Splitting Our Odds Into Evens

Hearts going missing.

"Why don't you two take a seat?"

***

Mary Louise and Nora sat far apart from each other. Nora was on one end. Mary Louise was on the other end.

"Okay," Bonnie said, not sure where to begin. "I guess I should start with the obvious question; what did you guys get into an argument about?"

"After Lily died, things got pretty heated between us all. I knew it was bound to happen because Lily was our threshold. And after she died, we fell apart. We would get into arguments every single day. Not just Nora and I, by the way; all of us. A day came when I had exposed Julian for being an abusive trollop to Lily, which, let's be honest here; he's part of the reason why your friend, Damon, killed our mother," Mary Louise stated.

Bonnie gave her a reality check. "Yeah, because she was crazy and tried to kill her sons. She was Damon and Stefan's mom before she was yours," she said.

Mary Louise exchanged a look with Nora, taken aback by what Bonnie said. Nora didn't care and only beckoned for Mary Louise to continue talking.

"Moving on," Mary Louise began, "No one believed me. Valerie and Beau thought I was coming up with some folk tale to paint Julian as the bad guy. And I expected Nora, of all people, to believe me, to trust the words coming out of my mouth, but she didn't. She sided with Julian...and that's how our argument started."

"I'll admit," Nora rolled her eyes, truly not wanting to admit anything, "Julian is a prick sometimes, but he isn't an abuser. Mary Louise has always been jealous of Lily and Julian's relationship. She wanted Lily all to herself."

Mary Louise was bewildered by Nora's statement. "That is not true!"

"Yes, it is," Nora said. "You wanted to be our mother's favorite so bad that you would lie to the others. Don't act like you don't remember." Nora looked Bonnie straight in the eyes. "Mary Louise only cares about Mary Louise."

"So, let me get this straight." Bonnie adjusted herself in the chair. "You're mad at Nora for not taking your side, and you're mad at Mary Louise for, quote on quote, lying?"

Mary Louise and Nora nodded.

Bonnie clicked her pen and wrote that down in her book.

"And she flirted with you. It's as bright as the day that she likes you more than me," Mary Louise said. Bonnie and Nora blinked back, shocked she knew about that. "What? I was standing by the door for a while."

"I like Bonnie more than you because she cares about the well-being of others," Nora hissed.

"Can't we all just like each other the same?" Bonnie questioned in a high-pitched tone.

"No, we can't," Mary Louise said. "I'm her girlfriend, not you."

Bonnie threw her palms in the air defensively. "I didn't say I was."

"You were my girlfriend," Nora corrected. "And don't talk to Bonnie like that."

"I don't think the ultimate issue here is the Julian thing. The real problem is you two; you guys have major trust issues, and it's taking a serious toll on your relationship."

"How can I not have trust issues when dating a liar?" Nora questioned.

"And how can I not have trust issues when dating a cheater?" Mary Louise protested.

Bonnie put her face in her palms. "Here we go again."

***AT MARCEL'S LOFT...

"I know what that is," Landon said.