Mommy's House

17

BELLA nearly fell into the room, looking around to find Elliot on the other side of the room, curled up in a ball with his cheek mushed against the ground, and Cole slumped against the wall with his head back and his eyes closed.

Bella continued to giggle, unable to stop as Cole's ashen eyes slowly opened to look at her.

"Bella?" he asked, his voice raspy. "Are you allowed to be in here?"

Bella tripped on her way over to him, before she fell hard onto his lap. Cole jumped when she settled on top of him, and he sucked air through his teeth, his body instinctively curling for a second.

"Jeez, Bella, watch where you're landing," he exhaled in pain.

"Hi," she chirped, her glossy irises gazing into his tired and bloodshot eyes. Her lips were tilted into a small smile, and his were turned downward in confusion.

His thick eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her new attire, before he brought his eyes to her face. "Are you..." he recoiled, his eyes widening slightly as he tried to figure her out, "drunk?"

Bella hiccuped, before shaking her head quickly. "No, why would you think that?" she slurred.

Cole took a deep breath. "Okay, Bella, get off of me."

Bella slung her arms around his neck and tightened them. "Why?" she pouted down at him.

His chest heaved as he licked his lips and looked away from her.

"Drinking is so much fun!" Bella squealed, her hands on his shoulders as she shook him with excitement. "At first, it tasted like hand sanitizer! I wondered how anybody liked it, but then, I kept drinking, and it tasted like water! And now I feel crazy," she giggled, hiccuping on her deep exhale as she watched Cole grow more irritated with her.

"I don't understand why you would-" Cole started, but Bella interrupted him.

"I've never even kissed a boy before. But Mommy thinks I'm a slut," Bella whispered, her glazed eyes slowly blinking.

Cole attempted to push his hips up in a failed attempt to get her off of him, since his hands were still tied securely behind his back, but she stayed put.

"My mom used to cheat on my dad," Bella mused in thought, her eyes looking up towards the ceiling as she recollected her old memories. "Did you know that?"

Cole bit down on his bottom lip. "No, how would I have known that?"

"I used to watch her all the time," she recalled, her words drowsy. "She would do stuff like this with all these different guys, every night!" She slowly dragged her hands down his chest, and he watched her carefully, before she brought her fingers back towards his face and threaded her fingers through his matted hair. His lips parted for a second as she continued stroking her nails through his hair. "She also used to do this!" she exclaimed, daringly moving to press her lips to Cole's neck.

Cole flinched away from her before she could, though, shaking his head. "What the fuck, Bella? S-stop! What is wrong with you?"

"Don't act like you don't like it," Bella responded, clearly offended with a devilish smirk on her lips. "I know you do, I can feel it."

Cole's cheeks heated, and Bella noticed his obvious anger was making his breaths heavier. But she thought this was funny; she felt so free, like she could do anything without consequence.

"Why are you acting like this?" Cole asked her, his slight accent clear through his furious words. "You're smarter than that, at least, I thought you were."

"You are not my dad," Bella rolled her eyes. "She forced me to drink but it was fun. She... she even gave me a hug! And... and her boyfriend, he gave me a flower-"