You need to eat

The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of the room Amelia shared with Megan and Lara, casting a warm, golden glow over the messy piles of clothes and half-empty makeup cases. Usually, this was the loudest room in the house. It was the room where Megan’s early morning playlists clashed with Lara’s artistic humming, and where Amelia—the bubbly, energetic "Meels"—would be seen bouncing between them, asking for a hair tie or a second opinion on her outfit.

But today, the room was eerily quiet.

Amelia lay on her side, her back turned to her roommates. Her phone glowed in the dim light of her blankets, the screen displaying a relentless stream of comments from a recent performance video. She knew she shouldn't look. Sophia had warned her, and Manon had practically tried to delete the app from her phone, but the compulsion was like an itch she couldn't stop scratching.

*Is it just me, or is Amelia looking a bit... soft lately?* one comment read, garnering hundreds of likes.

*She’s the visual? Next to Manon? Please. She needs to hit the gym as hard as Dani does,* another sneered.

Amelia felt a lump form in her throat. She pulled her knees up to her chest, feeling the waistband of her pajama shorts. Was it tighter than it was last week? It felt tighter. Her Australian-Serbian features, which she used to love, now felt too round, too prominent. She felt like a blurred spot in a high-definition group.

"Meels? You awake, baby?"

The voice was low and sleepy. Megan shifted in the bed next to hers, reaching out a long arm to poke Amelia’s shoulder. When Amelia didn’t respond, Megan sat up, her dark hair a chaotic halo around her head. She crawled over the small gap between their beds, sliding under the covers next to Amelia.

"Hey," Megan whispered, wrapping an arm around Amelia’s waist and pulling her back against her chest. "You’re freezing. Why are you so cold?"

"I’m fine, Megs," Amelia mumbled, her voice thick with unshed tears. She quickly locked her phone and shoved it under her pillow. "Just didn't sleep well."

Megan frowned, tucking her chin into the crook of Amelia’s neck. She felt the sharp jut of Amelia’s hip bone, something that hadn't felt quite so prominent a month ago. "You stayed up scrolling again, didn't you? I can feel the bad vibes radiating off you. Talk to me."

"It’s nothing. I’m just tired. Practice was a lot yesterday," Amelia lied, her heart aching at the warmth Megan was providing. She felt like a fraud, soaking up Megan’s love when she felt so unworthy of it.

Across the room, Lara stirred, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Her blonde-highlighted hair was tangled, but she still looked like a painting. She looked over at the two girls huddled together and sighed softly. "Is she okay?"

"She says she’s just tired," Megan reported, though her grip on Amelia tightened protectively.

Lara got out of bed and walked over, sitting on the edge of the mattress. She reached out, brushing a stray blonde strand away from Amelia’s face. "You skipped dinner last night, Meels. And breakfast the day before. We’re going to the cafe before rehearsals today, and you’re coming. No excuses."

Amelia forced a small, fragile smile. "Okay. I’ll come."

***

The cafe was bustling, filled with the scent of roasted coffee and fresh pastries. Katseye occupied a large corner booth, a chaotic blend of personalities that usually drew stares for their beauty and loud laughter. Today, however, the energy was off.

Sophia, sitting at the head of the table, was watching Amelia with the keen, observant eyes of a leader—and a mother. She noticed how Amelia moved the avocado toast around her plate, cutting it into tiny, microscopic pieces but never actually lifting the fork to her mouth.

"Meels, honey, you need to eat more than air if you’re going to survive the six-hour dance block Dani has planned for us," Sophia said gently, reaching across the table to squeeze Amelia’s hand.

"I’m just not that hungry, Soph. My stomach feels a bit weird," Amelia said, staring down at the plate.

"You said that yesterday," Daniela chimed in, leaning over from the other side. Dani was dressed in a sleek, y2k-inspired tracksuit, her dark curls bouncing as she tilted her head. "And the day before. Usually, you’re stealing my fries. If you’re sick, we need to tell the managers."

"I’m not sick!" Amelia’s voice came out sharper than intended. The table went silent. Yoonchae, who had been playfully trying to steal a sip of Manon’s matcha, froze with her straw halfway to her lips.

Amelia’s eyes welled up immediately. She hated snapping at them. Raising her hand to her face, she wiped a tear away. "I’m sorry. I just... I’m stressed."

Manon, who had been quiet until now, reached out and adjusted the collar of Amelia’s jacket, her fingers lingering against the younger girl's skin. She looked Amelia in the eye, her expression unreadable but her touch incredibly tender. "The comments are getting to you again, aren't they?"

Amelia looked away, her silence giving her away.

"Ames," Lara whispered, her voice full of pain. "We told you not to look at those. They aren't real. They don't know you."

"But they see me!" Amelia burst out, her voice trembling. "They see me on the screen, and they see the things I don't want to see. I look... I look big, Lara. I look slow. When I dance next to Dani, I feel like I’m taking up too much space."

Daniela looked like she’d been slapped. "Too much space? Meels, you’re like a feather. When we do the lift in the bridge, I’m terrified I’m going to throw you into the ceiling because you feel like you’re disappearing."

"I just want to be better," Amelia sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

The shift in the booth was instantaneous. Megan, who was sitting next to her, pulled her into a crushing hug, burying her face in Amelia’s hair. Sophia moved from her seat to sit on Amelia’s other side, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"You are perfect," Sophia whispered into her ear. "Do you hear me? You are the heart of this group. Without your energy, without your smile, we aren't Katseye. We’re just five people and a shadow."

"We’re going home," Manon said firmly, already grabbing her purse. "No rehearsals. I’ll call the performance director. We’re taking a mental health day."

"But the comeback—" Amelia started to protest through her tears.

"The comeback can wait," Yoonchae said, her voice unusually serious for the youngest. She stood up and walked around the table, placing a firm, reassuring arm around Amelia’s shoulders. "You aren't going through this alone, Meely. We’re a team. If you’re hurting, we’re all hurting."

***

Back at the house, the atmosphere was different. The girls didn't leave Amelia’s side for a second. They retreated to the living room, which was a sea of plush cushions and oversized blankets.

Daniela and Manon had taken charge of the 'vibe.' They closed the curtains, lit some vanilla-scented candles, and brought out the softest duvets from their rooms. Daniela, usually the most energetic, was surprisingly quiet, focused entirely on making sure Amelia was wrapped in enough layers to stay warm.

"Fashion advice for the day," Dani whispered, sliding a pair of fuzzy pink socks onto Amelia’s feet. "Comfort is the only trend that matters today. You look cute, even if you’re a human burrito."

Amelia let out a weak, watery chuckle. "Thanks, Dani."

Sophia appeared from the kitchen with a tray of hot chocolate and light snacks—nothing overwhelming, just some fruit and crackers. She sat down on the floor in front of the sofa where Amelia was wedged between Megan and Lara.

"We’re going to talk," Sophia said, her tone leaving no room for argument, though her eyes were soft. "Really talk. No hiding, Ames."

Amelia leaned her head on Megan’s shoulder. Megan was playing with Amelia’s fingers, tracing the lines of her palm. "I just felt like I was failing everyone," Amelia admitted, her voice small. "I’m the youngest, and I’m supposed to be the bubbly one. But I look at the photos from the last shoot, and I just see all these flaws. Then I read the comments, and it’s like they’re confirming everything I’m thinking."

"People online are brave because they’re invisible," Lara said, leaning her head against Amelia’s other side. "They use their words as weapons because they’re unhappy with themselves. But we see you every day. We see the hard work, the talent, and the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known."

"You’re our visual for a reason," Manon added, sitting at Amelia’s feet. She reached out and squeezed Amelia’s ankle. "But more than that, you’re our sister. Do you think we care about a camera angle? We care about whether you’re healthy enough to laugh with us."

"I’ve been so tired," Amelia confessed, the weight of the last few weeks finally crashing down. "I’ve been so hungry, but I was scared to eat. I thought if I just lost a few more pounds, the comments would stop."

"They never stop, Meels," Megan said, her voice cracking slightly. She turned and pressed a firm kiss to Amelia’s temple. "If you were skin and bones, they’d call you weak. If you were muscular, they’d call you masculine. You can’t win with them. You can only win with us. And with us, you’ve already won everything."

Yoonchae, who had been hovering nearby, suddenly dove into the pile of blankets, wiggling her way in until she was draped across Amelia’s lap. "I’m not moving until you promise to eat a full meal with me tonight. I’ll even let you have the last piece of kimchi pancake."

Amelia laughed, a real, genuine sound that made the entire room seem to brighten. "The last piece? You must really love me, Yoonie."

"I do," Yoonchae said, looking up at her with wide, honest eyes. "We all do."

The afternoon turned into evening. They didn't watch a movie or play games. They just stayed there, a tangled mess of limbs and shared warmth. Physical touch was their language, and today, they were speaking volumes.

Whenever Amelia started to drift into a dark thought, someone was there to pull her back. Megan would squeeze her hand; Lara would braid a section of her blonde hair; Sophia would offer a sip of water or a gentle word of encouragement.

"I feel a little better," Amelia whispered hours later, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, but a different kind than before. It was the exhaustion of a fever breaking.

"Good," Sophia said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "This is step one. Step two is deleting those apps for a week. Step three is us helping you find that spark again. We’re going to do it together."

"Can we sleep like this tonight?" Amelia asked, looking around at her six sisters.

"Try and stop us," Daniela joked, already making herself comfortable on a pile of cushions. "I’m not walking all the way to my room anyway. Too much work."

As the house grew quiet, Amelia felt a sense of peace she hadn't known in weeks. The comments were still out there, somewhere in the digital void, but they felt smaller now. They were whispers in a hurricane of love.

She felt Megan’s steady heartbeat against her back and Yoonchae’s rhythmic breathing on her lap. She was Amelia Rozek, the seventh member of Katseye, the youngest, the aussie-serbian girl with the loud laugh. She was enough. And as she finally drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, she knew that no matter how hard the world tried to tear her down, she had six pairs of hands ready to catch her.