Hey There, Delilah

The Rumor Has It

Song: Gossip Girl playlist by Jane

Lilah groaned, adjusting her white towel as she flopped onto the wooden bench. Her muscles were screaming in agony from the intense workout she'd been forced to endure. All she wanted to do was nap in bliss for the next twenty minutes while the heat of the sauna cooked her alive.

With her chattering friends, however, such plans were simply unobtainable.

The sound of sizzling forced her eyes open. She turned her head to the side, watching as Lacey splashed the heated rocks with water. Steam rose upwards, spreading throughout the room and clinging to the wooden interior. Lilah fanned herself, quietly dying as the temperature creeped past 150 degrees.

"Remember what I told you about Vivienne?" Alyssa asked, leaning against the wall with a tight grip on her baby blue towel. One wrong move and her ample bosom would bust out and greet them all. "Last time we saw each other at the farmers market."

Lilah nodded weakly, resting her head on Lacey's thick thighs when she came to sit beside her. "Mhm. She's pregnant by that idiot Calum. What happened now?"

"Her mom isn't gonna pretend the baby is hers." Alyssa's hooded hazel eyes pinned Lilah with a look that let her know all the tea was truly coming out now. "Apparently Mrs. Sullivan had her tubes tied and legit all of the moms know about it. Nobody's gonna believe she decided to randomly untie them now just to have a baby."

"Isn't she, like, forty eight? I wouldn't buy that shit either," Lacey huffed, running her fingers through her fresh pixie cut. The very same one that nearly gave her mother a heart attack. In the end she could only be soothed by three full glasses of brandy. "So, when's the baby shower?"

Alyssa snorted. "She's not having one. Everything's gonna be on the low until they're eighteen. Then they'll get hitched to save face. Mr. Sullivan was so pissed when he found out that he decided Mr. Coldwell would pay for everything."

Lilah sighed, wiping her sweaty face with the back of her hand. "What is she, like, five months now? Pretty soon everyone will know."

"My mom said they're gonna play it off as seasonal weight gain since the holidays are coming up. But I think they're second guessing the severity of the nosiness of our circle." Alyssa rolled her eyes, heart shaped lips twitching into a playful grin. "Wanna bet on when things will come out?"

Lacey straightened up, jostling Lilah from where she rested. "Always." She smirked, lighting up her Tinker Bell face with glee. "Rules?"

"None of us can spill. But if it gets out organically then it's fair game," Alyssa replied. "I say we bet on our next vacation spot. Winner gets to choose."

"No." Lilah glared at her. "Everytime you pick a vacation spot I find myself in a situation where it's life or death. I'm not going through that again."

"It wasn't even that bad last time," Alyssa muttered, picking at her pristine nails.

"Oh, because almost getting kidnapped in Columbia is nothing to write home about." Lilah deadpanned. "My bad."

"I say," Lacey interrupted their bickering, beaming, "we stick to something simple. Money."

"Five months. Five hundred?" Lilah offered.

The other women agreed and the betting began.

"I say they're found out by Thanksgiving."

"I pick Christmas time," Lacey said.

Lilah's chubby cheeks puffed out with air while she thought. "I'll take a risk. They make it past New Year's Eve. First week of January and they're through."