Stella

Forty-seven

do you like me?

"Lexi," she breathed out. "I would never do that. As for Vera, she used to have a crush on Casper, but she's going to be engaged to Ruben."

Lexi sniffled while holding the phone to her ear.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I don't understand why they said all of that."

"What about Scarlett?" she mumbled and sniffled.

June sighed. "It wasn't me, but one of my friends. She knows I love Henry and-and she thought she was helping me..."

"It wasn't your fault." Lexi shook her head. "Stella shouldn't have retaliated like that without getting the full picture." 

"It doesn't matter."

"What are your parents going to do?"

"I don't know. They're really mad. My reputation is gone. I've pissed off both the Talbots and the Palmers." She sighed. "I don't know what to do. My grandparents are pissed." Sadness laced her words as she thought of the pure disappointment coming from her gentle grandmother. She hesitated, "I spoke with Henry." 

"What did he say?"

"He apologised that he was the reason I was in this position, but he warned me not to touch Scarlett." She sniffled. "He said if I do anything to her again, he would destroy me completely, even if it meant ruining himself."

Lexi frowned. "I thought he loved you."

"So did I." She sighed. 

"Did he- did he ever say it?" Lexi murmured. 

There was silence for a little while before she heard sniffling. Lexi's heart clenched for her friend. 

"No. I guess not." 

Lexi frowned. Movement outside her window caught her attention. Her eyes easily zeroed in on Casper as he alighted from his car. His smile was large as he laughed at Stella while she said something with a small smile. He took her hand and carried her work bag as they walked towards the house.

"Why is love so tiring?" she asked the air. "It shouldn't be, should it?"

June sniffled again. "I don't know," she croaked out.  

Lexi licked her lips. "Are you sure he's just playing his role?"

There was silence again. She could hear shuffling in the background and something else she couldn't detect. 

June cleared her throat. "Yes. Vera said Ruben told her he doesn't actually like Stella. He's just going through the motions. It's just an arranged marriage." There was a beat of silence. "Perhaps you can save him from it?" she muttered. "Both him and Stella." 

Lexi frowned at the window sill. It wasn't sitting right. She had been blindly following her friends lead and seeing how her friend's love life turned out had her questioning things. 

That night in the living room, she thought there was a connection. He was just too much of a gentleman to act on it. That's how June and Vera saw it, anyway. 

But now she was struggling to ignore the little niggle in the back of her head. The one that was telling her it was wrong. The part of her conscience that held the guilt for loving someone that was already engaged. It made her feel sick and even more tired. 

"Dinner's ready!" her mother's voice called and she swallowed the sick feeling down. 

"Hey, June. I have to go. If you need anything, let me know, okay?" She frowned. She was really worried about her. She couldn't believe Stella put her in this mess. She tried to speak with Gabrielle about it, but all she got was, "June did this to herself, Lexi. This is karma. We all tried to warn you for a reason. They didn't even use everything they had on her. They showed her more mercy than she deserved."