@simoneraekennedyâ
at: some high school toilets
âSheâd made it to 18 weeks and was finally out of the throwing up for no reason stage. It still didnât stop certain smells from making Bella want to dry heave into oblivion though. Something about eggs were the latest thing, and of course somebody had brought an egg salad to keep them going throughout the weekend. Why wouldnât they? She had assumed the toilets she escaped to were empty, until she was done in the stall and walked straight out to see Simoneâs reflection staring back at her in the mirrors. Bella really needed to limit her screen time, because instantly the TikTok sound âthe other womanâ played in her head.Â
Zak had darted back and forth between them both more times than sheâd care to admit. Foolish of her to keep taking him back and now be in this condition because of it. Oh gross, now she was using 1800s terminology. âItâsâŚbeen a while.â she managed a smile, moving to the basin beside Simone to begin washing her hands. Was the whole of New York moving to Colorado? Despite the obvious tension, Bella didnât hate Simone but maybe the hormones were making her feel threatened. Or, maybe Zak had really burrowed so deep into her psyche that she was reacting purely out of instinct. Simone didnât do anything wrongâŚit was him. âKinda far fromâŚthe city.â Small talk with Simone and something currently the size of an onion in her stomach. Had Bella done something terrible in a past life? âBusiness?â Jesus Christ.
Disgusted is one way to put it. Not by her actionâs per se, but by the simple, horrifying fact it had to happen in a dusty, old high school of all places - where their best bet was a secluded teacherâs lounge. God, this town is starting to ruin her. Then again, she thinks, catching her reflection smiling back at her, it was kind of hot. Very hot, actually. There are a lot of things she can say about Zakarias Eklund, including heâs the bane of her entire existence, but she can never, not once say he doesnât know what heâs doing when it comes to getting a little hot and heavy. And in those moments, it makes her think maybe heâs not all that insufferable after all. She leans a little closer into the mirror, fixing a few strands of hairs thatâve gone astray, smoothing them out when the poor thing emptying her insides opens the stall door. Simoneâs eyes shift to Bella, her smile falling instantly. Who the hell isnât in Lockwood Springs right now?
There was a point in time Bella Westwood was nothing more than an obstacle in her way. When Zak was out of the picture, so was the other woman. Out of sight, out of mind. There was no reason to think about her ever, not that there was anything really remarkable that Simone would want to recall anyway. A funny, deranged joke this is. It should surprise her none that wherever Zak is, even now, Bella is nearby. So hilarious, she might actually forget to laugh. Sighing, she goes back to fixing her hair. Simone has no intention of speaking, but then Bella says something first, because of course she does. âYeah,â She says, leaving it at that and taking a step back to exit, but great. Bellaâs still talking. Keeping her second sigh contained, she turns and faces her, forcing a grin that could almost pass for polite, maybe even genuine. âI live here, actually. My dadâs from here. I moved to be closer to him and his family,â And totally not because her last two boyfriends both went to jail, and she couldnât stand the way she could see peopleâs perception of her start to shift. âYouâre not contagious, are you?â Simone feigns a cordial laugh that doesnât quite find the right pitch for sincerity. But now that sheâs really looking at Bella, she does look a little⌠rounder. Resisting the urge to glance down at her stomach, she nods back towards the stalls. âI didnât realize it was you in there. Obviously. I started to check to see if you were okay.â No she didnât.