Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning: Potential tissue warning. Brief adult content
Pairing: None
Rating: Suitable for people over 15
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Reminisce
By TT

(September long ago - Kindergarten)
The little girl looked up from where she was playing with her doll. A brilliant smile spread across her face as she saw her friend running toward her waving.

They were from different backgrounds, different countries, but now they were both Americans and that made them the same. So what if her friend was Hungarian and she was Italian.

“Bella!” the girl with the wild brown curls called as she got closer, ignoring the call from her parents to slow down.

“Edna!” Bella replied standing and waiting with open arms to hug her friend.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Edna said. “I thought it wasn’t going to be any fun, but with you here I know it will be.”

“Me, too,” Bella agreed. “Want to play tag?”

“Sure!” Edna enthused. “Let me go tell my parents. Then maybe we can see if any of the other kids want to play too.”

Bella nodded and went to tell her own parents.

Today was the last Sunday of summer, a time when the families of Chambersburg had a picnic to celebrate the end of summer. Starting Tuesday, Bella and Edna would be attending their first day of school. Both were excited because it meant spending more time together.

School was going to be fun.

(September – Sixth Grade)
Bella looked at the uniform she had set out. She and her best friend Edna were going to be starting middle school today. No longer were they little kids. They were responsible.

Though she had overheard her parents talking and knew her father’s belief that girls didn’t need education beyond the eighth grade, her mother had argued him into ‘seeing how it goes’. If Bella did well and finished high school, her mother argued, then she could attract a richer husband, one who was going somewhere. That meant she would be better able to help them when the time came.

Eventually, her father had agreed that if Bella did very well in school, she would be allowed to continue. But whether she finished middle school or high school depended solely on how well she did.

With that information, Bella had determined she would do everything she could to excel at her classes. Edna had agreed to help her in any way she could.

Satisfied that she was ready for her first day of school, Bella had gone to sleep, visions of spending time with her friend and all of the mischief they could devise dancing in her dreams.

(September, Senior Year)
Bella slipped out of the house and made her way down the street.

She met up with Edna at the corner and the two girls walked toward the high school, excited and thrilled not only to finally be seniors, but about their futures and about two certain boys at school.

Over the summer, while working their summer jobs, she and Edna had started seeing two other seniors, ones they’d had their eyes on for quite a while. Edna was now going steady with Marco Morelli and Bella was completely in love with Anthony Bruno.

Though their strict upbringings had prevented either girl from doing more than just kissing, both had discussed the possibility of allowing more – necking or even petting. The mere thought of such things brought a deep blush to Bella’s cheeks, but it stirred something within her that she couldn’t quite understand.

Love was a wonderful thing, she had decided. And, if he graduated and got the job with his uncle, there was a possibility that she might be Bella Bruno before her nineteenth birthday.

It was true, she had been offered a few college scholarships, but her parents couldn’t afford to cover the rest of the cost and a job had never been in he dreams. The only one tempted to send her to school was her mother. Her mother seemed to think Bella could go to college and find a nice Doctor to marry.

Bella just wanted Tony.

“Can you believe we have Sister Henrietta again for Home Ec?” Edna asked as they continued their path toward the high school.

Bella wrinkled her nose in disgust. The nun in question was a complete disaster in the kitchen, needed glasses but refused to wear them, thus making her sewing, knitting and crochet every bit as disastrous as her cooking and, worst of all, she hated Bella and Edna with a passion. Granted, her hatred might be justified to a certain extent, after all, the nearsighted nun was their favorite target for practical jokes, but it still seemed like a cruel twist of fate for them to be stuck with her for a forth year in a row.

“Doesn’t matter,” Bella finally decided. When Edna looked at her, a question in her eyes, Bella grinned and stated, “We’re seniors this year. We rule the school!”

(Senior Prom)
Bella slipped outside the stuffy gym. She had come to the prom with Dominique Carlucci. Neither had much interest in the other, but neither had a date either.

As the music drifted out to her, her mind recalled the dreams she had of attending with Tony Bruno. It was too bad he had been sent to Indiana to help on his uncle’s farm, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Edna and Marco had been wonderful, not making her feel like a third wheel, but Bella missed the feel of Tony’s strong arms around her, of his lips against hers, the feel of his hands as he caressed her.

Her eyes closed, a tear escaped and a sob welled up from within her broken heart.

“You OK, Bella,” a soft, deep voice asked.

Opening her eyes, Bella was startled to see Marco Morelli standing next to her, staring at her intently, his eyes glistening in the night’s shadow world. “Thinking of Tony,” she admitted as she reached up to wipe the tears from her face.

Marco caught her hand, though, and held it. He reached out with his other hand and gently brushed away the tears from first one cheek and then the other.

When his hand came into contact with her cheek the first time, Bella had gasped at the contact.

When he cleared the tears off of her other cheek, her heart began pounding, a tingle started low in her stomach and her eyes fluttered shut.

She was startled once more as she felt his lips brush hers. Her eyes flew open and she tried to step away.

Marco wasn’t having any of it, though. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close, brushing his lips against hers once more. “I can’t stand to see you hurt, my Bella,” he whispered in her ear.

Bella felt herself lean into the embrace for just a second before she realized who this was and struggled to get free. Marco belonged to Edna. She could never betray her dearest friend this way. “Edna,” she managed to gasp out as she tried to push away from much stronger man.

“Is busy dancing with my cousin and best friend,” Marco informed. “They’ll keep her busy.”

“Marco, I don’t want this,” Bella stated, still trying to free herself, but realizing it was futile. She eventually stopped struggling and began praying that God would send someone out to stop this from happening. Her prayers stopped a moment later when Marco sucked her earlobe into his mouth and grazed it lightly with his teeth. Her mind went blank when he began lavishing attention on her neck.

Even Tony hadn’t been able to so quickly build this level of arousal in her.

By the time Marco worked his way down her jaw and to her mouth, Bella was thinking of nothing but how much she wanted this feeling to continue.

So lost was she in the overwhelming sensations Marco was creating, she didn’t even realize he had moved them to his car.

It was only when she felt the collar of her dress being pulled down that she became aware once more. When Marco’s mouth was applied to this newly exposed area, however, she once again lost interest in everything around her.

When he entered her, she felt pain, which broke through her haze of lust, but the pain soon faded and the most amazing sensation filled her. She felt warm, complete, free.

She felt her muscles contract and then something hot fill her just moments before Marco collapsed on top of her.

They lay on the back seat of the car, both panting.

As the haze of passion cleared, Bella realized exactly what she had done. She had given away her virtue and betrayed her best friend. Her body tensed.

“Shh, shh,” Marco soothed, lifting himself up, so he could stroke her hair. “No one needs to know.”

Bella felt shame fill her and her eyes moved toward the door of the car, which was still standing open. What she saw there, was something that would haunt her dreams for years to come.

Standing just outside the door, illuminated by moonlight stood her best friend. The look of horror and betrayal on Edna’s face was a far worse punishment than any she could have devised. “Edna,” she choked out, tears clogging her throat.

Marco turned his head, his own eyes widening in horror as he realized who was standing outside the car.

Edna said nothing. Just shook her head and then turned and ran off into the night.

Marco lifted himself off of her, did up his pants and then left, chasing after Edna.

Bella lay on the back seat, tears pouring down her face, sobs shaking her whole body. She slowly sat up, hissing a little at the soreness she felt. She pulled the top of her dress upward so it once more covered her chest, pulled up her panties and adjusted her skirt downward from her waist.

Shame filled her as she made her way out of the car, closing the door behind her.

She looked at the school building, but couldn’t bear to go back into it. Knowing she couldn’t yet go home, Bella headed toward the park.

(Present)
Bella Morelli sat on the park bench, watching two little children run and play on the grass.

She had received an invitation to her high school reunion that morning. As it always did, it brought back memories she would rather forget.

The good memories of her friendship with Edna were almost more of a torment then the memory of her betrayal. The thought of all she had thrown away because she was unable to control herself still pierced her heart.

On that Prom night so long ago, she had lost her virginity and her best friend and, though she wouldn’t know it for several months, gained a husband and a son.

She had paid for that mistake. First, there had been the gossip when she started showing. Losing her friends. Disappointing her parents and herself. Suffering Marco’s anger, drinking, and abuse.

She had lost herself that night and not just in passion. She had become bitter and stayed bitter a long, long time.

The only joy she had were her children - until the boys began to emulate their father – and seeing her former best friend happily settled. Edna’s daughter Helen was a trial in her own way, she was sure. She never really knew since she could only watch from the outside. But Helen’s children…

A small smile tugged at her lips. Stephanie Plum was Edna’s child, a wild one with a crazy imagination, but good and loyal to the end. A better person than she, Bella, had been.

Bella’s reverie was disturbed by a presence settling beside her on the bench. Her heart clenched and tears sprang to her eyes as she glanced beside her and took in the hot-pink velour track suit and matching hair. “Edna,” she greeted, her voice soft.

“Bella,” Edna returned.

The two old friends sat together in silence for several moments. Her voice very serious and quiet, Edna asked, “Are you ever going to forgive yourself?”

Bella looked away and pinched her lips together, fighting back tears. Her eyes closed when she felt her former friend’s hand on her arm.

“I forgave you, Bella,” Edna assured. “You can’t keep living like this.” When Bella made no response for fear of breaking into sobs if she opened her mouth, Edna stood to leave. Stopping before the other woman, she added, “I miss my friend.”

Bella listened to the sound of Edna’s footsteps heading away from her. A single tear escaped her eyes and traced a path down her face.

“I miss you too,” she managed to whisper, her words carried away on the wind.

End

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