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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One hour, fourteen subway stops, and three transit delays later, Valarie was hugging Rachel at the doorstep of her apartment, which was located two flights of stairs above an Ethiopian restaurant. "It's a shit box," Rachel said as she waved Valarie and Alice inside. "But one of my roommates is at her boyfriend's tonight, and I have both a couch and an air mattress that you guys can use."
Valarie took in the tiny kitchen/living area that appeared to not have been updated since the seventies with a huge grin on her face. She remembered the pictures of high-rise dream apartments Rachel used to show her back in high school. She figured that the cost of rent and being a student forced Rachel to adapt. There were still loving touches of decor–vibrant plants, movie posters, floral tea towels–that had Rachel's fingerprints all over them. "It's amazing," she said.
"It's really not, but it is good enough." Rachel flashed a grin that seemed to freeze and stretch when she met Alice's glare. "I'm really glad you're here. You guys can drop your stuff anywhere."
Alice grunted.
Valarie tried to be subtle when she gently stepped on the top of Alice's nearest foot. "How's school been?"
"Okay! I failed a class," Rachel said brightly, nodding.
"What?"
"Yeah, I had to take a non-science elective so I took, like, a second-year class on ancient mythologies figuring it would be easy." She shook her head. "It wasn't easy."
Valarie dropped her bag at the foot of the musty-looking couch. "When you say failed, do you mean you got, like, a seventy-five instead of an eighty?"
"Nope. I tanked the exam and fully did not get a credit. Forty-seven percent, baby."
"I'm sorry–"
"I'm not," Rachel said, still smiling. "I've been trying this new thing where I don't base my entire self-worth on the grades I get and I don't let school ruin my life. Because I failed a class, and you know what? The world didn't end like I thought it would. It didn't even ruin my GPA that bad."
Valarie wondered if this declaration was for her sake or if Rachel was trying to prove something to Alice, to show how much she'd changed from that desperate girl in a high school bathroom. "That's good to hear, Rach," Valarie said.
When Alice said nothing, Rachel gestured towards the kitchen. "I made a charcuterie board, and–and I have some wine!"
Valarie cleared her throat. "Maybe no wine for tonight. I think we're going to have an early morning tomorrow."
Rachel's eyes flashed again to Alice before darting back. "Right, sorry, I should have thought about that."
"No worries." Valarie began to peel off her coat, widening her eyes at Alice until she finally dropped her duffle bag on the ground and slid back her hood. Valarie followed Rachel into the kitchen, paying the necessary compliments to the elaborate board she'd set up.
