Bet On It | H. Styles

xxxvii

(warning, this chapter is very dark and may contain themes that are triggering so please read at your own risk)

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Three Years Ago

Wendy ached everywhere. Her feet, her back, her head. She was a ball of pain and she couldn't wait to go home. Not that home was where she wanted to be either but it was better than this place.

Standing in front of the mirror in one of the many bathrooms on campus, Wendy splashed some cool water on her face. Her last class of the day ran until seven at night and she had been up and running since seven in the morning. She was beyond exhausted.

Her final exams had been wearing her down and she was so excited to be done with another semester of college. She had an entire summer to look forward to and that in itself sparked a little bit of excitement in her.

At the mere thought of running a nice bath when she got home, Wendy's face lit up, the overwhelming sense of tiredness leaving her eyes.

Exiting the bathroom, Wendy made her way outside into the brisk night air as she made her way off campus and back home. Her apartment was only a few blocks away, as she walked in the setting sunlight. The sky glowed orange, guiding her home amongst the many other city-goers.

She felt pretty confident in her final exam, thinking she passed it with extraordinary colors. Wendy put in so much time in studying and preparing and in the end it wasn't even that awful. Wendy was tempted to call up Patty and head out to do some bar hopping in celebration but Patty hadn't returned home yet from upstate.

Wendy wouldn't ask Kenny to go out with her because she knew that it was useless to try. Plus, she didn't want to give him an excuse of drinking his life away.

The sun lit up her tan skin and brushed through her dark curls, giving her this sort of goddess effect like from Olympus. Of course, she couldn't see it herself, but everyone around took just a moment to admire the true beauty that is Wendy Kane.

If any of them saw the darkness that lied within Wendy however, no doubt they would turn around as if she was Medusa instead. But, on the outside she had this aura about her that no one could turn away from. Not even the sun.

Pulling out the key to her apartment, Wendy took a deep breath as she braced whatever was about to face her inside. Although school was difficult, anywhere was better than near Kenny.

Greeting Bill, Dave, and Janet as she tended to do, she made her way upstairs to her apartment. The hallway leading to her door was eerily quiet, not a single sound coming from any neighbor like they usually would around that time of night.

Pushing the little metal key into the door, Wendy stepped inside the threshold, her attention on her phone as she read an excessive amount of messages from Patty. Wendy tossed her keys into the bowl by the door and kicked off her shoes as her feet began to ache from the small heel she'd been wearing all day.

"Hello?" Wendy called out to see if Kenny was actually home that night. Most nights he spent away and Wendy hoped tonight would be no different.

That wasn't the case.

Throwing her bag onto the couch, Wendy sauntered over to their shared bedroom, stopping immediately in her tracks. Tears pricked her eyes at this familiar sight, as she bit her lip to keep from screaming her head off.

A blonde girl was tucked under Kenny's arm as they slept soundly, not at all aware of Wendy's presence before them. Both of their chests were uncovered as the blanket landed just above their hips giving Wendy full display of this woman's big and seemingly fake breasts. The woman herself also seemed a bit older than her or Kenny, landing herself in maybe the mid-thirties range.