Downplay| Jordan Clarkson & Quincy Brown

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Nobu was her favorite place to go to. Sitting with her plate of Salmon Avocado Rolls while she sipped off her Lychee & Elderflower martini, she appraised her now roommate Zolee Washington. The young woman had landed two hours prior and they'd wasted no time dropping her things off before coming in for dinner. One thing she didn't expect was to find so much comfort in her presence.

She never realized she was lonely until someone shared her space.

"So , this is the life you live now huh Ya?" Her accent always perplexed Yara , no matter how long Zolee lived in Colorado she truly was every bit of St. Louis, Missouri which was crazy considering how young she was when she left.

"It's not even close. This is just me taking a break from it honestly. LA brings a lot of things out of people. I'm not sure how I feel about the me that exists here."

"What do you mean?"

Yara allowed the question to marinate in her mind just like her drink simmered on her taste buds. Watching Zolee's face she analyzed how she had changed. Her cheeks had filled out and her body had as well, but she was still tiny in stature. What she always admired about her friend was that despite her height she had a commanding presence, one that almost demanded reverence. There was a rural royalty to Zolee that she never saw on anyone else besides perhaps Zolee's own grandmother.

"I mean that when I was in Colorado , for a very long time I felt like an outsider , a burden. That disconnect precipitated into my want to leave and when I got here, I realized I never really got to know myself because I only compared myself to others. LA gave me a chance to do what I wanted , be who I wanted but I'm not sure if I became myself or if I let my past dictate my actions to an extent where I fell deeper into a façade."

Reaching a hand out , Zolee placed her palm on top of Yara's closed fist before she gave her a tender look.

"Ya , you know you were never an outsider to me or Kaia or Aya."

Smirking slightly , the young woman sipped her drink before she waved her hand nonchalantly.

"I was but I can't really blame them for how they felt. I was an obligation to the Underwoods and that's perfectly fine because that's not what I chose , it just was the hand I was dealt. Don't get me wrong Zolee , I love my brother and sister , my aunt and uncle but I also remember that they had to learn to love me. I was the one thing that proved that dear old dad wasn't the saint people thought he was. I'm the bastard Zolee."

"Aya never mentioned that to us at all. You two always seemed so close by the time we came in the picture. I thought your only animosity was over Lucas."

Gaping , Yara gave Zolee a questioning look which made her chuckle.

"C'mon Yaya , you think I didn't know about you and Lucas? Please , he lived right across the street from me. I saw a lot of things many nights but that wasn't my business therefore I kept it moving."

"Why didn't you tell Aya?"

The question didn't seem to throw Zolee off. As a matter of fact, it made her smile even.

"Because like I said, it wasn't my business to tell besides I knew the drama it would cause, and I decided Lucas wasn't worth it. You both aren't with him now so looks like I was right."

She couldn't argue with that , Zolee had made the right call but that was forever her place in the group. Whether the girls liked to admit or not they all took on their personas the moment they became a foursome. Zolee was the level-headed peacemaker, the motherly one while Aya was the It girl of the group, the one every boy desired and every girl emulated. Kaia took on the role of drama queen which was apt seeing as she was now an actress and Yara , she was always the wildcard , that never changed.