Chapter Two
(A few minutes later.)
Belle took a last glance at Chloe's house and sighed. She knew that Phillip and Chloe hadn't spoken since she had seen the video of him and Cynthia. Belle could only hope that Phillip had listened to her advice, and was not going to let the old, angry, possessive Phillip come out tonight.
She sighed as she gripped the wheel to her mother's sedan tightly, and turned off of Chloe's street. Belle quietly wondered why all of these arguments and confrontations usually ended up happening in a public place. She cringed a little as she remembered the revelations of just two days ago.
********FLASHBACK********
(Two days earlier... Dot.Com)
Belle paid for her purchases and found Chloe flipping through a thick book on the sale rack.
"Hey... Whatcha looking at?"
"It's a book about New York... I thought it wouldn't hurt to learn a little more about the city before we get there."
Belle grinned at her. "You're right, it never hurts to be prepared. If I didn't know better, I'd think you used to be a girl scout."
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "Oh, no way... Not me."
Mimi joined them, her frozen coffee resting in her left hand. "I didn't even see you two here. What's up?"
Belle shrugged nonchalantly. "Not much really... Have you gotten your dress for the dance yet?"
Mimi cringed slightly. "Nope... You want to help me pick it out?"
"Of course. We can go after school tomorrow if you're not busy."
Mimi was about to answer when the door to Dot.Com burst open. Shawn came rushing in, one hand locked on Jan's arm, dragging her behind him. He walked up to the three girls and kept his hold on Jan.
Shawn addressed them one by one, and Belle could see the anger in his eyes. "Belle, Mimi, Chloe... I'm glad you're all here. Jan... I think you have something to say to them."
Jan struggled to get away from Shawn's grip and whimpered slightly. "Shawn... You're hurting me."
Shawn fixed his steely gaze on Jan and loosened his grip. "Jan... Tell them the truth right now."
Belle stared at both of them in confusion and addressed Shawn. "What is going on here? What are you two doing?"
Shawn let go of Jan's arms completely and motioned towards her. "I overheard a little conversation that Jan had with Cynthia this morning. Boy, I am sure glad that I did so I could finally see that I've been played for a fool."
Jan shook her head and begged Shawn. "Shawn, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
"Stop it. Stop apologizing to me. I'm sick of hearing it. Tell them now."
Jan's face fell and her crocodile tears began falling down her cheeks. "Shawn, please... not here, not in front of everyone."
"I'm not falling for your pathetic little act anymore. You tell the truth right now, so I can see if you have any dignity left at all."
Jan nodded and brushed her tears away. She turned to Belle with fear in her eyes. "Belle... I lied to Shawn. I told him that you attacked me and that my baby died because of you. I wanted to keep him away from you, because I wanted him for myself."
Belle nodded and angrily crossed her arms in front of her. "Well, it worked. Congratulations, Jan."
Shawn shook his head and nudged Jan further. "There's more, Belle... Go on, Jan."
Jan looked downward, but continued. "Shawn wasn't the father of my baby either. We never slept together or anything. He couldn't have been the father. Someone raped me, and he got me pregnant. That one was Shawn's lie and mine."
Belle's face contorted in various expressions of shock. "You lied to me, Shawn? You broke my heart and told me that you cheated on me... And it was all a lie? Why would you do that?"
Belle could feel the tears rolling down her face as Shawn tried to explain himself. "I'm so sorry, Belle. Jan was going to have an abortion, and the only way I could save the baby's life was to pretend that I was the father. I had to give her baby a chance."
"And you had to lie to me? I don't understand... You could have told me what was going on."
Shawn shook his head and sighed. "I couldn't. I made a promise to Jan that I would never tell anyone that she was raped. I couldn't tell you, even though I wanted to."
"You made a promise to Jan?" Belle laughed through her tears at Shawn's statements. "What a joke. An absolute joke. What about the promises you made to me, Shawn? They obviously meant nothing to you, so why would a promise you made to Jan mean anything at all?"
Jan tried to plead with her. "Belle... This is all my fault. Don't blame Shawn."
"You're right, Jan. This is your fault. I'm just filled with joy that you can admit that you are to blame for something. But, Shawn is to blame just as much as you are. If he had taken a moment and used his brain, it wouldn't have had to turn out like this."
Jan pouted in her usual way that she did when she was trying to get someone's pity. "He was just being a good friend to me, Belle. He's the only person who has ever wanted to help me."
Belle rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Please, Jan... No matter what you say, I'm not going to feel sorry for you. There was a time when I might have pitied you, and if I had known what happened to you, I would have helped you too. But, you can forget it. You can pout and cry all you want, but all you've done since I've known you is the wreck the lives of other people so YOU can get some attention. I'm sorry that you were raped, and I'm sorry that you lost your baby... But, other than that... I hope you end up even more miserable than you've made all of us."
Shawn tried to reach out to her but Belle pushed his hand away. "I tried to think of another way. All I wanted to do was give Jan's baby a chance."
"Well, you didn't think hard enough, did you? Lying to people that you are supposed to care about is never the right thing to do. You lied to me, your friends and your own parents, Shawn. You completely disgust me." Belle paused and made sure to angrily emphasize every syllable in her last sentence. "I never want to see you again."
Shawn bowed his head in shame and tried to mutter an apology. "Belle, I'm so sorry..."
Belle glanced at Mimi and Chloe who were in silent shock, and then pushed her way past Shawn and Jan. She ran out of Dot.Com without a word and practically ran all the way home, tears streaming down her face.
********END FLASHBACK********
Belle sighed and pulled her mother's car into it's space in front of their building. As far as she was concerned, if she never saw Shawn Brady's face again, it would be too soon.
Belle turned the car off and grabbed her backpack off of the seat. She quickly locked the car doors and headed towards her building. Belle had been trying as hard as she could to not let thoughts of Shawn seep into her brain, but what he had put her through was hard to forget.
She got into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor, and leaned against the wall and waited. Belle knew that moving to New York was the best idea for her right now. New York wouldn't remind of her of Shawn everywhere she went, like every place in Salem would.
The doors to the elevator slid open and Belle stepped out. She nearly fell over in shock when she saw Shawn sitting on the floor next to her door. He looked up when he heard the elevator and stood.
Belle dropped her backpack to the floor and glared icily at him. "Get out."
***
(A few minutes later.)
Belle took a last glance at Chloe's house and sighed. She knew that Phillip and Chloe hadn't spoken since she had seen the video of him and Cynthia. Belle could only hope that Phillip had listened to her advice, and was not going to let the old, angry, possessive Phillip come out tonight.
She sighed as she gripped the wheel to her mother's sedan tightly, and turned off of Chloe's street. Belle quietly wondered why all of these arguments and confrontations usually ended up happening in a public place. She cringed a little as she remembered the revelations of just two days ago.
********FLASHBACK********
(Two days earlier... Dot.Com)
Belle paid for her purchases and found Chloe flipping through a thick book on the sale rack.
"Hey... Whatcha looking at?"
"It's a book about New York... I thought it wouldn't hurt to learn a little more about the city before we get there."
Belle grinned at her. "You're right, it never hurts to be prepared. If I didn't know better, I'd think you used to be a girl scout."
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "Oh, no way... Not me."
Mimi joined them, her frozen coffee resting in her left hand. "I didn't even see you two here. What's up?"
Belle shrugged nonchalantly. "Not much really... Have you gotten your dress for the dance yet?"
Mimi cringed slightly. "Nope... You want to help me pick it out?"
"Of course. We can go after school tomorrow if you're not busy."
Mimi was about to answer when the door to Dot.Com burst open. Shawn came rushing in, one hand locked on Jan's arm, dragging her behind him. He walked up to the three girls and kept his hold on Jan.
Shawn addressed them one by one, and Belle could see the anger in his eyes. "Belle, Mimi, Chloe... I'm glad you're all here. Jan... I think you have something to say to them."
Jan struggled to get away from Shawn's grip and whimpered slightly. "Shawn... You're hurting me."
Shawn fixed his steely gaze on Jan and loosened his grip. "Jan... Tell them the truth right now."
Belle stared at both of them in confusion and addressed Shawn. "What is going on here? What are you two doing?"
Shawn let go of Jan's arms completely and motioned towards her. "I overheard a little conversation that Jan had with Cynthia this morning. Boy, I am sure glad that I did so I could finally see that I've been played for a fool."
Jan shook her head and begged Shawn. "Shawn, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
"Stop it. Stop apologizing to me. I'm sick of hearing it. Tell them now."
Jan's face fell and her crocodile tears began falling down her cheeks. "Shawn, please... not here, not in front of everyone."
"I'm not falling for your pathetic little act anymore. You tell the truth right now, so I can see if you have any dignity left at all."
Jan nodded and brushed her tears away. She turned to Belle with fear in her eyes. "Belle... I lied to Shawn. I told him that you attacked me and that my baby died because of you. I wanted to keep him away from you, because I wanted him for myself."
Belle nodded and angrily crossed her arms in front of her. "Well, it worked. Congratulations, Jan."
Shawn shook his head and nudged Jan further. "There's more, Belle... Go on, Jan."
Jan looked downward, but continued. "Shawn wasn't the father of my baby either. We never slept together or anything. He couldn't have been the father. Someone raped me, and he got me pregnant. That one was Shawn's lie and mine."
Belle's face contorted in various expressions of shock. "You lied to me, Shawn? You broke my heart and told me that you cheated on me... And it was all a lie? Why would you do that?"
Belle could feel the tears rolling down her face as Shawn tried to explain himself. "I'm so sorry, Belle. Jan was going to have an abortion, and the only way I could save the baby's life was to pretend that I was the father. I had to give her baby a chance."
"And you had to lie to me? I don't understand... You could have told me what was going on."
Shawn shook his head and sighed. "I couldn't. I made a promise to Jan that I would never tell anyone that she was raped. I couldn't tell you, even though I wanted to."
"You made a promise to Jan?" Belle laughed through her tears at Shawn's statements. "What a joke. An absolute joke. What about the promises you made to me, Shawn? They obviously meant nothing to you, so why would a promise you made to Jan mean anything at all?"
Jan tried to plead with her. "Belle... This is all my fault. Don't blame Shawn."
"You're right, Jan. This is your fault. I'm just filled with joy that you can admit that you are to blame for something. But, Shawn is to blame just as much as you are. If he had taken a moment and used his brain, it wouldn't have had to turn out like this."
Jan pouted in her usual way that she did when she was trying to get someone's pity. "He was just being a good friend to me, Belle. He's the only person who has ever wanted to help me."
Belle rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Please, Jan... No matter what you say, I'm not going to feel sorry for you. There was a time when I might have pitied you, and if I had known what happened to you, I would have helped you too. But, you can forget it. You can pout and cry all you want, but all you've done since I've known you is the wreck the lives of other people so YOU can get some attention. I'm sorry that you were raped, and I'm sorry that you lost your baby... But, other than that... I hope you end up even more miserable than you've made all of us."
Shawn tried to reach out to her but Belle pushed his hand away. "I tried to think of another way. All I wanted to do was give Jan's baby a chance."
"Well, you didn't think hard enough, did you? Lying to people that you are supposed to care about is never the right thing to do. You lied to me, your friends and your own parents, Shawn. You completely disgust me." Belle paused and made sure to angrily emphasize every syllable in her last sentence. "I never want to see you again."
Shawn bowed his head in shame and tried to mutter an apology. "Belle, I'm so sorry..."
Belle glanced at Mimi and Chloe who were in silent shock, and then pushed her way past Shawn and Jan. She ran out of Dot.Com without a word and practically ran all the way home, tears streaming down her face.
********END FLASHBACK********
Belle sighed and pulled her mother's car into it's space in front of their building. As far as she was concerned, if she never saw Shawn Brady's face again, it would be too soon.
Belle turned the car off and grabbed her backpack off of the seat. She quickly locked the car doors and headed towards her building. Belle had been trying as hard as she could to not let thoughts of Shawn seep into her brain, but what he had put her through was hard to forget.
She got into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor, and leaned against the wall and waited. Belle knew that moving to New York was the best idea for her right now. New York wouldn't remind of her of Shawn everywhere she went, like every place in Salem would.
The doors to the elevator slid open and Belle stepped out. She nearly fell over in shock when she saw Shawn sitting on the floor next to her door. He looked up when he heard the elevator and stood.
Belle dropped her backpack to the floor and glared icily at him. "Get out."
***
