Alice agreed to leave Bella alone in the bathroom (and not for the obvious reason you may be thinking of). Bella had perched on the counter, head in her hands, wondering what she was going to do. She shared a room with a girl who had tried to kiss her! What the hell was she supposed to think?! Her first year had been uneventful; her second year, she'd gotten herself knocked up; and now her third year, girls (well a girl) had tried to kiss her.

Eventually, Bella figured that she couldn't stay in there forever. By the time she left—after a shower to cleanse her thoughts to a nice, PG-rated place—she exited the bathroom. Everyone was plugged into their iPods and whatnot and trying their best to fall asleep. Lauren was the only one not plugged into anything—she was curled in a ball and sleeping.

Bella quickly got into her nightgown and pulled back the covers of her bed. She got into it, shut her eyes, and soon was asleep.

~*~

Bella's classes the next day didn't start until after nine. When her alarm woke her up at eight-fifteen, she was happily surprised to see the room empty. She got ready at a leisurely pace, and was soon putting her headphones in her ears, and her bag over her shoulder. Just as she was about to leave, Lauren came into the room, all smiles.

"Hi!" she said.

Bella tried her best not to cover up her lips. "Um, hey," she said.

Lauren grinned at her. "I thought that I'd come back and see if you wanted to walk to homeroom together," she said brightly.

"I don't know, Lauren," Bella said quietly.

"Why? What's the problem?" she asked.

Bella gave Lauren a look. "You really don't have a clue, do you?" she asked, her voice dripping with annoyance.

Lauren shrugged and shook her head. "No...?"

"God," Bella said, shaking her head. "I have a meeting with Mrs. Goff...a private meeting," she said firmly, as Lauren looked as if she wanted to go along. "I...I guess I'll see you later." Bella left the room in a hurry. She didn't really have a meeting with Mrs. Goff, but she wanted to be alone.

As she rounded a corner, she saw Mr. Molina in deep conversation with the two assistant principals. It quickly became apparent that they were speaking about her. She'd been told more than once not to eavesdrop—because she could potentially pick up something that she didn't want to hear—but something seemed to keep her feet glued to the ground.

"I'm talking about a student in my homeroom," said Mr. Molina. He pulled a bit at his striped necktie, almost as if he was a bit nervous about what he was talking about. "Her name is Bella. She's...a little on the short side, but her stomach at the end of last semester made up for her lack of height," he said.

The two assistant principals laughed.

"She's fat, huh?" asked one of the assistant principals—Mr. Biers. "I used to feel sorry for her, until I heard what happened at that party last year."

"What happened at the party?" asked Mrs. Uley, the other assistant principal, in her soft voice. "I didn't hear about it."

"Oh, you taught at St. Michael's Academy last year," said Mr. Biers in an understanding voice toward his peer. "Why don't you tell the story, Mateo?" he asked Mr. Molina.

Mr. Molina smiled. "I will, Riley," he said, turning to Mrs. Uley. "Well, Emily, she was there with a few friends. It was a Valentine's Day party, and everyone was 'hooking up' as the teenagers call it," he said.

Mrs. Uley crossed her arms. "Not an unusual occurrence," she said softly.

Mr. Biers grinned at her. "Wait. It gets better. Listen."

Mr. Molina smiled and continued, "I heard that she saw Mike—the quarterback or the football captain, I don't remember which—standing by himself. They engaged in conversation, and it eventually came out that he thought he was gay and she was a virgin. She was tired of being a virgin and he was scared that he was really gay. So, he agreed to take her virginity if she'd be willing to experiment and see if he was gay."

"And then what happened?" asked Mrs. Uley.

"Well," continued Mr. Molina, "he found out that he was gay, and she was so distraught that she slept with the entire football team."

Mrs. Uley gasped. "Poor girl!" she cried.

"Slutty girl," put in Mr. Biers.

"That's not the end of it," continued Mr. Molina.

"What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Uley.

"Remember how she got that incredible, all-expenses-paid trip to Europe to study ancient European poetry?" asked Mr. Biers, his eyebrows going up and down. "Remember, you came after the winter semester..."

"Yes, I remember," said Mrs. Uley. "I remember that that was the first thing I ever heard about Bella. I thought she was a smart girl..."

"Well, she didn't get the trip to Europe to study ancient poetry," said Mr. Molina, a smile of glee on his face. "She completed the second semester by mail to get treated for STD's and to get abortions."

"But I thought...," began Mrs. Uley.

"Well, apparently her dad had to go to Seattle for some extra police training and her mother and stepfather went on vacation to Arizona," said Mr. Biers. "Apparently, she told them after they got back that she was pregnant, and she was too far along to get rid of it."

"What did she do?" asked Mrs. Uley.

"Found a family to adopt him," said Mr. Molina. "Good family—the O'Leary's—they work with her stepfather. They had a daughter named Jane who was taken out of school because of the pregnancy, you know," he continued, and Bella gritted her teeth at the blatant lie, due to the fact that Jane had only just left the school, and fore entirely different reasons. "Apparently," Mr. Molina went on, "they didn't know that this Bella was the same Bella that they were trying to desperately keep away from their daughter. Now that poor family is stuck with her spawn for the next eighteen years."

"Why do you say that?" asked Mrs. Uley.

"Because Geoffrey can choose whether or not to see his birth mother the second he turns eighteen," Mr. Molina said.

"How do you know all this?" asked Mr. Biers, suddenly looking unsure about the situation for the first time.

"Because...Mrs. O'Leary—Siobhan—is my cousin..."

Bella ran down the hall in the opposite direction. She couldn't believe the conversation she'd just heard. Her cheeks were beat red after she entered the girls' bathroom and stared at herself. After ascertaining that she was there by herself, she splashed water onto her face. She soon went white, and felt suddenly deathly ill. After throwing up drastically, Bella ended up taking the long way to homeroom and Lauren saw her there.

"What about Mrs. Goff?" she asked.

"We rescheduled," Bella replied in a clipped tone, taking her mandatory assigned seat beside Lauren.

"Mrs. Goff's out sick today," Lauren said quietly as Mr. Molina walked importantly to the front of the class. He told them that they would be studying whatever they wanted—because he was paid to sit back and relax whenever they—the students—were made to do work so early in the day.

"Good morning, everyone," said Mr. Molina pleasantly.

"Why do you care?" Bella whispered to Lauren.

"I care because you lied to me," Lauren replied, her voice taking on a hurt tone as she lowered her eyes.

"You know the drill," said Mr. Molina, tugging again at the now-hideous striped necktie around his revolting, vein-filled neck. "I get paid to sit back and relax while you complete work from your other teachers. Questions will be duly noted and only answered if I am familiar with the subject."

"It's not like we're...close," Bella whispered back. "I mean... Let's be real here, I barely know you, Lauren, really..."

Lauren lowered her eyes. "If you barely know me, then why'd you give me the extra bed in your dorm room?" she asked.

"Because it was the right thing to do," Bella said quietly.

"And I will be going on my technical coffee break in the staff lounge after the first half hour, so be prepared for that," Mr. Molina went on.

"You don't get it," Lauren said quietly.

"I get that you did something wrong," Bella shot back.

"Excuse me, girls," said Mr. Molina, quickly advancing upon their table and looking down at them. "Bella, do you have something to ask me?"

Bella blinked. "Yes, I do," she said after a moment.

"Let's hear it," Mr. Molina replied.

Bella sat up straighter in her seat. "Is it wrong to make a pass at someone—an unwanted pass—and keep bringing it up even though the person appears uncomfortable?" she asked, doing her best to make her eyes innocent.

"If you're going back to your old ways, Bella—and I'm referring to letting the quarterback and football captain have his way with you and you finding yourself in an unfortunate situation—please refrain from speaking of it in my class, thank you," said Mr. Molina.

Without hesitating, Bella stood up; Mr. Molina had returned to his position in the front of the room. "Don't think that you automatically have the ammo, Mr. Molina," Bella said calmly to the man, "because you don't. I used to think you were an uninteresting guy, but I see I figured you out all wrong."

"Oh, really?" asked Mr. Molina. "What did you come up with?"

Bella didn't waver; not in the slightest; she wasn't going to be trampled. She fixed Mr. Molina with a critical gaze and replied, "I've come up with something so stereotypical, it would clearly be considered laughable," she replied.

"I don't understand."

"Oh, I think you do," Bella said quickly. "It is wrong of you and all the rest of them to speak of my pregnancy, but since it's been said, I might as well come out with it," she went on, and looked around the classroom. "The quarterback and the captain of the football team is the same guy, my fellow students, so I didn't whore around, or anything like that. But according to Mr. Molina here, I'm nothing but a common slut who slept with the whole football team, got several STD's, and multiple abortions. I am not a slut," she said slowly. "And I didn't get STD's, and I didn't sleep with more than one guy, and I didn't have any abortions," she went on, nibbling at her lip and cursing herself for her eyes filling with tears. "I did have a baby—my little son, Geoffrey—and he's in the care of a family who can actually support a baby. I...I miss him every day," she said quietly, slowly sitting down.

"You seem to be forgetting something," said Mr. Molina.

"What?" asked Bella tightly, wiping her eyes.

"How you think of me."

"You?" demanded Bella, her voice shaking. "The uncle to my little son? I think you are a spineless, idiotic, pig-headed...asshole!" screamed Bella, suddenly finding her ammo, and packing up her bag again.

Mr. Molina looked like he was going to make a grab for her, but Bella managed to pull away just in time.

"Don't touch me. Don't you ever touch me," she said, putting an almighty stress on the first word. "Don't you dare touch me, or I won't hesitate to report your sorry ass," she said through gritted teeth. "You'd be in even more trouble than you already are," she said, quickly reaching up to wipe her tears. "I stand by what I said earlier. You're an asshole," she whispered heatedly as she turned away from him.

"And you're a no-good, rotten slut!" said Mr. Molina.

Bella whipped around and swiftly slapped him across the face. "Fuck you!" she screamed at him, her eyes filled with tears.

As she opened the door, Mr. Molina, who was still holding his face—which had a bright red palm print on it—asked, "Do you have anything else you would like to add?"

Bella turned around again. "Yes," she said. "I'm taking Lauren with me." She advanced upon the desk she shared with Lauren and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of there.

They ended up back at the dorm room. Lauren looked very eager as Bella reached for something that she'd hidden in between her mattress. When she didn't find it, she crossed the room to Alice's bed, and quickly discovered what she was looking for. It was a bag of weed, and she held it up, shaking it gleefully at Lauren, a grin on her face.

"But...won't we get caught?" she asked.

Bella shook her head. "No. Come with me," she said.

They walked out the trap door on their floor—for some reason there were bomb shelters in every dorm room—and out the other, smaller door. It led them out to the field, and Bella walked them to the direction to where the stables were. Bella had found an abandoned stable about a year ago—right after the fateful Valentine's Day party. She and Alice had gone there time and time again when they needed a fix.

Lauren looked around, but once Bella assured her that she and Alice would change the hay weekly, she shrugged and sat beside Bella in a particularly soft bale in the loft. Bella took out the herbs from the bag and some of the cigarette paper from her pocket. She quickly managed to roll two joints; and then she took out her lighter. She put one into Lauren's mouth and lit her joint effortlessly before lighting her own.

Lauren inhaled and then took it out of her mouth. She slowly exhaled, the smoke making clouds around her face and head. "So..." She said, nibbling at her bottom lip slowly. "...are you very angry at me?"

Bella smiled, the two hits she'd taken already beginning to hit her. "Maybe you should define, 'angry'," she replied.

Lauren blinked as she took her second hit. "Well...I did try to make a pass at you," she said quietly.

"So...it was a pass?" asked Bella slowly.

"Yes," Lauren whispered.

Bella nodded, taking a third hit. "Well...I'm glad that's all cleared up." She remained silent as she took her fourth, fifth, and finally sixth hit. "Why did you do it?" she asked.

Lauren sighed. "I...what do you mean?" she asked.

Bella turned and looked at Lauren. She could feel her head growing fuzzy from the effect of the drugs, and she felt her lip trembling. "Why would you make a pass at me?" she whispered.

"Who wouldn't?" replied Lauren, staring intensely at Bella.

Bella quickly looked away. "No one, really," she said.

Lauren took her hand. "I would..."

"I think you already did," she said uneasily, pulling her hand away from Lauren's; she'd felt something as Lauren had touched her—a surge of energy, or something—and she wanted to feel it again, but was afraid to.

"I guess you don't feel it," Lauren said quietly, taking her seventh hit and looking away from her.

"I do," Bella said quietly.

"Describe it," Lauren ordered.

"Like...a surge of energy from my wrist...into my heart," she said, realizing that she was totally high and otherwise would not say these things.

Lauren reached out and took Bella's hand. "You really feel it?"

"Yes."

Lauren nodded. "Is your brain fried?" she asked.

Bella chuckled darkly. "Totally," she replied.

"Will we remember this tomorrow?"

Bella shrugged. "No idea."

Lauren reached out and took Bella's face into her hand and turned it towards her slowly, so as not to frighten her. Then she leaned in, slowly, and brushed her lips with hers, trying to take it farther.

Bella pulled away and scooted back. "I...I didn't say you could do that..."

Lauren looked hurt. "I'm sorry..."

"It's not bad," Bella said, blushing. "I mean...you're a really good kisser..."

Lauren smiled at that.

"...but...I just don't know if I'm into girls..."

Lauren gave her a coy grin. "We could find out..."

Bella stood up. "No, um..." She looked around, trying to find an excuse to get out of there—something, anything. "I have a quiz in history," Bella said, thinking of the one core class that had quizzes, which she didn't have with Lauren. "I've...got to go study..."

"Stop it, Bella," said Lauren.

"What?" asked Bella.

"Lying to me," Lauren replied. She stood up and took Bella's hand. "I know you're scared, but...we can work this out. We can—"

Bella pulled away from her. "It's not that simple," she said, turning away and jumping down from the loft.

"Just tell me one thing, then," Lauren said.

Bella turned around. "What?" she asked.

"Did you just tell me that I was a good kisser because you really think I'm a good kisser...or did you just do that so you wouldn't hurt my feelings?" Lauren asked brokenly.

"I..." Bella began, but she was too high to think.

"I get it," said Lauren sticking the joint into her mouth and jumping down from the loft. "Why did you even take me in here, huh?! To tease me?! To get me high?! To make me feel something one minute, and then make me feel guilty about it a minute later?!"

Bella lowered her eyes. "No..."

"Do you even care about me at all?!" demanded Lauren.

"That isn't it, Lauren!" Bella said, finally losing her temper.

"Then why did you do this?!" she cried.

Bella shook her head. "I don't know..."

"So we made out," Lauren said, shrugging. "It's not like we're getting married now or something, you know."

Bella nodded at her. "I know..."

Lauren sighed. "Maybe its best if I find another place to stay..." She said quietly as she walked past Bella.

"Lauren, no. You don't have to do that—"

"Stop," Lauren said, holding up her hand. "This, right here...not gonna happen again, I promise." She kicked some hay out of the way and put out the joint on the concrete floor. "I'll see that I'm out within the week," she said, giving Bella a quick nod and exiting the barn.

~*~

Bella returned to the room to find Angela, Jessica, Alice, Katie, and James all sitting around, doing nothing in particular. Angela and Jessica were playing Princesses of the Boarding School; Alice was doing her nails; Katie was cramming for a chemistry final; and James was still looking up male makeup websites. Bella crossed the room and picked up the baseball bat—after making sure that Lauren wasn't crying in the bathroom.

"I have something to say," she said, after pounding the bat onto the carpet; soon, they all looked at her. "I have to tell you all something..."

"What?" they asked—besides Alice, who already knew.

"Lauren's moving out," Bella said.

"Why?!" they all demanded.

Bella sighed. "A while back...Lauren made a pass at me," she said quietly. "I told her I wasn't interested, and she just didn't let up. So...today, after I went off on Mr. Molina for digging up into my past—turns out he's Geoffrey's uncle, go figure! —Lauren and I went to the barn and got high. Needless to say, she made another pass at me..."

"What did you do?!" demanded James.

"We made out for like five seconds, okay?!" Bella said, annoyed with him. "I was high out of my mind; it didn't mean anything to me. She was offended when I told her again that I wasn't interested...so now she may be changing rooms..."

James sighed. "Why don't you just..."

"Right," said Angela. "You leave, Bella."

Bella gasped. "You're not serious?"

Alice and Katie stood up to stand with Bella.

"You'd better not mean it," Alice said firmly.

"Too right," said Katie.

"Fine," said Jessica. "You won't leave..."

"If," Angela said, "you find a way to get Lauren back."

Bella groaned at fell dramatically onto her bed. "How did I know that there was a catch in this situation?" she moaned.