That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Fifty:

I can't believe we're already at chapter 50! I hope that y'all enjoy it! 

The week passes quickly, and is surprisingly Blue-Eyes free. I'm not completely sure how I feel about it, either. A small part of me feels like I need to see him, to find some sort of closure at least. I know it's just the heartbroken dweeb coming out in me, but I just want to know where he is and whether or not he's okay. 

I just...

A heavy sigh interrupts my thoughts. I glance over at Amanda, who is stretched out across my bed like a worm, wrapped in my blankets. She kind of reminds me of a burrito. Kylie sits on the edge of her mattress, eyeing Amanda warily. 

"What?" I break the silence.

Amanda wiggles her toes. "We should go to the pool," her voice is muffled behind the mass of blankets. 

I stare at her. "The pool?"

She abruptly sits upward and the cocoon of blankets fall. The material bunches around her waist. She flashes me a smile. "Yeah! The pool!" Her eyes flash toward Kylie, whose eyes widen with surprise. "There's this killer pool in Kylie's neighborhood, and I've always wanted to go."

I simply stare at Amanda. 

Kylie's eyebrows furrow. Her gaze darts toward the window behind me. "Aren't we like...ten feet away from the beach?" 

"Shut up," Amanda snaps. She pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "The pool is cooler. There's a massive water-slide." 

I roll my eyes. 

Kylie arches an eyebrow in amusement. "The beach is free. We'd have to pay a membership fee in order to have access to the pool." 

Amanda pauses. "You don't have access to the pool? I thought you did..."

The blonde bombshell snorts. "No!" Kylie shakes her head and struggles not to laugh. "I don't live in the same neighborhood as Seth. We live in a condo close to the beach." 

Amanda's pout deepens. 

"Let's just go to the beach," I suggest with an amused smirk. A day spent at the beach sounded nice right now, even if my stomach was a little larger than normal. I ease out of my computer chair and make my way toward my closet in search of my bathing suit. Amanda practically rolls out of the bed and inches toward her backpack on the floor. 

"I was prepared for a situation like this," she announces as she opens the bag. She worms through it and then withdraws her hand, producing a bundle of striped lime green and white. 

I roll my eyes and disappear into my closet, silently shutting the door behind me. As I rummage through the drawers for my collection of bathing suits, I hear Kylie sigh loudly. "Do you have to change out here?" she asks. "There's a bathroom right over there." 

Amanda snickers. "I'm quite comfortable with my sexuality. Are you?"

I press my lips into a firm line and pull out an old two piece. It's kind of frilly at the top, and colored a dark black with cobalt blue highlights. I drag a tattered t-shirt out as well. I'm still not really big, but I feel like I am. The last thing I need is any kind of awkward stares from people at the beach. 

As I change, I hear Kylie fluster, and grumble under her breath, "Get in the bathroom, dammit. You're such a freak." 

And then Amanda snickers. 

"Yo," I call, as I wiggle into the bikini bottoms. "Stop flirting out there. It's messing with my morning sickness." 

I can almost hear Kylie scowl through the door.