By her twentieth birthday, there are a few things Valarie Ricci knows for certain.
She knows that her waitressing job barely covers the costs of living out of a beat up old van. She knows she's stuck in the dead end hometown her high school friends...
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"You're fucking pathetic, you know that? It's gross. You're literally gross." Unmistakably, the voice belonged to Theo. She stood by the entrance to a bathroom, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. She still wore her jersey but had pulled navy sweatpants over her shorts. If it weren't for the barely-contained rage in her voice, she could have appeared almost relaxed. "Do you even hear yourself talk anymore?" Theo's eyes tracked Valarie and Alice's approach, but she continued speaking without missing a beat. "Do you know what you sound like?"
Nothing could have prepared Valarie for the voice that came from inside the bathroom.
"I am not pathetic. I don't need it," Rachel said, using the calm, logical tone of voice that kicked in whenever she needed to win an argument. "But you have it, and I paid for it already. Your brother promised me before he left. He said you would help me out. We had a deal."
Theo's eyes didn't leave Valarie's as she made a gesture towards the bathroom, one that said come and see the show. "Well, Jared's a fucking liar," Theo said. "And I. Do. Not. Deal."
"Okay, but you have it. You can just give it to me. It's not that deep. It's just for my next couple of exams." The reasonable facade that controlled Rachel's tone cracked as she added, "You don't have to be such a bitch all the time. You're doing this just to be a dick."
Theo laughed. "I'm being a dick? You followed me in here after I just played the worst game of my life in front of university scouts to bother me with your shit." For the first time, Valarie could hear the pain hiding behind the anger in Theo's voice. "Why would I help you with anything?"
"Look–" Rachel stepped forward beyond the bathroom entrance, the words falling out of her mouth when she caught sight of Valarie and Alice for the first time. "Val?"
Valarie didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to do. She looked around at the three faces that stared back at her. "I–I don't understand," she said.
Rachel sprang into immediate damage-control. "Theo and I were just talking about, um, study notes–"
"I'm not an idiot." Valarie didn't try to keep the hurt out of her voice. "Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. Rachel, what–? How long has this been going on? Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't either of you say anything?" She shot an accusatory glance at Theo. "I–I could have tried to help, or–or–"
"I don't need your help." The calmness in Rachel's voice returned. "I do not have a problem. I just want what I paid for, and then we can all forget this even happened. It doesn't concern you," she pointed at Theo. "Or you," the finger shifted to Val. "Or you. I don't even know you," Rachel's attention landed on Alice. "I know what I'm doing."
"Well, then," Theo said. "Fuck all of us, right? Fuck Val for caring about you? I don't care what you do, Rachel, but do not bother me with this again. Don't even talk to me again. I have enough addicts in my life. Now get out of my way." She slipped her hand into the pocket of her sweatpants, clearly grabbing hold of something.
