Being sent to bed early hurts. So much potential in what I can do in a night is just wasted in a single punishment. I’ll do whatever you want, but this was just wasting my time. Quite literally actually. Dad wanted us in our rooms and lights out right after dinner.

When we did actually finish our meals, which I wasn’t happy about, Sophie and I went straight to our rooms. Mom and Dad were still at the dinner table when we left though. Dad had been the first to finish, but he was still sitting there with Mom because she hadn’t touched her plate hardly at all, and she looked on the verge of crying. Mom had been having more and more of these tough days where she refused to eat anything unless Dad sat with her, which we all knew ate up time that he was supposed to be working.

Anyway, I retreated to my room and got ready for bed. I threw on some night clothes, and this time I wasn’t changing out until morning this time. I sighed as I crawled into bed, tucking my head under my blanket and taking out my phone. If I was going to be sent to bed early, I wasn’t going to just let myself be bored out of my mind until I fell asleep. Instead, I grabbed my toy Green Lantern ring to get in the mood, and pulled up the first volume of Green Lantern: Earth One that I was about to read all night.

*   *   *   *   *

When I finished the last page, I was quite happy with what I read, but it was also like 12:30 at night now. Reading took a lot of mental energy, and I was actually kinda hungry right now. I knew what this probably was, but I also know my family made a mistake tonight. Sophie had snuck out by now, Dad had put Mom to bed after had been finally eaten, and he was at his desk trying to frantically catch up on work. Nobody was out guarding my room.

I crept out of my room, closed the door, and tiptoed down the hall, careful not to wake anyone up. Instead of turning on house lights, I flipped a tiny switch on my Green Lantern ring, and my way was illuminated by a small emerald light. As I stepped into the kitchen, I opened the fridge and quickly looked around before burying my face in the selection of food. I wasn’t too picky about what I really wanted; I was just feeling starving. It wasn’t the first time I had done this either, and I knew what I’d have to do later.

“Really making a pig out of yourself now, Benjie.” echoed the voice of Bulimion through my head. “I mean come on, really?”

“Shhh,” I countered back. “I’m hungry, and because of you.”

“It’s not my fault you wanna eat a whole farmer’s market.”

 All of a sudden the lights flipped on and in stepped Mom, who also looked like she was sneaking around, but obviously less skilled at it. When we looked at each other, we both froze in our tracks.

“Hey, are you…?”

“I didn’t do anything!” I said, slamming the fridge shut. “I-I was just getting water.”

“Ben, I’m your mom.” she groaned. “I know what you were doing.”

“Y-you were going to do the same thing!” I countered. Yeah, I knew Mom did binge eat sometimes too. Not like I was ever brave enough to say a peep about it though. Mom shrugged.

“Big adults can handle themselves.” she smiled. “Go back to bed.”

“No,” I frowned.

“Yes,” she said, matching my frown.

“No.” I insisted.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“I’m your mother.”

“So?”

“Go back to bed.”

“No.”

“Fine, I’m ordering a pizza then,” she said, grumpily grabbing the phone. “Your father fell asleep at his desk again, so he shouldn’t hear anything. If it’s just the two of us then we can get something small.”

“Spinach on it?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “Pineapple.”

“Ew.”

“Half pineapple.”

“Fine.”

After Mom ordered the small pizza, we both waited quietly for it. Well, it was quiet until we were just sitting there trying to pass the time.

“You know, I can see you haven’t been eating like you pretend like you are,” Mom said, breaking the silence.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Ben, like I said, I’m your mom. I know when something’s up with my kids.”

“What’s up with you then?” I calmly countered. “You haven’t exactly been eating, and you’re not keeping it private.”

“You go first,” she said with an attitude. “What’s keeping you from eating?”

“He just doesn’t like it.” I answered.

“Who’s he?”

“Bulimion.”

“One of your comic book characters?” Mom asked, confused. I nodded.

“He tells me what I can and can’t do, and makes me sick if I go against him.”

“That’s… interesting…” she whispered. She didn’t have to say it for me to know my therapist would be hearing about that one. “I’ve got someone similar, you know.”

“Who?” I asked curiously. Mom never talked about this stuff to me normally.

“Her name’s Diana. She-“

The two of us heard a car pull up to the house and immediately our eyes beamed to the door. Before the delivery boy could ring the doorbell and wake everyone up, Mom pushed open the door and paid the boy so quickly that I was pretty sure he couldn’t have actually counted the money. It must’ve been enough though, because the guy got back in his car and took off.

And so Mom and I sat in the kitchen late at night, or early in the morning; I wasn’t quite sure what to call it, and ate our half-pineapple, half-spinach pizza together. When it was gone, which didn’t take too long, we both stared at the empty box, thinking the same thing.

“Another?” Mom asked. I was about to agree when we heard a zombified voice.

“Diane, are you up…?” asked a groggy Dad migrating towards the kitchen. 

Faster than lightning, I threw the tiny pizza box in the trash and flew out of the kitchen, with Mom not far behind. We giggled at Dad’s, who scratched his head and wore a face of confusion.

We were about to run back to our beds when the doorbell abruptly rang. Mom and I froze in our tracks, terrified that it was the pizza delivery boy coming back. Kevin got even more confused because it was about 1am now. The two of us watched the door from out of sight. Kevin groaned when the doorbell rang again and again. He answered it without really looking at all.

“Listen I’m not buying-“

Dad’s voice stopped suddenly and he took a step back. We could see his body shaking along with his voice. Mom and I tried to see around the guy, but we couldn’t quite.

“Is she ok?” he asked, trembling.

“I need to find her somewhere to lay down.”

That sounded kind of like Aunt Bella.

“The couch, right here!” said Dad. 

Mom and I maneuvered back into the kitchen unseen and watched. Mom bolted up and ran to the couch while I was rooted in place. Dad caught Mom before she could tackle the couch, and Aunt Bella was kneeling beside it. Also there was one of Sophie’s friends, who had started talking to Mom and Dad. And on the couch itself was Sophie, who looked to be completely unconscious.