Unwed 💍

Chapter 19: Yakety Yak

"Gloria." Izzy sighed, stepping closer to her. "Look, we all know that Billy isn't waiting for you. Just as we know that Donnie isn't waiting for me. If that were true, we wouldn't be here. Please, be reasonable. You have to stay here, there's nowhere else to go."

Gloria slammed her dresser door shut and turned to face Izzy, her eyes narrowing in on her. "You always thought you were better than me," she hissed. "I could tell from the moment you got here. Don't try to compare your pathetic story with mine. Billy does love me, he's waiting for me. He's nothing like your Donnie, and I am nothing like you."

"Fine!" Izzy said. "Suit yourself. I'm only trying to put a bit of reasoning into your irrational mind. No one can tell you anything! You're so caught up in pretending you're better than everyone else, that you can't even see I'm trying to help you."

Gloria rolled her eyes. "Why would I ever need help from a plain old frump like you?" She gave Izzy a disdainful look, her eyes running over her from head to toe. "It's a wonder you even found someone in the first place."

Izzy stormed over to her bed and plopped down, tears gathering in her eyes as she watched the impetuous girl strip the case off her pillow and stuff her meager belongings inside.The nerve of the girl! Gloria clearly had no concept of what it meant to be a friend. What was she going to do? Parade down the hall with that sack and walk right out the front door? Then what? Go back to her mother? Hope for the best with Billy? She couldn't possibly take care of a baby on her own. She was crazy.

Izzy huffed, grabbing the little green layette she'd started to knit. Gloria's beautiful body hid the mean and nasty girl she was inside. She deserved whatever happened to her.

From across the room, Dottie looked up from her knitting, her eyes questioning Izzy's. Izzy gave her a careless shrug. Francine's back was turned to them. She silently folded her dresses, smoothing out the creases and placed them in the dresser.

There wasn't much for Gloria to pack. Most of what she'd come with had been taken when she'd arrived. All three girls watched as she made her way to the door. Hand on the handle, her eyes rested on Izzy's and she paused, as if waiting for her to say something. Izzy looked away, threading the knitting needle through a loop on the layette, feigning disinterest.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gloria's jaw set. She held her head high, ripping the door open.

"Wait," came Francine's voice from across the room.

Gloria stopped in the doorway, her blonde curls swinging around, an irritated expression on her face. "What is it now?"

"You won't be able to go anywhere tonight," Francine said. "I was on the last ferry of the day. There won't be another one running until morning."

"Then, I'll just find somewhere to go until tomorrow," Gloria said, but her resolve seemed to be crumbling.

"I've heard there're bears on this island," Francine said, turning back towards the dresser.

The sack in Gloria's hand lowered a bit as she bore into the tall girl's back. Slowly, she shut the door. "Perhaps I'll wait until tomorrow morning after all," she said, giving Izzy a haughty look.

With the exception of that moment, Francine proved to be the quiet type, which suited Izzy just fine.The tall girl somehow managed to smuggle in an armful of books, which she graciously shared with Dottie.The little girl was lost for the rest of the afternoon in the pages of Little Women.

Izzy and Gloria stoically performed their extra chores for Sister Mary Thomas, who, to their great elation, was preoccupied with other things going on in the home. Neither of them said a word to each other the entire time. Later, in the dining hall, Gloria steamed, the anger radiating off of her as she sat on the bench next to Izzy.