Chapter 3 The next few days , I basically became a ghost haunting my own life . [] At the dining hall , I'd only get one portion from the cheapest station - plain iceberg lettuce salad with no toppings and white rice for four bucks . ] I'd eat half at lunch , then save the other half for dinner . [ ] When my roommates invited me out to eat , I'd make excuses about being on a diet . [ ] When they shared boba tea and snacks , I'd pretend to study while secretly swallowing my saliva , my stomach literally burning from hunger . On nights when the hunger kept me awake , I'd drag myself to the sink and chug cold water until my stomach stopped cramping . [ ] Within just a few days , I looked skeletal . [] I actually tried doing what Quinn suggested - going to the farmer's market to scavenge for free food . [] But I only had a bike . When Quinn said I had " a car , " she meant my shitty bicycle . [ ] It was a $ 260 used bike I'd bought because our campus is massive - it takes thirty minutes to walk to most classes , so I needed transportation . [ ] Of course , when Quinn found out about the purchase , she lost her mind . Called me lazy and stupid for " wasting money instead of just waking up thirty minutes earlier . " Naturally , she docked the bike cost from my allowance . Even though she screamed at me , I was actually happy about that bike back then . I had back - to - back classes on opposite sides of campus , and it would take forever to walk between buildings . I was constantly running late and showing up to lectures out of breath . [ ] Thankfully my professors were understanding . With the bike , I thought my problems were solved . [ ] But this piece of junk was nearly impossible to ride . The farmer's market was six miles away , and it took me a full hour to get there on that death trap . ]] By the time I arrived , all the decent discarded produce would be gone . I'd be left picking through moldy vegetable scraps . Round trip would take three hours , and I'd come back with maybe two or three sad vegetables . It was eating up entire evenings . [ ] So after a few attempts , I gave up on that strategy . [] I thought about getting a job in the dining hall , but I was taking a full course load - there was literally no time for work . [ ] Finally , one night , I couldn't take it anymore . ] ] i I pulled out my mini rice cooker and boiled plain instant ramen - no oil , no salt , nothing . Just forcing it down my throat . [ ] Every swallow hurt . Tears dripped into the bowl , making it taste bitter and salty . [] I'd barely eaten a few bites when my stomach started convulsing violently . Everything I'd just swallowed came right back up . [ ] I kept retching until I was bringing up bile , then finally stopped . [ ] My throat felt like it was on fire , but I was too exhausted to care . Just pure despair . Stupid fucking stomach . Why couldn't it just cooperate ?[ ] Tears were hitting the floor drop by drop . But before I could even process my misery , familiar cramping started in my lower abdomen . [ ] I curled up in a ball , pressing my hands against the pain . ] Right . I was almost out of tampons . ] I dragged my aching body to my desk drawer and pulled out my last generic tampon . [ ] My Sister Cut My Food Money to $ 300 While Spending $ 30K on Bas ? Time to Make Her INTERNET FAMOUST Chapter 3 Clear plastic wrapper , no branding , rough as sandpaper . Thirty cents each , bought in bulk online . A huge pack that was supposed to last forever . [ ] My nail scratched across the plastic , making this awful squeaking sound . $ I numbly scrolled through Instagram , remembering someone mentioning that brands sometimes give away free period products online . ] I typed " tampons " into the search bar . The first result that popped up ? My sister Quinn's account .