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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"They have a dining room," Jared said, eyes wide as he took in the modernist design inside the Bell house, including the huge, block-like table that had been set up with silverware and evergreen centrepieces. He scratched under the collar of his button-down shirt, clearly uncomfortable. His hair had grown out of the severe buzzcut he'd worn over the summer, and his beard was trimmed to emphasize the shape of his jaw. Valarie had never seen him so dressed up before. "Like, an actual room for just dining."
"They have an elevator," Valarie said.
"What?" His eyes went even wider.
She nodded. "And a pool."
"Fuck me," he said, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered views into the forest. Thick snowflakes leisurely floated to the ground and disappeared into the grass. It was the first snowfall of the year. "I'm so glad you're here, Val. You can kick me under the table if I say something stupid."
She eyed the table. "I don't think I could even reach you."
He sent her a look of panic.
"You'll be fine. Mr. Bell is..." When she could think of nothing comforting to say, she changed tactics. "I like your jacket."
His shoulders rolled, as if remembering the weight of his blazer. "Tora picked it out. She found it at the thrift store." He paused. "Fuck, I shouldn't have smoked a blunt before this. I think I'm getting paranoid. I've never had a girlfriend bring me home before."
"Really?"
"Yeah," he said. "Mostly we'd get high at my house, and they'd dump me after two months."
"You're gonna be fine. Just... don't say that to Mr. Bell." Valarie hesitated, checking to see that Grace or Alice or Mr. Bell wasn't about to barge back in from the kitchen. "Theo told me something the other day... about you and Grace."
"Hmm?"
"About you guys leaving together."
"Oh," he said. "I've always wanted to go to Toronto."
"So it's true?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm finally getting the fuck out of here."
She remembered Theo's words in the hospital: he wouldn't leave me behind like that. Valarie held back a wince. "Wow," she said. "You must really like Grace."
"Yeah, most of the time." He laughed nervously. "But, you know, love isn't supposed to be easy. And–and I've never had anyone even want to bring me home to meet their Dad before. Most of my relationships last, like, two months."
Valarie nodded and smiled.
Jared looked at her, blinked. "I said something twice, didn't I?"
"Well–"
"I can tell from the look on your face," he said. "Fuck. Okay, you gotta kick me if I'm doing that too. I don't wanna embarrass Grace."
