[✓] 𝑃𝑅𝐸𝐿𝑈𝐷𝐸 | 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒

𝐭𝐞𝐧. 𝑏𝑟𝑎ℎ𝑚𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑧𝑡

𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 both to the library. 

She quickly picked out a book (or rather, grabbed one at random), and found an empty desk. She sat down, glancing at Five, who was muttering under his breath, and she opened the book. 

Five plopped down in the seat beside her, making no effort to hide his heavy sigh. He took a large swig of his bottle and kept it near his mouth as he swallowed. 

The unusually loud gulp caused her to look up at him, and seemingly assuming her glance to be one of interest, he held the bottle out toward her. 

"Wan' some?"

"No, thanks." She shook her head as she returned to her book, her nose wrinkling. "Do you really have to drink?"

"I'm upset. I drink when I'm upset." He rested his elbow on the table as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Aren't you upset? Why aren't you drinking? Be miserable with me."

"My metabolism is so fast that I don't have the ability to get drunk. It'll just burn through the alcohol in milliseconds," Valerie answered with a shrug, not looking up from her book. "So, it's not like it can distract me from feeling emotions."

"That sucks."

The bottle was more than half-empty by the time he stood up.

Her eyes quickly drew to him. "Where are you going?"

"Walk," he murmured. "Alone," he added just as she began to get up. 

Valerie sighed as she looked back down at her book. "Be careful. Come back right here when you're done, all right?"

About an hour and fifty-two books later (speed-reading was pretty great), she heard two sets of footsteps come from behind her. Valerie ignored it as she continued to read, flipping a page every other second.

"Valerie?" 

She set her book down and turned to see Diego and Luther, who both had looks of relief on their faces. "Oh, hey, guys. What's up?"

"What's—" Luther let out an angry grunt and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "We've been looking for you and Five all day!"

"What? Why?" Valerie questioned as she closed her book and pushed it to the back of the table, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Because—wait . . . where is Five?" Diego questioned, craning his neck to see if he was anywhere in the room.

Valerie sighed as she stood up. "Follow me."

She put her book back into its previous spot and led the two boys out into the hallway. 

Five was in the same spot as he had been when Valerie had last checked on him a half-hour ago: sprawled in the corner, fast asleep, the bottle of tequila empty in his hand.

"What the hell?" Diego scoffed as he crouched down beside him. "What happened?"

"The lead we were following kind of . . . blew up. Literally," Valerie explained with a small frown. "And he got really upset, and then, well . . ." She gestured towards the bottle and shrugged.

Luther scooped Five up into his arms as Diego walked towards Valerie and demanded, "We have to go. Now."

"What? Why?" 

Diego glanced over at Five, who was still asleep before looking back at her and sighing. "We'll explain once Five's woken up. Come on, Jesse Quick."

Valerie gently took the bottle from Five's hand and threw it away before following Luther and Diego out of the library.