𝑶𝑪𝑬𝑨𝑵 𝑬𝒀𝑬𝑺 - Rumplestiltskin [1]

TWENTY NINE

29|BAD BREAKUPS

"I love not having to go to work." Bella sighed contently as she and Mary Margaret walked arms linked down the street. The pair sceptically looked around when they saw everyone staring and whispering at them, neither knowing who or what about. "What was that about?"

"I don't know." Mary Margaret said quietly, picking up their pace as they walked to her car. Both were too busy glancing at everyone to notice Granny, walking straight into the older woman.

"Gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't-" Granny cut herself off when she looked up and made eye contact with the teacher. "You."

"Excuse me?" She asked with confusion as Bella squatted down to pick up her handbag she had dropped in fright.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." The older woman said calmly but sternly, her steel eyes narrowing at the confused Mary Margaret. With that said, Granny walked away leaving the pair questioning what she meant.

"Hey, it's okay." Bella rubbed her friends back when she saw her get teary eyed. "Its fake news, we will get this straightened out."

As they got to Mary Margaret's car they noticed the word "TRAMP" spray painted in red across the side. David was already there trying to scrub it off with hot soapy water.

"Who did this?" Mary Margaret spat, on an emotional rollercoaster after such a peaceful morning.

"I don't know." David answered truthfully, stepping back to speak to the woman properly. "I'm sorry. I don't know how any of this happened."

"You don't know. Really?" She said viciously causing Bella to raise a brow and step back, not wanting to be part of this argument.

"Mary Margaret, I can't control what other people do." He walked up to her, leading her off the road and on to the pavement.

"No, but you can control what you do. You lied." She snapped at him. "And now everyone is calling me a tramp."

"Damn, where is a cup of tea when you need one." Bella crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the clean side of the car, watching their exchange closely.

"Who told her?" David asked aloud causing Mary to finally break down in tears.

"That is exactly the wrong question." Mary Margaret cried with a smile. "The real question is why didn't you do what we discussed? Why didn't you tell her?"

"I thought we could spare her feelings." He tried to defend himself weakly.

"Right. You thought. Not we. You." She continued. "And we discussed this."

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Now everyone is hurt." Mary Margaret shook her head in defeat, knowing that she could not be with this man. "We had an understanding. We had an agreement. But you not only lied to her, you lied to me."

"Mary Margaret, please. Listen to me." David begged but she would not listen. "If we want to see this, if what we have, is love, we have to do what you said. We have to pick up the pieces and we gotta move on."

"Uh oh, bad words." Bella sucked in air through her teeth, knowing that this was not going to end well.

"David, this isn't love."

"What?"

"What we have is something else entirely." Mary Margaret informed him with a monotone voice. "What we have is destructive. And it has to stop." She turned her head away from his comforting hand, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"What are you saying?"

"That we shouldn't be together." She said with a sudden boost of confidence. Mary Margaret grabbed Bella's hand and led her away from the car and back to their apartment, not wanting to do their fun trip anymore.

"Let's get you a nice cup of coffee and some ice cream." Bella wrapped an arm over her shoulders and supported her grieving friend as they wandered back to their home.

~•~

Bella lay in bed beside her friend, her hand rubbing circles on the woman's back. Mary Margaret had no more tears left to cry, instead she was cuddling her pillow with blood shot eyes as the pair lay in silence.

Her ocean eyes glanced at the blonde who entered their apartment, quietly taking off her jacket as she joined the pair. Bella shook her head, informing her that it did not go well today.

"You feel like talking about it, yet?" Emma asked quietly, scared to say anything that might hurt the broken hearted woman more.

"Nope." Mary Margaret croaked, her voice hoarse from crying.

"You want me to leave you both alone?"

"Nope." She sighed, another round of tears coming as Emma lay down beside Bella, the three woman squashed on the small bed in silence.

Bella turned to look at Emma, nodding her head lightly when the blonde asked her if she witnessed the exchange. She mouthed that she would talk about it later when Mary Margaret was sleeping.