Bad Girls

Love, Vomit, and The Big Connection

Emma-Lynn's POV

I woke up in the morning feeling like crap. I felt hideous, my mouth tasted revolting, my limbs were exhausted and my brain refused to switch on. 

I stumbled out of bed and thought I was the only one awake when I saw Dylan's empty bed.
"Hello beautiful." a smiling voice came from behind me. I turned around and my girlfriend wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close to her.
"Beautiful? Really? You say this now, when I look like shit and am in a stained t-shirt and sweats?"
"Yes." she replied, giving me a swift kiss.
"You're the best." I couldn't help but smile and kiss her collarbone. "Now get out of my way so I can take a shower."
She barked out a laugh and let me into the bathroom. I undressed and climbed into the shower. I pulled the tap and freezing waters sprayed all over me.
When will this goddamn place ever get hot water. I thought, irritated. The day got worse from there. In the shower, I managed to fumble and get foamy shampoo in my eyes. Fabulous. I got out and dried myself off, proceeding to blow-dry my hair. I started to brush it, quickly, as I usually did. Of course, with my luck, my brush got stuck in a tremendous knot in my hair.
"Oh shit, come on." I complained to myself quietly. Looking into my own eyes in the mirror, I saw that the stupid shampoo had left its mark. My eyes were blood-red. I groaned and Dylan came into the bathroom to investigate.

"Holy shit, babe, what did you do to yourself?" Dylan stared at me and then grinned. I scowled at her. "Gee, thanks for your undying support." I turned back to the mirror and continued to do my makeup. Dylan hugged me from behind, thoroughly distracting me with her presence, though I'd rather jump off a cliff than admit it to her. When I finished, I gave Dylan a big smooch on her cheek with my lipstick, which I knew would irk her. Sure enough, she wiped her cheek and looked at me with irritation in her eyes. I giggled, but then pretended to be hurt. "You don't like it when I kiss you? Fine, lifelong ban on kissing me." 

Dylan's facial expression changed to amusement. "That ain't gonna last."
Perfectly on cue, my lips met hers and there was a big explosion of fireworks and loud music and my heart in my throat, thumping boom, boom, boom.
"Ah, maybe you're right." I sighed dramatically, pulling away from her. She grinned at me.

Breakfast. I despised eating. A weird thing to hear, I'm sure, but I was like that. I wasn't anorexic or bulimic or anything like that. I hated food. I could practically see calories seeping out of everything on my plate. But I sighed, kept my mouth shut, and shoved down everything in front of me. 
"Joelle, what the heck?" Kyla exclaimed.
Joelle looked over at her, surprised. "What's wrong?"
"Every time we're in a public place, Cassie is staring at you, smiling at you, winking at you, blowing you kisses...what's going on?"
I looked down at my plate and kept quiet. Seeing me, as she always does, Dylan stroked my hand quietly and mouthed "It's okay" to me. She was the best, the most amazing girlfriend anyone could ever wish to have.

Joelle looked at Kyla and then addressed the whole table.
"Actually, I'm pretty curious myself as to what's going on. The entire school year, Cassie has been flirting with me and trying to get my attention. I send her all the signs that I'm not interested, but she's relentless. I don't know what it'll take to make her stop."
"I do." I said quietly and everybody looked at me. I met Dylan's eyes and in a second, she understood and her face went hard.
"No." She said in a cold voice. "No."
"I don't want to do it." I said, trying to hold her hand. I couldn't, her hands were balled into fists. "I don't want to, I'm just...saying that I know how. Dylan, please."
"Will someone explain what's going on?" Ryan asked, and Kyla and Joelle nodded in agreement.
"Cassie is definitely not going to stop by telling her to. If anything, that'll just make her more eager. What you need is to prove you are into someone else.
"But that's not a problem." Kyla said, and she and Joelle both shrugged at each other, before she carried on. "We'll just pretend for a little while that Joelle and I are together, and then she'll move on. Why so angry, Dylan?"
I looked nervously over at Dylan, who now spoke with clenched teeth. "It can't be just anyone. We know Cassie. The only way to make sure she'll never bother us again is to have an old flame hook up with the new romantic interest."
Kyla and Ryan's eyes went from Joelle to me and back.
"No." Joelle said, simply. "I'm not getting into you guys's relationship. End of story."

Joelle's POV

"No." I said, simply. "I'm not getting into you guys's relationship. End of story."
But as I said it, across the lunchroom, I saw as Cassie waved to me, flirtily and blew me a kiss. If not that, something had to be done. And fast.