Joan woke up the next morning feeling the best she had ever felt in her entire life. For a moment she wondered if she had dreamed the whole thing as she sat up in her bed, but her missing jacket and relaxed body told her otherwise.
She smiled to herself and bit her lip before jumping out of bed in excitement to start her day.
Bex, on the other hand, was not feeling as wonderful. She woke up with a lousy headache and her body was extra sore due to having made love to Lyssa then only a few hours later with Joan. Her nose felt stuffy and her throat was sore. She just felt awful in general. Karma she told herself, for the repercussions that were sure to come her way.
Bex groaned and dragged herself out of bed to go take a shower.
Lyssa sighed as she set another book down. She was getting nowhere with her research. She had been up as soon as the sun had come up and pondered on going to school today. She knew the instant Rebecca woke up because she could feel the girl's headache through their bond.
Lyssa groaned a complaint before rubbing her temples and getting up to get dressed for school. She figured it was better to go to school, lest Joan take Rebecca to another house of horrors in her absence.
Lyssa walked up to her dresser and went to inspect herself in the mirror, but she found no one was there.
"Hello?" Lyssa tapped on the glass.
But her reflection did not come.
"Fine, be that way." Lyssa rolled her eyes before grabbing something to wear.
"You okay Bex, you don't look so good," Nathan commented as Bex climbed into the back seat of his car.
As if on cue, Bex sneezed into a tissue and groaned a complaint before curling up in a ball and waiting to be taken to school.
"That's what happens when you sneak out at night wearing nothing!" Abby said.
"What?" Nathan turned the car on.
"Traitor," Bex grumbled to her.
"She snuck out last night and I had to let her back in. She was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a jacket!"
"Not my fault, I told you I didn't sneak out, I slept walked." Bex defended herself.
"Whoa, did you tell mom?" Nathan asked.
"Ha! Yeah right. You two better keep your mouth shut, that woman is already too much in my business." Bex said.
Her siblings sighed as they pulled up to the school.
Bex walked into school, still wearing Joan's jacket with every intention of giving it back to the girl. She stiffened when she saw Lyssa waiting for her. Lyssa instantly felt Bex's panic and desire to avoid her.
"Everything okay?" Lyssa walked over to her.
"Oh, uh, yeah! Everything is great, ah choo!" Bex sneezed at the end.
Lyssa recoiled back, which is when Bex recalled how Lyssa hated illness and anything related to it. Meaning Lyssa didn't like sick people.
"Sorry," Bex said groggily.
"Rebecca, what is the meaning of this? Are you getting ill?" Lyssa demanded.
"I don't know, maybe..." Bex blew her nose in a tissue.
Lyssa made a face.
Bex sighed and began to walk into the cafeteria. Lyssa followed behind her at a three feet radius. Joan's eyes lit up and she quickly got up and jogged over to Bex, but when her eyes landed on Lyssa she slowed her pace and the light left her eyes.
"Hey," Bex smiled at Joan.
"Hey... So... she's back?" Joan looked to Lyssa.
"Is that a problem?" Lyssa raised an eyebrow.
Bex cringed not that Lyssa could see.
"Did you tell her?" Joan whispered.
Bex kicked Joan in the chin and gave her the, shut up! Look.
"Tell me what?"
"Nothing!" Bex said a little too enthusiastically.
Joan gave Bex a, are you serious, look.
Bex laughed nervously and quickly ran past Joan to get to the table. Joan and Lyssa raced each other to the table but Joan beat Lyssa there and quickly sat next to Bex, leaving Lyssa to take up Joan's old seat.
"Um... What's going on?" Darci asked.
"That's what I want to know." Lyssa glared at Joan.
"I thought you said you wanted to try this." Joan turned to Bex.
"I said I was confused!" Bex tried to whisper but everyone at the table could clearly hear her.
"So last night?"
Lyssa narrowed her eyes at the two, "What about last night?" Lyssa asked.
Bex looked to Lyssa before looking back at Joan, then back to Lyssa.
"Um, is this one of those, we should probably walk away, things?" Mike asked.
"I meant what I said," Joan said.
"Which part?" Bex asked.
"All of it," Joan said firmly.
"Rebecca, what is going on?" Lyssa demanded.
"Do you want to try this or not?" Joan looked at Bex.
Bex felt everyone's eyes on her, she looked back and forth between Lyssa and Joan. She was so confused and scared. She didn't want to hurt Lyssa, but she also wanted to figure herself out, once and for all.
"I... I do," Bex said to Joan.
"Do what?" Lyssa asked.
"Rebecca and I are a couple now," Joan said to Lyssa.
Lyssa eyed her almost as if she didn't believe it. Bex gave Lyssa an apologetic look. Darci cringed and waited for it to register to Lyssa.
"We hooked up last night," Joan added when she could tell Lyssa wasn't buying it.
"You're lying," Lyssa said.
"Lyssa..." Bex said.
Bex felt an instant pain inside of her. Lyssa's betrayal and heartbreak. It was so strong that Bex instantly started crying, though Lyssa kept it together and held her tears in. She just got up and began to walk away.
"Lyssa wait!" Bex got up and went after her.
Lyssa quickly made her way to the school entrance trying to get away from Bex, but Bex caught her wrist before she could leave.
"Lyssa please, it's not... I didn't do it to hurt you."
"What else am I supposed to think? You make love with me and turn around and be with her!?" Lyssa pointed to Joan who was standing only a few feet away.
"You said I should do this, you said that it would be okay if I persued other feelings. You said it wouldn't change anything." Bex sobbed, but it was mostly Lyssa's sadness she was feeling.
"Well, I lied!" Lyssa shouted.
Bex flinched back.
Lyssa flashed Bex her red eyes, it was clear Lyssa was one word away from snapping. Joan quickly went to Bex's side and got in a defensive stance.
"Go, she doesn't want you anymore. And as soon as I can, I am breaking your bond." Joan said.
Bex gasped out loud at the new onslaught of pain she was receiving from Lyssa. The betrayal, the hatred, the anger, but mostly the heartbreak.
"Lyssa, I'm sorry." Bex cried.
"I wish I never met you." Lyssa spat at her before turning around and walking out the door, before Bex could chase after her she vanished with vampiric speed.
Bex sobbed and stepped as if she was about to chase after Lyssa but she felt something strange happen. For a moment she felt a blinding pain inside of her, as if their bond was breaking, like the first time when she first got bonded to Lyssa.
A sharp ringing filled her ears and her headache increased tenfold before she knew it everything went black. She woke up only moments later in Joan's arms, as the slayer had caught her before she could collapse on the ground.
"Bex, Bex you okay?" Joan helped her stand upright.
Bex shook her head, she felt fine now, other than her original headache she started with and her sniffling nose.
"Y-Yeah I think so. I was just overwhelmed for a second." Bex rubbed her head.
"The bond?" Joan looked into her eyes.
"I don't know, maybe." Bex wiped her tears and did her best to ignore Lyssa's strong feelings.
"You okay? You aren't having regrets, are you?" Joan asked.
Bex looked into her friend's dark brown eyes and forced a smile. She shook her head no and engulfed Joan in a hug. Joan sighed in relief and embraced Bex tightly. Although now that Joan wasn't looking at her face, Bex's smile quickly faded and her eyes lost a little light. She just looked miserable.
The bell-ringing caused them to flinch. Bex pulled back and looked at Joan,
"So, uh, you want your jacket back?" Bex indicated to the jacket she was currently wearing.
Joan smiled and shook her head no before leaning in and kissing Bex softly on the lips. Bex quickly pulled back.
"I'll see you at lunch." She said before quickly walking off.
Joan frowned after her.
"So... what was that?" Darci walked up behind her.
"Yeah, I thought she liked Lyssa," Mike said.
"Are you sure about this?" Jaden asked.
"Back off okay, we talked it out and she said she wants to be with me now." Joan got defensive.
"Joan we are just worried is all. Things didn't exactly look resolved between Bex and Lyssa. We don't want you to get your hopes up." Darci patted her shoulder.
"Wow thanks for the support," Joan snapped at them before walking off to class.
"I give it a week," Mike said.
"No way, a couple of days tops," Jaden said.
"You guys! This isn't good, Joan is going to get heartbroken."
"Well, maybe you should talk to Bex, see what's up. I mean to just suddenly change your mind on who you like? It seems kind of sleazy and not like her." Mike said.
"I'll look into it, in the meantime, we will just have to be supportive of them."
"It's going to end in disaster," Jaden shook his head as he walked off.
Mike sighed and quickly followed after him.
Darci looked worriedly after her friends before walking off as well.
Bex felt herself getting worse and worse. The minutes ticked by like hours and her headache turned into a migraine. She felt like she was running a fever like she could be sick to her stomach. Her whole face hurt like she had a bad cold. Before the first period was over Bex was already dripping sweat and resting her head on her desk. It didn't help that Lyssa's whirlwind of emotions continued to attack her.
When the bell finally rang for the end of class, instead of going to her next class Bex dragged herself to the nurse's office.
"Can I help you?" The nurse asked.
"I don't feel good," Bex complained.
"Come have a seat." He motioned for her to sit on a sick cot.
Bex dragged herself over there and sat down. She had the chills but was sweating a sure sign that she was, indeed, getting sick.
The nurse checked her temp and eyed it in worry.
"You are running a fever, let me call your parents."
"My parents are at work, but I don't live far. I can walk home." Bex supplied.
"Very well, I'll still need parental permission, what's your name?"
"Rebecca Cross."
He then walked off to go get her info and call her parents.
Bex curled up on the cot and shivered, she felt freezing but if her temp was any indicator, she was burning up.
Bex pulled out her phone and texted Joan,
'Going home early, I don't feel good. I'll keep you posted.'
'What's wrong? I can skip out to take care of you.'
'No, I just need to be alone right now.'
With that Bex turned her phone off.
The nurse walked over to her and with her parent's permission, Bex was escorted to her house by a school security guard.
"Thanks," Bex said as she got out of his car.
"Stay safe and I hope you get better," He said before pulling out and making his way back to school.
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