The Way We Almost Were ✓

15| women wear pain like they wear stilettos

to kcmilktae ❤ for spamming my notifications endlessly

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[takes place on the same day as the previous chapter, but few hours earlier; that is, Nick would still be in his class and Dale wouldn't have given him the notes yet.]

|Chapter 15|

| women wear pain like they wear stilettos |

BREE had five minutes left till she had to leave her dorm room and head towards her Chem 2 class. This wasn't high school and the lecturers were almost always punctual.

But she knew she had to wait for Melody, who claimed she was ready to step out of her safe haven and into the world today.

Bree felt nervous on Mel's behalf; she kept fidgeting with her fingers and pulling things from their places before rearranging them back in order. She had pulled out her collection of nail varnish from her dresser and gotten immersed in rearranging them from the lightest shade to the darkest.

But when Melody came back from the washroom on their floor, Bree went still before adapting a relaxed composure, and placing a reassuring smile on her face.

She didn't have to fake the smile; all she had to do was remind herself of Mel's predicament, how she must be feeling on the inside and Bree's own promise to stick by her no matter what. The reassuring part came to her easily after that; naturally even. She had to wear the brave face for her friend. She had to. Who else did Mel have?

"Ready?" Bree smiled, pushing herself off the dresser on which she was leaning. "You have the 08.00am with Verma yeah?"

Melody nodded, seeming too tensed to speak.

"Great," Bree grinned, trying to ease the pressure Mel must be feeling. "Same here. We better hurry though -- I'm hoping you haven't forgotten how he gets when someone walks in even a minute late--"

"Of course I haven't forgotten," Mel interrupted, agitated. "Geez, if you want to go so bad, fine let's go. You don't have to remind me of what that old troll is like!"

Bree pressed her lips together and breathed in deeply before exhaling ever so slowly.

She's just upset, Bree reminded herself. Mel was just frightened and it was getting to her nerves which was causing her to act out.

"Oh my god!" Mel suddenly gasped, snapping Bree from her moment of self-assurance. "Oh God, Bree that's not what I -- dammit, I'm so sorry. It's just that I feel so flustered and everything's all over the freaking place and I don't know what's gonna happen -- I just... I'm sorry, Bree."