Dear readers,
Since nearly all the feedback for "
Quiet Betty
" said I blew it with the ending, here's a sequel that I hope will be more to your liking. If you haven't already read "
Quiet Betty
", you don't really need to read it to know what's going on here, but it wouldn't hurt. Those of you who did, I hope this was worth the wait!
"You guys are lucky I'm so tired," Audra grumbled. She couldn't even bring herself to look at even Betty or Janice, never mind Rob or Nick, before she turned to go to her room. "But you'd all better be gone when I wake up!" She gave the order over her shoulder in hope that at least she wouldn't have to listen to any silly retort Janice might serve up.
Janice, to her credit, didn't say anything. But Audra hadn't even considered the response she did get, from Betty. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"
Tears of rage stood in Audra's eyes as she shut herself in her room, the laughter from all four of those losers ringing in her ears. What a time for demure Betty to grow a spine, and on behalf of that sissy Nick of all people! She'd just got done saying she would never stay over Mitch's place again, but if those two bitches were going to have not just Rob but Nick over...
Maybe, Audra finally admitted to herself as she undressed, she ought to come clean to Janice and Betty about Nick. There were two sides to every story, after all, and it wasn't as though she'd been the one who'd tied Nick to the tree or given him any of those bruises he'd ended up with. And the little brat had needed to learn a lesson about ratting people out to the teacher. The whole thing had probably made him a lot stronger -- or at least it should have.
But all that wasn't even really the point. Stupid Nick probably didn't even know the real point to this very day, which meant there was no way Janice or Betty could know it.
As for Rob, if that day in her backyard was why he'd never had the time of day for her all those years, maybe he ought to let his brother stand on his own two feet anyway.
With that settled, Audra lost no time in catching up on the sleep she hadn't gotten the night before. When she awoke some time past noon, she was feeling refreshed and over her earlier anger, especially when she found she was alone in the apartment. A long shower and a leisurely brunch on her own in the kitchen (which she was surprised but pleased to find the others had cleaned up) improved her mood even more, and she resolved to tell the girls the whole truth about Nick. No sense in alienating her two best friends any further, after all, especially when it might deprive her of a chance to steal the show at Betty and Rob's wedding.
With no sign of when Janice and Betty might return (or if they'd be on their own when they did), Audra put on her bikini and was off to the pool in the courtyard. There were more families with little brats splashing around than she'd have liked, but Audra wasn't there to swim anyway. She staked her claim to a deck chair far enough from the pool that she probably wouldn't get splashed much, and lathered herself up with suntan oil. It was easier than expected to tune out the children's screeches and laughs, although that did drive home her conviction that she would never have any of her own, thank you very much. She hoped Betty and Rob were smart enough to have the same plan -- what if the poor kid was a girl who inherited Betty's ridiculously hairy pussy, or a boy who was a wimp like his father and his uncle? -- but that wasn't really her problem, Audra reminded herself as she relaxed and enjoyed the blazing sun.
It was much too bright for Audra to have any hope of falling asleep again. Still, she thought it was a dream at first when she heard Betty and Janice talking.
"Oh, look who's here!"
"Is she asleep?"
"Probably."
Audra was furious with herself afterward for not letting them believe she was in fact asleep. Who knew what information she might have picked up if they thought she couldn't hear? Hadn't her mother taught her anything? She had taught her one thing -- "Audra, you're too honest for your own good when it comes to boys, you know that?"
Apparently the same applied to girls, for Audra had already opened her eyes and said, "No, she isn't." before she realized what she should have done. But it was too late, and she remembered her decision to come clean about Nick. "Hey, I'm glad you're both here," she said, and it was almost true.
She was, at least, relieved to see neither of her friends had been foolish enough to wear a bikini. Janice was much too heavy to pull it off, while Betty could never hope to hide that outrageous beaver of hers -- indeed, Audra saw wisps of it peeking out from behind her lavender one-piece suit. She couldn't help herself. "Betty, you know, my offer to get you an appointment for a waxing is still open."
"The answer is no, Audra, I told you!"
"No offense, but did you even look at yourself in a mirror in that suit before you came out here?"
"Audra, grow up!" Janice said, giving Betty a supportive pat on the back. "She loves her body the way it is, and it's none of your business."
"And if you had Rob over for the night, I guess he pretended to like it?" Audra chirped.
"Pretended?!" Betty laughed. "If only you knew, dear!"
"Don't tell me he's one of those guys who really do like it!" Audra conceded privately that she really wasn't surprised. Why should Rob have any more sense here than anywhere else? "But look..." her voice dropped to a whisper. "Betty, you do realize you're...on display down there? And there are children here! Of course, I've been meaning to ask the management if we could have an adults-only time for the pool, but until then..."
"Until then I've got nothing to be ashamed of, and it's no one else's business what shows as long as I'm wearing a swimsuit." Betty smiled as she said it, and Audra could see all too well she was enjoying her newfound resolve. She supposed she ought to be happy and proud of her friend, no matter how misguided that resolve was.
"All right, all right, whatever," Audra said. "Listen, I've been thinking, I owe you both an explanation about Nick."
"No, you don't," Janice said. "We've heard all about what you and your friends did to him that day in your backyard. Audra, I knew you had a mean streak, but how could you be that sadistic?"
"There are two sides to every story!" Audra pleaded.
"What could possibly be the other side of this one?" Betty said. "You lured him into your backyard so your friends could tie him to a tree and beat the daylights out of him! There's no excuse for that!"
"Let me guess," Janice added before Audra could say anything. "Your mother's involved in this somehow, with some stupid advice."
"It wasn't stupid!" Audra snapped. "My mother knows more about men than the two of you ever will, especially if you're going to fall in love with a couple of sissies like Nick and Rob. But that's just what I'm trying to tell you..."
"What are you trying to tell us?" Janice asked.
"Yeah, this I've got to hear, as much as I don't think I want to!" Betty added.
"What you don't understand is..." Audra sighed, and the sad and wistful look on her face was utterly sincere. Just for a wonderful moment, she and her two old friends were truly friends again. At least it felt that way to her. "I mean, I'm sorry, but Nick
is
a sissy in every sense of the word, always was, going back to kindergarten. Remember, I've known him all my life, and he was always into playing with the girls instead of the boys, hopeless at sports -- really, I'm surprised he turned out to be straight, but I'm happy for you, Janice..."
