Before Janelle became determined to have a child by any means, no matter which stranger she might have to sleep with and how much it may hurt her husband, some wondered if it was Stephanie who gave her the final inspiration to follow through with her plans when she became pregnant and happily rubbed it into an insanely jealous Janelle. Stephanie did later admit after awakening from the long coma Janelle put her in that she did gloat, brag, and rub it into Janelle by giving her an occasional I've-got-what-you-don't-have smile and subtle little things like that.
But it was enough for Janelle to pick up on. Unfortunately, however, Janelle would be long gone before Stephanie could awaken and point a finger at her. The woman who always said she was cursed, unlucky, and who probably never knew just how good she really had it. Life may not have been perfect and neither was her marriage but why she was always so miserable when she seemed to have so much going for her was anyone's guess. Janelle simply seemed naturally jealous and angry as if she thrived on drama.
Janelle didn't drive but she did ride the bus and her bike around the city when her husband was at work. Not wanting anyone to recognize her or to be able to say she was on a particular bus at a particular time, she took her bike over to Stephanie's house one day when she knew she would be home alone.
When Stephanie came to the door, she was surprised to find Janelle standing there. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Well, hello to you too,” Janelle said with a nervous laugh, wanting to get inside the house quickly and out of view of potential witnesses. “Deanna sent me over with this.”
Stephanie looked down at the brown bag she was holding. “What is it and why were you at Deanna's house today? Why would she send you to give me anything?”
“Well, if you let me in for just a second, I can show you,” Janelle said, forcing a sincere smile.
Stephanie was still hesitant as if she might have sensed something was up. She looked past Janelle and asked, “How did you get over here?”
“My bike. Can we please make this quick before it spoils and I can get back home before it gets even hotter?”
Relenting, an eight-month-pregnant Stephanie opened the door and Janelle was in. When Stephanie didn't close the door behind her, Janelle asked, “Do you really want to air-condition the whole city?”
“Well, you're in a hurry. So what's in the bag?”
Janelle looked in the bag and said, “Hmm… Did I drop it?” as she moved back to the door as if in search of something before she quickly slammed the door shut.
Stephanie gasped, eyes growing wide.
“You want to know what's in the bag? Well, I'll show you!” Janelle tore the bag to shreds that she let flutter to the plush pale blue carpet and said, “Nothing!”
“What the hell is going on?!” Stephanie said, fear now evident on her face. “Get out of here! This isn't funny.”
“Neither were all the times you taunted me for being unable to get pregnant with my husband while you, a young, cruel, unmarried asshole, get everything she wants!” Janelle shouted, motioning to Stephanie's bulging bump.
“Hey, I'm not the one—"
“Shut up! Just shut the fuck up. I've heard enough from you for what? Five years now? Now you're going to listen to me!”
“Janelle, what do you want me to do?” Stephanie cried unable to keep the tremor from her voice.
“I want you to tell me how you, as a woman, could be so cold and calloused as to taunt and tease a woman who was having trouble conceiving.”
“Having trouble conceiving?” Stephanie's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
“What if it was you? What if you were trying to get pregnant with your boyfriend as I have been with my husband for half a decade just to get nowhere and then have people who are supposed to be supportive of you make all kinds of jokes about it?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You know damn well what I'm talking about!” Janelle screamed so loud that even her own ears hurt.
Stephanie’s shaky hands fluttered to block her ears. “Please, stop screaming like that. Please, just go. I'm sorry if I ever said anything to offend you but I—"
“You think an apology is going to make everything okay?”
“Well, what do you want me to do? I can't make Steven want to have kids with you.”
“Do you really think that's it?” Janelle asked, staring into Stephanie's brown horrified eyes. “Do you really think he doesn't want to have a child with his wife who he knew up front wanted one?”
“Well, that's what he told us.”
“You know what, bitch? It doesn't matter anymore who said what. The point is that I was hurting and you made a big fucking joke about it as if it was just oh so fucking funny. I'm done talking. Now you're going to pay.”
Stephanie's eyes widened even more if that was possible. “What? What are you talking about? What are you going to do?”
“I'm going to show you what happens to mean little bitches like yourself that think you can just trample on people's feelings and walk away like it's nothing.”
“What are you going to do? Trash my house or something?”
Janelle gazed around the house as if contemplating that idea. “Everything is so nice and new and modern in this place. Fucking figures. You're so much younger yet my husband and I live in an old dump.”
“Hey, I'm not going to be blamed or made to feel guilty just because you're too lazy to get off your ass and work, now get out of here!”
“And let you just get on with your life while you continue to hurt people and treat them like shit? Bitch, you wish I came here just to trash your place.”
Stephanie studied Janelle with fear, anger, and confusion written all over her face, unsure of what to say. “Look, why don't we just call it a truce? I'm sorry if I said anything that came off mean or in the wrong way. You leave and I won't say a word to anyone.”
“Oh, yeah, like I could really believe that.”
“Janelle, I’m having a baby in two weeks. I can't afford to add any drama to my life.”
“No, you're not. You're not having a baby at all.”
Now Stephanie was genuinely terrified. “Get out of here! Get out! Just get out! I'm calling the police!” She spun around and ran into the kitchen to grab the landline which was the only phone she had at the time.
Janelle caught her and spun her around to face her. “You know, if I wasn't in such a hurry, I’d have so much fun tormenting the shit out of you for hours, but I promise to make things quick instead.”
“No! No, no, no, no, no!!!” Stephanie screamed. “Oh, God, please don't hurt this baby! Please! It's innocent. It hasn't done a damn thing to you! I swear if you hurt this baby—”
“I’m not hurting the baby. I’m hurting you. If the baby dies as a byproduct of that, well, tough shit!” Janelle said, slamming her fist so hard into Stephanie’s stomach that she let out a loud whoosh of air. “You should have thought of that to begin with. Yes, Stephanie, the way you treat people really does have consequences.”
Now Stephanie totally believed that yes, Janelle had murdered her neighbor’s unborn child just as people said she did.
Stephanie kept trying to get away from Janelle but was now backed into a corner of the kitchen. Janelle was delivering a flurry of kicks and punches to her midsection. Stephanie would be screaming at the top of her lungs if it weren’t for Janelle constantly punching the air out of her lungs while she was at it.
Eventually, Stephanie did suck in enough air to shout much louder than Janelle would have liked, so she punched her hard enough to knock her to the floor. Janelle didn't want to touch anything and risk leaving her fingerprints behind, so she settled for kicking Stephanie unconscious until her feet were tired and her anger was spent.
Feeling better and happy with herself, she gathered the torn pieces of the brown paper bag she had used as a ruse and quickly departed on her bike.
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