28 Chapter 28: Soul Mates, Part 2

Denise's face crumpled like a wax flower left out in the sun. "You don't understand," she said. "You're a man. Who cares if you're a slob? You don't know how it feels."

"It's dangerous," he said. "You have to stop."

"Make me."

He stared at her, incredulous. "You could die."

She pushed her plate away. "You can't tell me what to do," she said.

Melvin rubbed his forehead. He cut himself another slice. "Your father asked about you today," he said.

She blanched. "And what did you tell him?"

"I told him you were fine," he said. "Of course, if he knew you were bulimic..." He let the word dangle in the air.

Denise's pupils constricted to pinpricks. "You wouldn't dare," she said.

Melvin took a bite. "Denise," he said, "if you do it just one more time, I'll know. Trust me. And when I know, he'll know."

She put her head in her hands. "I'm disgusting," she wailed, "and the play is less than two months away. I overheard Jessica say that I'd never even fit into one of my own dresses."