Lia made a promise with her best friend Cassie in 8th grade to be the skinniest girls in school. Now Cassie is dead after calling Lia 33 times the night she died, and Lia is spiraling down the same dangerous path of anorexia and self-harm. Tormented by thoughts of being stupid and worthless, Lia loses more weight in her obsessive goal to reach zero pounds. As her condition worsens, she begins seeing visions of Cassie and questions if it would be easier to end her own life to join her friend.

1. Wintergirls Laurie Halse Anderson

2. MUST NOT EAT

3. MUST NOT EAT

4. MUST NOT EAT

5. MUST NOT EAT

6. MUST NOT EAT

7. MUST NOT EAT

8. MUST NOT EAT

9. MUST NOT EAT

10. “I will be the skinniest girl in school, skinnier than you.”

11. Lia made that resolution in eighth grade with her best friend Cassie and sealed it with blood, but be careful what you wish for…

12. Now Cassie is DEADand Lia is going down the same path.

13. If only she would have answered one of the 33 calls that Cassie made to her the night she died, she might still be ALIVE.

14. But things only seem to be getting worse, she isn’t sleeping, she is cuttingmore and more often, and food has become a thing of the past.

15. And these words keep running through her head… Stupid/ugly/stupid/b*tch/stupid/fat/stupid/baby/stupid/loser/ stupid/lost

16. 100 98 99 97 95 94 96 93 92 90 91

17. With every pound lost she feels more powerful and in control, but where will it end? With every goal reached another one is formed. The pain won’t stop until she is at 0.

18. Her anorexia is spinning out of control and now she is seeing Cassie every night.

19. If Lia could just be strong enough she WILL reach her goal weight and maybe Cassie’s ghost will finally go AWAY.

20. But wouldn’t it just be easier to leave all her problems behind and go with Cassie? The knife feels so good against her chest and the blood on the floor is so red. The deeper she cuts the stronger she feels…

21. …and then there is DARKNESS

22. Has Lia gone too far this time? Does she have the strength and desire to go through another recovery or will she take the easy way out and follow Cassie’s path?