Becoming (INSECURE SEQUEL)

24

"Stay out of it." I put my hand on her shoulder but she rolls it off.

"You're not seriously mad at me?" I ask her.

She doesn't say anything. That would've been an answer by itself but she graciously decided to add a scoff and eye roll in as well.

"I'll go find Catalina." Lily glares at me as she walks away.

"Wait, I'll come with you." Ashton turns away from Melody.

"It'd be for the best if you didn't." Lily scowls. "Just stay right here and get your shit together before anyone else makes a scene. I'm so over all of you and your drama."

"Great." I glare at Ashton. "Now I'm going to have a bad night too."

"Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with Catalina then you wouldn't have to worry about that." He scoffs back at me.

"and if you were a better husband I wouldn't have to help your wife so much and make mine upset."

"You don't have to do anything but mind your business." He glares at me.

"Trust me, I'm trying. Your life is so messy that I keep getting dragged in it. Keeping your secret baby a secret and helping your drunk wife and giving her a jacket and oh my god, the cheating–"

"Just tell me if it was worth it after Lily divorces you."

"You have a child that's older than you and Catalina's entire relationship. I'm not the one who needs to be worrying about a divorce."

"I don't have a child. Melody is a liar , and are we sure it's not yours? Actually." He looks at her and raises an eyebrow. "Because I assume  you did sleep with him when we were together."

She blinks in response, too in shock to say anything more than she's already said. I see an alarming amount of  tears forming in her eyes that she's been trying to hold back since this conversation started.

"Right." He answers for her. "I'm done with this."

Ashton walks out and he doesn't even give Melody another look.

"Did you really?" I ask her, gently turning her by the shoulders to guide her out of the room and away from the glances we get every couple of seconds. "Sleep with me, that is."

"Yes!" She scoffs. "I was an awful girlfriend, but that's not– she's not yours. I know it."

"Obviously." I scoff. "My kids look way better than his."

She smiles. "This is not funny."

"That wasn't a joke."

CATALINA

I exhale my tenth deep breath while I try to open the fifth door in the hallway. I take another breath and turn around, leaning against the wall and staring at the ceiling while I try to fight back the tears. I've never felt this way before. Or at least, the way I know I'm going to feel as soon as I can find a quiet place to let it all out. For now, I breathe in and ignore the pain in the pits of my stomach. I start to think that I might actually throw up.

I close my eyes and try to picture anything else in my head.

"Catalina?" I hear Lily from down the hall and I reluctantly turn my head.

"Are you okay?" She asks when I don't say anything else.

I can't say anything. I feel as though, if I speak, then somehow I have to acknowledge the fact that I exist. If I acknowledge the fact that I exist, then I have to accept that my biggest fears have come true. I've always known they would.