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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"You know," Theo planted herself down on the table between Valarie and Rachel, "Your new girlfriend is an alcoholic." Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her skin carried a glossy sheen in the afternoon sun. She somehow managed to look like she'd just returned from a day at the beach rather than a two hour soccer practice.
Valarie's attention jolted away from The Odyssey. Across the table, Rachel's laser-focus didn't stray from her Physics textbook to acknowledge Theo. An all-too-obvious blush rose to Valarie's face. "I don't have a girlfriend," she said. "And I don't know what you're talking about."
"She's not bad at hiding it," Theo shrugged. "But you think I can't spot a drunk when I see one? You've been to my house, right?"
To Valarie's surprise, Rachel cleared her throat. "What's your evidence?" The bags under Rachel's usually lively eyes were unmistakable as she turned her face upwards. It was the most interested she'd been in anything that wasn't an equation all afternoon.
"My evidence?" Theo laughed. "Are you solving a mystery, Rachel?"
"No." Whenever Rachel got angry, her entire demeanour shifted to something resembling an adult scolding a small child. "But Val starts to get interested in someone who isn't you and suddenly that person must be hiding a deep, dark secret? How convenient."
"You think I care who Val does or doesn't like?"
The words stung. They shouldn't have. Valarie was used to Theo being an asshole whenever it suited her, which was apparently all of the time lately. As usual, she brushed the comment off without a second thought, scolding herself for being sensitive.
"Yes," Rachel replied. Her voice took on a ferocity that she usually reserved for pep rallies. "I know you care because Val's just about the only person who has any patience left for you, even though you treat her like shit. Everybody else sees you for what you are: a Kent, a fuck-up in training."
Valarie stared at Rachel, mouth gaping open like some struggling fish. Where the hell had that come from? She knew Rachel had been stressed out lately, but still...
Theo only smiled. "I'm going to remember you said that, Kim."
"It was worth it."
Theo's eyes narrowed, and Rachel's blood-shot gaze wavered for a half-second. A look passed between the two of them that confused the hell out of Valarie. Theo seemed... smug?
With some panic, Valarie attempted to cut through the tension. "Woah, can we all just chill for a second here?"
Without mercy, Theo looked down at her and said, "Alice was off her ass during soccer tryouts. Everybody down on the field could tell. It was embarrassing. And when you guys started hanging out so much, I got curious."
"Curious?" Valarie echoed.
"Yeah, so I asked her sister about it. Jesus Christ, that girl likes the sound of her own voice. I have literally no idea what Jared sees in her cause she's fucking crazy, but I digress."
