Dreamer 202

Chapter 7: Behind Door One...

Dreamer 202

Chapter 7

June was a busy month for Bella. Between the classes, seminars, and training she had, there was little time for rest. Any open days were spent with Sivil, Alice, and Jazzie. With their help, she went from being quiet and withdrawn to outspoken and boisterous – her original, normal self... when she needed to she could be serious, though; one day they'd been out at a park for lunch and suddenly someone had started yelling for help. A child had been dragged out of the river across the field, and wasn't breathing.

The parents and onlookers were calling 911 already, but people were standing around without a clue what to do. She'd jogged over, shouting that she knew CPR – that if there was any way to get an AED, they should do so. Bella had begun on chest compressions right away, and by the time the ambulance arrived she'd kept the child alive enough for the prognosis to be optimistic of recovery.

Once the dust settled, everyone had had a realization about how precious life was to them; Bella, especially, had her eyes opened. It'd been the first time she'd saved a life, and it shook her slightly. No one had known what to do after the ambulance left and the crowd scattered, so they'd gone home to Bella's place for quiet time.

She'd felt more spontaneous after that, deciding to move from a small studio into a one-bedroom at the same complex she'd been renting from before – new beginnings and all that, she'd reasoned.

July found her in a similar mood... Although slightly less perky. The only thing she'd noticed was that after the house party she'd gone to, her phone had mysteriously gained many new contacts... Not many of them went out of their way to talk to her, but she kept them just in case. Ajax and Trace had helped Sivil with the heavy furniture when she'd moved late June, which she'd actually enjoyed a lot.

Jazzie texted Bella constantly and slowly visited more often without the other friends. They spent time watching movies, cooking together and eating on the porch area she now had, and doing generally sisterly activities. Bella wasn't very used to the attention, but it was a nice change from the boisterous activities for the past few months. Apparently Jazzie's family was getting too hectic for her, as all five of her little siblings constantly wanted to play or go out to their sports or friend's places.

As they spent more time together, Jazzie shyly mentioned that she came over so much because her parents were uncomfortable with her lifestyle choices; she had a crush on one of the other girls in her summer classes on campus, and they'd tentatively been getting closer. From then on Bella became closer and more supportive, giving the younger woman the confidence she needed for explaining the situation to her parents. They weren't sure how to handle it, but they weren't mad at her for being honest with her emotions – to herself and to her parents.

The rest of July and August passed in the blink of an eye; Bella was ready for the start of the school year, to see her new students. When it was about a week away from Labor Day, she went and got stocked up on her materials for the new classes she'd be having at the preschool.

☾~☽

Halfway through the grocery part of her outing, Bella had to check her phone because it was vibrating nonstop. The source of the uproar was the barrage of texts she was receiving from Alice and Lithus, all bunched up because she finally reached a spot in the store with service. With a sigh, she read them.

<[Lithus] 1:04PM: BElla come 2 Alices place rn>

<[Alice] 1:06: Come over soon, we're having a party tonight. Starts at like 3 but we've got people here already.>

<[Lithus] 1:10: you there?>

<[Lithus] 1:18: Hello? Did I get the wrong number??>

Not knowing how to reply, she sent the same message to Alice and Lithus, letting them know she was shopping and she'd be there after finishing and going home first. While slightly annoyed at the fact that they didn't give her a few days' notice, she was going because her friends were there.