A History Of Violence - Violentine AU

Chapter One: Oh So Quiet

Violet tapped her pen against the side of her head, a sort of placebo gesture that she felt would help her come to a decision. The computer monitor cast a blue glow over her face in the dim office, she had drawn the curtains to avoid any distractions. Violet's fingers tapped the arrow keys, left and right over and over. Flicking between the two pictures made the job of deciding harder than it needed to be.
They're both good pictures. But what if the publishers don't like them? If I submit something they think is shit, they won't want me working there anymore.
The dilemma rattled around in her mind, she had been stressing about the decision for nearly an hour now with no end in sight. She was ripped from her train of thought by a loud buzz. Violet picked up her phone, glaring at the thin glass monolith for daring to interrupt her. She powered on the display and saw the new message from Louis.

Lou: Yo Vi, don't forget about tonight.

Violet unlocked her phone and began tapping away, forming a response for her friend.

You: I know. I didn't, don't worry
Lou: I'll pick you up at 5
You: sounds good
Lou: don't be late
You: how the fuck could I be late to my own house?
Lou: just messing with you ;)

She placed the phone down on the desk and resumed staring at the photos. Both depicted an abandoned train station from different angles. They showed the man-made structure overgrown by plants, almost completely enveloped by nature. Violet opened her email client and began a new message addressed to her employers. She attached both photos, asking them to choose which one they liked the most. Violet rolled her eyes at her own stupidity as she clicked the 'send' button.
Why the fuck didn't I think of that earlier?
She shut down the computer and left the office. The slaps of her bare feet on the tiles echoed through the empty house. She made her way to the kitchen, opened the freezer and took out the box of chicken nuggets. She dumped them out onto a tray and turned the heat up on the oven. Violet leaned back against the kitchen bench, patiently waiting for her nuggets. She looked around her kitchen, surveying the framed movie posters, record player and stack of vinyls, she sighed. Despite the fact she was used to being alone by now, the thing she still hated was the silence. It had been a year since she lived with anyone, a year since Minnie had abruptly walked out on her. She was over it by now, but it still hurt to think about too deeply. The two of them had been inseparable for the longest time. They were good friends in high school and when the two had started dating after Violet's twenty second birthday, she was elated.
She didn't agree with Minnie's decision to join the army, but it was ultimately Minnie's choice. They had been dating for a year and a half before Minnie got deployed. When she returned after six months, she barely spoke. The fun, outgoing girl Violet knew was replaced with someone entirely different, distant and cold. It was barely a week before Violet came home to find her packing up her things and was informed that she was being broken up with.
It broke her for quite a while after, her best friend and partner had suddenly cut her out of her life. Any attempt she made to contact Minnie again ended in disappointment and quite often tears. Violet had a feeling that without the support of Louis and the rest of her friends, she would probably still be crying about it to this day. She tried not to think about Minnie too much anymore. But the fact that her sister, Sophie was back in town and was meeting them tonight for drinks made it significantly harder.
The oven dinged and Violet held the tray in between a hand towel, placing it down on the stovetop. She plated them up and squeezed a generous helping of ketchup on the side. She dipped the golden-brown lump of crumbed poultry into the ketchup and stuck it into her mouth, savouring the faux chicken taste.
As a child, she had always loved chicken nuggets, viewing them as a delicacy. As she grew older it became more obvious that the only reason she ate fast food so often was because her mother didn't have enough time to cook for her while working multiple jobs. Her father wouldn't have dreamt of cooking anything in his life, so it was more often than not, McDonald's for dinner. In spite of all that, she still loved chicken nuggets, revering them as her favourite food.
She put the plate into the sink among the other unwashed dishes and walked up the hall to her bedroom. Violet took off her sweatpants and slipped into a pair of skinny jeans. She left her baggy t-shirt on and threw a jacket over the top of it. Violet turned on her record player and picked out an album from her shelf, deciding on Björk. She slipped her wallet into her pocket and jumped onto her bed, stretching out with her hands behind her head. Violet closed her eyes, focusing on the music. She still had half an hour until Louis would be here so she had time to relax for a while.