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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When Valarie returned to school on Wednesday Alice wasn't in her usual spot behind their conjoined desks. After some investigating, she learned that Alice hadn't shown up to school the day before either. The information itched at her brain all morning as her mind whirled between concern, guilt, and confusion about Alice's non-appearance.
The class was unusually subdued that morning, keeping their voices and heads down. Ms. Izida was clearly not having a good day. She was in her wheelchair again, and her face would occasionally tense up in response to some unseen, sudden pain. Valarie knew not to bother her and offered nothing more than a smile after placing her usual cup of coffee on her desk.
Ms. Izida surprised her by calling her to the front towards the end of the period. She handed Valarie a quiz marked up in red pen. A giant 58 was scrawled in the top corner. "You're officially getting a 53 in this class."
"Oh my God." Valarie plopped down in the open chair next to Izida's desk. "Really?"
"Really."
She stared at the quiz, slack-jawed. "I'm really passing?" She resisted the urge to shout. "And with flying colours too."
"Don't know where you're getting that idea from."
"Because it's more than a 50," she said. "I'm doing better than the bare minimum." She didn't care about the absolutely ridiculous smile that was sprawled across her face. I can do something right. I can do this. She wanted to tell Alice. She wanted to tell everyone. There was hope for Valarie Ricci.
"I guess so," Ms. Izida said, her voice flat. "Just make sure your grades don't slip back down. Keep showing up. Keep doing your work. Make good decisions."
"Good advice. Good delivery. Chef's kiss."
"That's why they pay me the big bucks." Ms. Izida took a sip from her coffee. Valarie suspected it was to hide a smile.
"No, but really," Valarie said. "I... yeah, thank you. Really."
Ms. Izida cleared her throat. "How are you liking The Odyssey?"
She was on maybe page three of the latest classic-turned-graphic-novel that she was required to read. "Yeah, I'm enjoying it."
"What part are you at?"
"Uh. Well, he's still really trying to get home, that guy. Poor guy."
"And that guy's name is...?"
"Wait. Don't tell me."
"It's basically the title, Val."
She drew a blank.
Izida sighed. "You're going to have to know this stuff for your next test. At least read the Wikipedia page."
