Help Me

It was barely light when I woke up, a few beams of muted light escaping through a gap in the heavy curtains, the world completely silent besides the light cheeping of awakening birds and Alexander’s soft snores from the opposite side of the room. Glancing over, he was splayed across his bed, on his back with the soft material of his shirt clinging to his protruding ribs in a way that looked far from healthy. Simply, he looked starved. Even under layers of baggy clothes, it was easy to see how fragile his tiny body really appeared, lacking the healthy amount of fat. His skin was unnaturally pallid, most of his hair covering his face in a way that suggested he was hiding behind it rather than trying to fit into a certain style.

I’d asked him about his ‘eating habits’, but he’d just gotten all misty eyed and shaky-lipped, a sore spot I guessed and I’d brushed it off, not wishing to start on a bad note. I forgot all about him soon anyway, locking myself in the bathroom to swallow a few more nameless poisons. I probably shouldn’t have in front of him but there was no way I was falling asleep without my release.

Trying, and failing, to fall back into slumber, I decided I may as well get up. It took me ten minutes to figure out how the shower worked then when I did, it was freezing.
When I made my way back into our bedroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, I noticed Alexander was awake, tugging the sheets on his bed perfectly into place at right angles and smoothing them over with his palms. He winced when he noticed me standing there, eyes lingering on my bare torso for a moment too long before, rosy cheeked, he filled his tiny arms with neatly folded clothes and brushed past me to access the bathroom. I shrugged his weird behaviour off and pulled clothes on quickly, towelling through my hair and smearing some black around my eyes, mainly to cause annoyance.

Alexander emerged fifteen minutes later, flawlessly dressed, not a single hair out of place. He leaned under his bed, pulled out a pair of shiny leather shoes and slipped them on his feet soundlessly. The silence was far too awkward.
“Where do we eat?” I sighed, seating myself on the end of my bed. “I’m fucking starving.” He glowered at me from beneath a curtain of hair.
"Just downstairs. Along the corridor, fourth door on the left. You can't miss it." His voice, tiny like his appearance, barely carried across the short space between us. I groaned.
"Can't you just show me? You're gonna eat anyway, right?" He stared at me blankly for a moment before shrugging.
"Uh...I guess, okay." He agreed, sounding worryingly unconvinced about the idea of actually consuming food.
"’Kay, coming?" He eyed me, head to toe and shook his head.
"You can't wear that," he stated plainly. "You'll get into trouble." I quirked an eyebrow, lifting my shoulders.
"I'm wearing a shirt."
"And a hoody and jeans and...those." he gestured to my shoes, eyes wide. "You're wearing make-up. Girls aren't allowed to wear make-up, you definitely won't be. And they'll go crazy about those, you'll have to take them out." He stated pointing at my lip, lips pursed. He was going to get on my nerves, it seemed, what an irritating little goody two shoes.
"What the hell am I supposed to wear?"
"Normal pants, a tie, a blazer." I groaned, ducking my head.
"I don't have any of those. You got a spare tie?" He furrowed his eyebrows, reluctant to fulfil my request but nodded resignedly, turning away from me. He pulled the red and gold tie from a drawer of neatly paired socks and folded underwear, both arranged by colour, it was just weird. I thanked him, knotting it around my neck loosely.
"Happy?"
"Yes, I suppose that’ll have to do."
"Well come on then."

He led me down a series of hallways and staircases to a big hall of kids, all similarly dressed to Alexander, all staring directly at me. I ducked my head, pulling my sleeves down self-consciously and followed Alexander to a long table, lined with miniature boxes of cereal and racks of toast. I took a plate, loading it with toast and tiny packets of jelly.
Alexander poured some cereal into a bowl, wrinkling his nose at it and added milk before leading me to the secluded end of a long bench, sitting alone. I sat parallel to him, starting to stuff toast into my mouth immediately to the pleasure of my hollow stomach, aware that everyone's eyes were still on me.
"You sit alone?" He just nodded and stirred his cereal around absently. "Why?" Our eyes met for a minute and he shrugged.
"I don't have any friends." He whispered, barely audible in the crowded lunch room. His head ducked, ashamed and made my stomach ache.
"Oh. I'm sorry." He shook his head, brushing me off and continued swirling the cereal around in his bowl.
"Are you not gonna eat?" I mumbled through a full mouth.
"Not hungry."
"How can you not be hungry?" He sighed exasperated, ignoring me. "Alexander?"
"Who's Ryan?" He asked, desperately attempting to change the subject. He was successful. I stopped being able to breathe, staring at his mossy eyes for what felt like a long time, unable to speak or move. How the hell did he know about Ryan?
"Wh-what?" I stuttered after a minute of agonizing thoughts ricocheting around my head.
"Ryan. You kept saying his name when you were asleep." I dropped my head, losing my appetite almost instantly, and began to pick apart a piece of toast with my fingertips, spreading out the shredded remnants on my plate.
"Ryan...” I sighed, his name alone inciting a searing agony in my guts, “was my boyfriend.” Alexander's eyes narrowed with scrutiny, spoon still poised at an unfinished arc around his bowl of mulched up cereal.
"Boyfriend?" I nodded.
"Yes. Problem?" I attempted to sound sharp, failing miserably and just coming off as insecure.
"No. I...I have to go to class. I'll see you later." He was gone in seconds, leaving his untouched bowl on the table.
Fantastic, he definitely had a problem.