the ideas are very close. Good job. I couldn't find any grammatical errors on first read, so I'm assuming there aren't any. The only thing I wanted to point out was

“Please?” I grimaced, and ate the rest of the revolting food.

I think that when you switched back to the MC you should go to another paragraph in order to maintain clarity. Right now it just seems like she's saying please, when we know it should be her friend who is pleading with her to eat.
Well, that's it I suppose. Great story despite the sad topic.

Happy Writing!
Bailey

Only when I thought that the fainting would come.

"Only when I thought I would faint" sounds better. "The fainting" makes it sound like repeated faintings. Like *faint* *get up* *faint* *get up* *faint* *get up* "Fine! I'll eat!"

You might need to give us some setting detail or just a little bit of exposition at first. In the first few lines, I'm trying to picture where we are, what we're doing, and who these people are. When I got to this line

I wrapped my hands in each other, trying to hide scarred knuckles from her examination.

I thought Liza was a doctor or something and instantly put our characters into an examination room.

Unfolding it, she handed me a half of her sandwich. 105 calories, just for a few bites of food.

That's a very precise number for a sandwich that can be made with white or wheat bread, mayo or mustard, roast beef or bologna, lettuce and pickle and tomato. I know the point you're trying to make, but it just makes the MC sound like Rain Man. "246 toothpicks!" There are a variety of ways you could make the number a little vaguer with the same feel. Even just using a nice round multiple of 100 would do it, like 100.

I like how the MC tries to avoid Liza every chance she gets. Either just about to lie, or thanks for the sandwich now I'm leaving, or okay I took a bite now I'm leaving. Very believable.

“Please?” I grimaced...

Agreed with baywolf on this line. Definitely confusing.

about to empty my stomach, as it should be.

My stomach emptied easily

"I wanted to empty my stomach. I emptied my stomach." I know there are a lot of stickler-reviewers around here for any kind of repetition whatsoever, but this is a case where the repetition is awkward.

The taste of bile was so much more comforting.

I doubt the actual taste of bile is comforting, but rather, like the extra burn they sometimes synthetically add to mouthwash and facewash, it's the connotation of the burning that makes you feel clean, feel restored. Like a cleansing flame. It's not the soreness in your muscles after a workout that feels good, but rather every endorphin and meaning that comes with said soreness. So perhaps you could reword, expand, or explore that.

And you've got a good ending that shows a glimpse at some twisted logic.

Captured the mentality of an anorexic perfectly, but I agree with a few points made by sargsauce. And definitely, that 'Please' line is confusing. The story is good though. Is there another chapter?