Simone had woken up early. After a very short shower, she started writing a letter. Once done, she headed downstairs.

Annabelle woke up when she heard a door closing in the hall followed by slow footsteps heading to the stairs. The five seconds it took her to realize she wasn’t dreaming anymore had made her run to the hall too slow, Simone was already gone. Annabelle slowly walked to Simone’s room which she had left unlocked.

Looking around, she felt oppressed. At a snail’s pace, she walked to the bed and fell on it. Grabbing a pillow, she smelled Simone’s perfume and her own. She knew she couldn’t stay here, she knew she had to find her. But somehow she wanted to stay here, stuck in her dream to be with Simone, postpone the inevitable, and postpone facing the woman who would surely break her heart.

When she heard the first signs of the girls awakening in the dorms, Annabelle sat up on the bed, took her head in her hands and tried to swallow her pain.

She didn’t want Kristen to know. She didn’t want anyone to know. All she wanted was to be in Simone’s arms, far away from this wretched place.

——

"… affair together?"

Annabelle had just walked in, catching Kristen’s last word. At first, she had wanted to confront her. But, knowing she was too close from crying, she just let it go, acting as if she hadn’t heard anything, like she wasn’t even here.

Collins looked at her, again, trying to make her understand she was there, that she wasn’t going to talk to anyone about it, that she could come to her if she needed to. She was cute, but, Annabelle still wanted to be alone.

——-

"No Simone. I won’t tolerate this. You cannot do that, absolutely not. Not thirteen days from graduation."

"It’s my choice. I am just being polite warning you. You won’t change my mind."

"But why? Why Simone?" exclaimed Mother Emaculata.