Willow Wicked's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

The next afternoon, Willow came to the old punk club early. She wanted to practice eating near people before the band arrived. The plan felt smart. Strangers filled the floor for the daytime show. Nobody here knew her. Loud music meant nobody would watch her chew. Low pressure, she told herself. She could eat a little, hidden inside the crowd, before rehearsal made it real. She found a spot against the far wall, under a torn band poster. She pulled a small bag from her hoodie pocket. Apple slices, six of them, cut thin. Kandi's rule sat in her head: eat before we play. Willow lifted one slice to her mouth. She bit down. Her count started on its own. One, two, three. She always chewed eleven times on each side. It kept the food safe. It kept her safe. The bass thumped through the wall. Bodies pressed close, sweat and hairspray in the air. Willow kept counting. Six on the left. Seven. The rule was working. She could do this, one slice at a time, no one looking. Then a flash of neon pink cut through the crowd. Kandi. Willow froze mid-chew. Kandi was dancing near the front, arms up, tiara catching the stage light, rainbow hoodie bright against the dark. She wasn't supposed to be here yet. Willow's whole plan cracked. If Kandi turned, she would see. She would see the counting on Willow's face, the slow careful bites, the rules. Willow's hand jerked. She dumped the apple slices onto the sticky floor. They scattered under boots. Her heart slammed. She shoved the empty bag deep in her pocket and pressed flat against the wall. Kandi spotted her anyway. She danced her way over, breathing hard, grinning. "You came early," she said. Then she looked down. Apple slices lay crushed near Willow's platform sneakers. Kandi's grin dropped. She didn't ask what happened. She already knew. "I couldn't," Willow whispered. "You saw me. I got scared." Kandi crouched. She picked up the bag from Willow's pocket without asking and looked inside. Empty. She stood back up. For a second she said nothing, and the music filled the space between them. "Okay," Kandi said. "So hiding doesn't work." She said it flat, like a fact. "You throw it out the second someone sees. So you stop hiding." Willow shook her head fast. "I can't eat where people watch." "Then you eat where I watch," Kandi said. "Just me. Every day before rehearsal. Right here." She wasn't asking. "You're not doing the alone thing anymore. It's done." Willow's stomach turned cold. Her private, controlled spot was gone. There would be no more practicing in secret, no crowd to disappear into. From now on, Kandi would sit across from her and watch her eat. She wanted to run. She didn't. She nodded, once. It felt like stepping off a ledge.