We Are Stars | OLD DRAFT

Chapter Ten: Piece by Piece

Two Years Ago...

I'm curling up at the edge of the toilet, my stomach feeling beaten and bruised. The last thing I can think about is food, for the very thought causes my stomach to groan. With a heavening lurch, another mouthful of rancid bile fills my mouth and slowly dribbles off of my lips. Waves a nausea hit me like a violent storm as I once again empty my mouth of the disgusting alkaline fluid. My face feels sunken and my hair is more pale than normal. I sink into myself as I try desperately to open my heavy eyelids, only for them to close again.

There's a knock at the bathroom door and I quickly start to panic. "Rowen? Hun? Are you okay?" My mom's voice asks from the other side.

I start to heave again, but I forcefully keep it down. "Yeah, I- I'm fine!" I call.

Frantically, I throw myself a top of the toilet and pull the seat downwards, hiding the stomach acid from sight. "Are you sure? You've been in there for almost thirty minutes. Is everything okay?"

Cold sweat glistens at my brow as heated shivers course through my quivering body. "Yeah! Everything's fine, Mom! Just- just the monthly thing!"

"Oh, okay, sweetie. Let me know if you're having any issues," she says.

"Okay, thanks, Mom." I hear her walk away from the door and I'm again left alone. Layers of bile cling to the sides of my throat, making it sore. I pound my face into my palms, letting the tears fall. For a few days now, I've been vomiting uncontrollably. One minute, I feel fine, and the next, I'm racing to the nearest bathroom. Noah is worried about me, but I can't tell him what's going on. Now that I know for sure, no one can ever know.

I gain the strength to stand up, my legs almost giving out in the process and I slowly make my way toward the sink. Turning the knob, I let the cold water from the faucet cascade into my hands. I drown myself in the cool and soothing liquid, letting coolness of the water drown my sorrows away.

My fingers cling to the sides of the counters and I lean into my arms, water droplets gathering on the tips of my lashes, watching as each one falls upon the pregnancy test in front of me, those two lines already taunting me.

I'm pregnant.

~~~~~

"We're gonna what?" I ask, my voice bouncing off of the brick walls.

"We're getting back at Olivia," Felix states.

"Yeah, I heard you," I spat. "But why?"

Maxi steps in front of my line of sight, handing off more objects to Ashley, Silas, and Felix. "Because that bitch has been at large for way too long. You of all people should understand that."

Sadly, I have to agree with her. Olivia has been holding my nuse for years now and it's about time that someone taught her a lesson. I'm just praying that this lesson doesn't include murder, arson, assault, or burglary of any kind.

Silas kneels down and unzippers a large duffle bag, revealing the contents inside: assortments of wires, what looks like a lock-picking kit, a laptop, and other objects.

"Why the hell do we need this stuff?" I question, pointing to the duffle bag.

Ashley turns his head to me. "It's all apart of the plan," he states. "Everything we need to bring down that slut is right in here." He taps his hand on the bag, a smirk appearing on his face.

I glance back down at the materials, really, really confused. "But what exactly are we doing to get... revenge?"

Silas releases a low sigh, getting back to his feat. "We're gonna bug Olivia's computer," he says straightforwardly. "This way, we can dig up some dirt on her and use it against her. You know, expose her secrets, stuff like that."