Some time had passed since her first dosage. Flicker had no chemically addictive additives, but it’s effects were overall enticing. Since that day, Victoria had witnessed thirteen birthday parties, nine strolls, seven tea parties, and six swimming lessons. In every single one, Ally was giggling and squealing up a storm. Dante’s trial bag had only lasted for three memories, but he was willing to sell more Flicker on credit. She was now in notable debt, but the thought of paying Dante back didn’t even concern her if it meant being able to block out her past while reliving her halcyon days. Scars from injecting flicker began to slowly appear across Victoria’s arms, forcing her to wear sweaters. Victoria’s body became more sluggish and her appetite waned, causing her to lose weight. Victoria’s perception of time slowed down, making every day feel three times as long. However, all these negative properties would fade away upon revisiting her memories with flicker.
One day, Dante refused to give Victoria any more flicker on credit. The blond woman’s mind glazed over as she tried to process his words.
‘....Why?’
‘You still owe me.’
‘...But you took my money. I can’t work.’
‘Prostitute yourself, I don’t give a fuck.’
‘I’ve never done that….and….and I thought you didn’t care about money.’
Dante scoffed. ‘Money isn’t a priority, but I still need it to live. We made a deal, and you best intend to keep your side of the promise.’
‘But…what if I can’t?’
Dante smiled, a small shadow growing under his eyes as he did.
‘Why…your sister lives here, does she not?’
Victoria’s mind and body may have deteriorated, but even still, she used all the energy at her expense to dive at Dante. Dante easily sidestepped as he cackled.
‘Dumbass, you think I wouldn’t give you credit without some insurance?’
Victoria’s orange tinted eyes saw red. ‘You….you…’
Dante reeled his leg back, and planted a firm kick between Victoria’s ribs. She gasped and coughed up saliva. As she writhed slowly in pain, Dante leaned down, his lips mixed between a smile and a snarl.
‘You’d do anything for your sister? Prove it.’
...
Victoria stepped out into the brisk night wearing nothing but a trenchcoat. Light morning mist sprinkled across Blackerd. Victoria stepped around with slow and quiet steps, turning her head back and forth. She needed someone who would buy her services, but it needed to be a solitary person who would never spread rumors. Victoria’s legs screamed in pain as they weren’t used to walking, but she continued to trudge onward. After half an hour of shuffling about, Victoria saw a big man walking about. He had broad shoulders, was a foot taller than Victoria, and seemed as though he could wrestle a bear. Someone this physically intimidating would never be her first option, but the throbbing in Victoria’s head had become so agonizing that she couldn’t think rationally. She cleared her throat, and stepped up to the man.
‘...Hi there, sir.’
The man turned around and locked eyes with Victoria. He had a strong jaw, stubble littering his face, and bags under his eyes. Perhaps he couldn’t sleep. Perhaps he was burdoned by something. Victoria wasn’t sure, but the nausea that filled her gut threatened to make her vomit. She hugged her stomach tightly to calm her nerves as to get her breathing under control. The man said nothing, but silently stared, his expression impossible to read.
Breathe, Victoria. Breathe. Victoria steeled her nerves as she bit her lip hard, then opened her trenchcoat. The unforgiving coolness of the morning mist screamed against her skin. Still, she forced herself to smile.
‘Would you be interested in me? I promise I’ll do anything you want.’
The man’s eyes widened only slightly, but otherwise showed no reaction. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but Victoria held her face slightly upward to meet her customer’s gaze. Her breathing slowly increased due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins, goosebumps popping up across her body. The man stayed silent for a few more seconds, before inhaling to speak.
‘You know I’m a cop, right?’
Victoria’s throat closed up. Her arms flinched as they instinctively tried to hide her body, but she caught herself. Her smile wobbled, but she maintained her air of false confidence as Victoria doubled down.
‘A-and? Cops deserve pleasure too. You’re saying you’re too good for sex?’
The client’s tired eyes looked at her entire figure with a glanceover. It was a loathsome feeling, like someone examining a menu at a fast food restaurant. As her image of self-worth decreased, her heart sunk. When the man looked directly at Victoria’s eyes, she pulled back and looked down slightly. As she did so, a tear that had been forming in her eye escaped it’s prison. Hoping that the cop didn’t notice, Victoria quickly wiped the tear away with her palm.
Suddenly, the man stepped forward in one swift movement and grabbed her arm. Blood drained from Victoria’s face as she yelped, trying to pull away. However, instead of the worst case scenario happening…the man pulled down Victoria’s sleeve, revealing many scars around her wrist and elbow. He silently examined her scars, then looked up.
‘...You hooked on flicker?’
Victoria stiffened up. The grip on her arm loosened, and Victoria pulled away as she hastily closed up her jacket. Various emotions swam around her head. Anger, shame, embarrassment, sorrow, confusion, so on.
The blond woman grit her teeth. ‘What does it matter to you? I’m just here to empty your balls. Same price as a cheeseburger. Just buy me and move on.’
Out of nowhere, a wave of sorrow crashed over Victoria’s soul. The dam in Victoria’s eyes broke, tears dribbling out in droves. She coughed and dabbed away with her jacket, but her pent up sorrow slowly exploded exponentially.
‘...I…I don’t….’
Victoria suddenly began to cackle hysterically. All she could do was laugh. She stopped trying to wipe away her tears and laughed wildly. Her coat slowly drifted open, but she made no attempts to close it. The man said nothing, and simply stood there. After a moment, he stepped forward with open arms. Victoria stiffly walked forward and leaned into his chest. As he embraced her, all Victoria could think was how warm his body was as weariness took over her. They held that position for a few minutes. Though Victoria expected his arms to explore her body, he made no advances whatsoever. After a few minutes of sobbing, the man patted her head.
‘Let’s continue in my car. Much warmer in there.’
...
‘Feel better?’
Victoria sniffed as she blew her nose. ‘Not really.’
The pair sat in a brown Lincoln. The man had the heater blasting, and the pair warmed up quickly. He had pulled out some tissues from his glovebox and offered Victoria some spare clothes from his backseat that she gratefully accepted. As Victoria took off her trenchcoat to put on the outfit, the man turned away to give her a bit of privacy, a gesture Victoria much appreciated. After wearing the oversized white shirt and baggy shorts, she coughed.
‘You…uh…you can turn around now.’
The sheriff turned around and noticed the size difference between her thin body verses the baggy clothes. He sighed.
‘I don’t think I have a belt, sorry. These are clothes from…someone. They aren’t mine.’
‘It’s fine, don’t wo-wait, I’m wearing some random person’s clothes?’
The man huffed. ‘The man was clean, don’t worry. Plus, I think its better to wear baggy clothes as opposed to wearing no clothes, right?’
Victoria’s ears turned red. ‘Y-yeah. I guess.’
After she settled into the seat, realization dawned on her. Victoria had just tried to prostitute herself to a sheriff, and was now in his vehicle. She stiffened as she looked around the car.
‘Uh…am I being arrested?’
The man sighed. ‘No. The events of today never happened.’
Victoria’s relief was short-lived, however. The man stuck his hand out.
‘My name is Huck. You?’
Victoria wiped her hands on her baggy shorts before offering a limp hand. ‘Uh, Victoria. Victoria Wilford, sir.’
Huck waved his arm in dismissal. ‘No need for formalities. Can you tell me what you were doing out there today?’
Victoria hesitated. Was this a trap? Before she could open her mouth to ask, Huck cleared his throat. ‘Whatever you say, stays in this car. I’m not trying to trap or trick you. I’m not acting as a cop, I’m acting as a human.’
Though she was still nervous, Victoria steeled her nerves, and began to explain everything. She only intended to say she was in debt and needed quick money, but everything gushed out. How she was going to kill herself with Ally. How Dante had stopped her. How Dante offered refuge in exchange for everything. How she had gotten hooked on his flicker. How Dante then wanted her to pay him back by any means. Victoria didn’t tell Huck about the reason why she and Ally fled from their parents: today was sad enough already.
Huck quietly sat through her story, only speaking up here and there for some clarification. He had no judgemental look or scorn, but rather held an understanding body language. After she finished her story, he nodded.
‘Do you enjoy living?’
At first, the question seemed like a flat out threat. However, the sheriff’s eyes held no malice. He stared at her quietly and awaited her response. There was no blackmail or ill-intent, but rather genuine curiosity on her answer. Victoria took a shaky breath.
‘I…don’t know’
Huck chewed his lips and nodded. He hesitated for a brief moment, but then sharply inhaled.
‘Well, I have an offer. I want you listen to it carefully.’
‘...Alright.’
Huck quietly popped open the trunk of the car, then stepped out. He retrieved something, then returned with two plastic baggies and a pair of handcuffs. In one, an abundant amount of flicker. In another, a syringe with clear liquid.
‘If you want, you could go on one more flicker trip. While you do, I’ll put you down. It’ll be painless and you can end it all without anymore sorrow or regrets.’
Victoria tried to comprehend his words. ‘Do you mean…?’
Huck nodded. ‘I’d be killing you, yes. Not as a threat or anything, but I don’t see much point in living if all life if going to provide is suffering.’
‘...Ok, what’s the second option?’
Huck held up the handcuffs. ‘I could rehabilitate you. It’ll suck. It’ll be slow. It’ll be painful. However, I can promise you that your life will end up back in your own hands. You’ll be able to do be in control again.’
Victoria weighed the options and hesitated. Oddly enough, she wasn’t afraid of dying. Victoria wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of flicker or her depression, but she genuinely considered both options. However…
‘What about my sister?’
Huck’s eyes sunk slightly. ‘I’ll look after her.’
Victoria’s eyes landed squarely on the flicker bag. Her orange cracked eyes stared intently at the dosage amount. It would be enough for a week’s hallucinations. Ally would be looked after. It was the best ending. And yet…a lump of sorrow wallowed in Victoria’s throat. A nagging guilt that tugged in her brain. Before Victoria made a rash decision and injected the flicker, she blurted out her thoughts before she could second guess herself.
‘Ally would be sad though, right?’
Huck quietly nodded.
Victoria grabbed the flicker baggie with trembling hands. Oh, how she wanted to revisit Ally’s birthday. To walk through the sunny park.
But Ally would be sad.
All of Victoria’s fatigue would vanish. The throbbing in her head would fade. The wariness of her legs would become null. Her brain would discard the most unpleasant of memories.
But Ally would be sad.
Victoria flexed her jaw and forced her hand to drop the bag. She looked at the sheriff with determined eyes.
‘Is it really possible to fix me?’
Huck’s eyes shone. His mouth was slightly ajar. He closed his mouth and rapidly bobbed his head up and down.
‘Y-yeah. You could. Absolutely. I can. I promise you. You could live life again.’
‘What about Dante? What about my debt?’
‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it. I promise.’
‘...Alright. Please fix me.’
Huck nodded and quickly took back the flicker and syringe baggies. He scampered out of the car to quickly place the bags back in his car’s trunk. Victoria’s arms were twitchy. Time was sluggish. Her legs screamed. Her heart cried. However, it would all be worth it if Ally could smile more.
Anything for her sister.
...
The next four months were utter hell.
During her rehabilitation, Victoria could do nothing without permission. Huck had Victoria handcuffed with padded cuffs in a prison cell, her arms constantly twitching as she craved flicker. She was fed various soft, mushy foods. If Victoria needed to use the bathroom, Huck would accompany her. At night, he would wash her in the showers. It was fairly humiliating, but Huck did his best to not take advantage of his position. Once a day, Huck would uncuff Victoria to force her onto a treadmill. Her legs had atrophied, so Huck made sure Victoria got enough exercise to rebuild her muscles.
All the negative thoughts Victoria had shoved away with flicker now kept circulating around her head constantly. At first, it was just the yelling and screaming. Then, the memories of her mother’s creeping smile at night as she would…’join’ her in bed plagued Victoria constantly, resulting in outbreaks of spontaneous screams and flails. For Victoria, one second took three seconds to pass. One hour lasted three hours. Huck stayed with her for the most part, but there were times where he had to step out to do look over Blackerd. Those moments of solitude couldn’t have been that long, but the silence and loneliness was deafening.
Victoria didn’t know about it at the time, but Huck had fixed Victoria’s worries and problems as he had promised. He visited Dante and paid off her debts in full. He even gave a down payment to ‘buy back’ Victoria and Ally. Dante refused to give them up, but they compromised. Huck would have Victoria for a few months, but Dante would hold onto Ally. Dante wouldn’t harm Ally in any form, be it physically, mentally, or psychologically. Ally would be fed. Huck was given permission to visit Ally daily to give the younger sister updates about Victoria. Ally would not know about Victoria’s rehabilitation, but instead be told that she was going on a small vacation. The two could ‘exchange’ messages through Huck. Huck would occasionally return to Victoria’s cell with a letter drawn in crayon, and Huck would write out Victoria’s response message for her in return. Without these tiny exchanges, it was entirely possible that Victoria would have gone mad.
After the third month, results showed. Victoria’s eyes lost their orange tint. Her arms and legs retained muscle. Huck no longer needed to have Victoria handcuffed to the wall, and began to offer her books while behind bars to pass time. Victoria could restrain her screams when suddenly plagued with her past. Her twitches slowly began to vanish. Time slowly sped up. While clear signs of improvement showed, Huck kept her in rehabilitation for an extra month to ensure she had fully recovered.
As the fourth month passed, her twitches faded away, the negative thoughts simmered down, and she was able to jog a full mile without being too out of breath. In short, she had fully recovered.
Huck opened the cell door and quickly scanned her up and down. After being with Huck for what felt like a year, Victoria had gotten to know the sheriff very well. He never made advances or abused his position of power. He never viewed at her in a lustful manner, and instead looked over her the same way a doctor might look over a patient. As he gave an amateur examination of Victoria’s physical body, he then moved on to a mental evaluation with basic questions.
‘How are you feeling?’
Victoria rubbed her shoulders. ‘Honestly? I can’t say I miss the handcuffs, but it feels weird to not wear them.’
‘Mm. Tell me about the last book you read.’
‘The female main character sucked. She was written like a…a character if that makes sense. Not like a person.’
Huck looked up from his questionare clipboard in mild confusion. ‘The story character was written like a character? How is that bad?’
Victoria rubbed her fingers. ‘Like…she was too perfect. It felt stupid. She was jumping from building to building in highheels and thin dresses. It’s like the author never wore heels in her life.’
‘His life, you mean, and I imagine he never wore heels. Probably.’
‘Explains a bit, then.’
Huck opened his mouth to make a point, but caught himself and got back on track.
‘How are your memories? Any issues with bad memories constantly circulating your mind?’
Victoria shrugged. ‘They’re there, but more muted. It’d be nice to forget them, but at least they aren’t too deafening.’
‘What’s nine times eleven?’
Victoria blinked, then scrunched up her brow. ‘Uh…one-hundred and eighteen…wait no, I’m dumb. Ninety nine. What’s this have to do with mental health?’
‘It’s a mental evaluation, not a mental health questionare.’
‘Well, that’s dumb regardless. Would you have jailed me for another month if I failed?’
‘You passed, so it doesn’t matter.’
‘I’ll be damned if I have to read through another crappy novel for a week because I suck with mental math.’
Huck looked up from his clipboard with mildly hurt eyes. ‘I mean…you could’ve asked for another book.’
As Victoria felt a pang of regret in seeing his expression, she frowned in mild confusion. Why was she feeling this way? Ignoring her heart for a second, she smiled.
‘Kidding. Crappy books have their place in life I guess.’
Huck scanned his clipboard before sighing and placing the clipboard down. ‘There are a few more questions here, but I don’t think they’re needed. You seem fine. Hold up.’
Victoria tilted her head in curiosity as Huck exited the room and came back with a sparkly cone. Huck pulled a rope, and the popper spewed out a flurry of confetti with a sudden ‘pop’. Victoria flinched at the sound, and stood there motionless as confetti attacked the front of her shirt. Huck stood there motionless with a used popper, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he quietly put the popper down on a desk, his cheeks beet red.
‘I…uh…wasn’t sure how to congratulate you for going through your rehabilitation. So…uh…’
As Victoria’s heart fluttered upon seeing a flustered Huck, she suddenly understood her feelings. Victoria hoped this wasn’t stockholm syndrome. At least…she was pretty sure it wasn’t. As intimidating as he appeared, Victoria had grown to adore his soft heart and twinkling eyes. The way he was able to listen without judgement. How he strode across a room with an air of unmatched confidence. Damn it, she liked him.
Huck coughed and rubbed his neck. ‘Uh…do you want anything? As a celebratory gift?’
Victoria raised an eyebrow at the offer, then extended her arms to look down at the numerous scars littering her skin. ‘Anything?’
Huck hesitated. ‘Within reason, yeah.’
...
‘It’s gonna cost about eight thousand, you cool with that?’
Victoria paused briefly, but nodded. Chewing a piece of gum, the tattoo artist nodded in return. He pulled out a few design books for Victoria to look at then backed off to give her some time to look over the designs. As he did, Huck leaned forward, causing Victoria’s heart to skip a beat.
‘Are you sure about this? Tattoos take a long time to fully heal. Like, months.’
Victoria cleared her throat and nodded. ‘I want to move on from flicker, and sleeves of tattoos would help cover up the scars. Plus, this way I could wear a short sleeve shirt around Ally.’
Huck pursed his lips, but nodded. ‘If that’s your choice, so be it. Is Dante going to be alright with this?’
‘Fuck Dante.’
Victoria scanned the pages before settling on a design. She waved over the artist, who strode over while texting on his phone.
‘Whatcha pick, missy?’
Victoria pointed at a flowery design. It was a design that had had multiple flowers blooming across the arm, decorated with leaves and thorny stems. Something quite artistic, yet something simple. The artist raised an eyebrow.
‘You sure ‘bout that one, missy? It’ll take about two full days of work.’
‘Yeah, that’s the one. Can I add a few things?’
The artist nodded with a mild shrug. ‘Long as it isn’t too complex, or if you have an image of what you wanna add.’
Victoria thought for a bit, then smiled.
‘Could you add a tiny H on my left arm, and a tiny A on my right arm?’
...
Compared to rehab, the tattoo was immediate and painless. After the artist finished, Victoria had to let her arms heal for a few weeks. While Victoria desperately wanted to see Ally, Huck insisted that she let her arms fully heal as to not worry the younger sister. Victoria begrudgingly agreed, and Huck served as a messenger for the two sisters until her arms healed. After a month, Victoria’s patience reached its limit and she insisted on seeing her sister. Huck hesitated, but he agreed once he saw that Victoria’s arms were in much better condition. The pair went out to buy a grand outfit to celebrate Victoria’s reunion. After two hours of shopping, they decided on a fuzzy jean jacket tied around the waist, white t-shirt with a small v-neck, skinny jeans, and brown slip-on shoes.
As Victoria climbed into Huck’s car, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. It had been roughly half a year since they had last seen each other, before Victoria had suddenly vanished overnight. What if Ally didn’t want to see her anymore? What if Ally didn’t recognize her? As Huck quietly drove off to Dante’s house, numerous worries began to flood Victoria’s mind. Her thoughts became so deafening that she didn’t even notice when they arrived to their destination.
Huck shook Victoria’s shoulder, causing her to flinch and nervously look back at her friend. Huck warmly rubbed her back and nodded with confidence, slightly soothing Victoria.
‘Hey, you’ll be fine. Trust me.’
Victoria’s heart felt as though it were about to leap out of her chest, but she nodded. She quietly stepped out of the car and timidly walked up the dreaded driveway. However, before she could even get halfway across the driveway, the frontdoor swung open and a heartmelting squeal broke through the sky.
‘Vicky!!!!’
As tiny legs piddled towards her, All of Victoria’s worries vanished. She instinctively knelt and opened up her arms. Ally dove into her sister’s grasp, and Ally giggled with unmatched excitement while Victoria looked to the sun with watery lens.
‘Hey, sunshine.’
Ally gave a wet smooch into her sister’s neck as she laughed. Victoria choked back a sob.
‘Ally, I missed you so much. There wasn’t a single day where I didn’t think about you.’
Ally giggled, then sniffled, then giggled. ‘Me too, Vicky!’
Huck quietly stood behind the sisters. Though she couldn’t see his face, Victoria knew very well that Ally’s radiance was infectious and that Huck was most definitely caught up in the moment as well. However, as the sisters were locked in their hug, the sound of another pair of footsteps shuffled towards them. Victoria looked up and locked eyes with the man who both saved and ruined the sisters.
‘Tattoos don’t suit you.’
Victoria said nothing, instead pulling away from her sister and gave Ally’s forehead a warm kiss. Ally giggled, but stepped away as Victoria got up to stare down flicker’s kingpin. Once insuring Ally couldn’t see her expression, Victoria dropped her smile and stared cold daggers at Dante. Dante smirked in seeing the expression change.
‘Welcome back, darling.’
Victoria’s jaw clenched, her wrath only being held back by Ally’s innocence. Huck stepped up from behind the wall and cleared his throat.
‘Dante, lets talk while the sisters catch up, shall we?’
‘Oh, fuc-’
‘HEY.’
Both men looked at the source of the sudden shout. Victoria clenched her fists and grit her teeth. She took a deep breath, before smiling warmly.
‘Let’s choose our language selectively around Ally, alright?’
Dante quietly stared at Victoria, the emotion on his face unreadable. After a silent thirty seconds (with Ally darting her head around the adults with curious excitmenet), Dante nodded, then turned to Huck.
‘You really did rehabilitate her, huh?’
‘Mhm. Now, shall we talk in private? You can talk to Vic’ all you want later.’
The men stared in silent agreement and stepped inside the house. The Wilford sisters stayed outside on the sidewalk, with Ally standing as Victoria knelt. Victoria took this moment to fully look at her sister’s appearance to see if any changes were made visible. Ally wore the same clothes, had slightly longer hair length, and even seemed to carry the same chubbiness that only children had. However, Victoria did notice that she had to tilt her head upwards just slightly to fully meet Ally’s gaze.
‘You grew!’
Ally nodded and giggled. ‘Five!’
Victoria patted her sister’s arms and stomach. ‘How was it without me? Did Dante…do anything to you? Did you eat well?’
Ally grinned wildly. ‘It was really fun! Donny gave me chicken and rice alot! He also gave me books! I din’t understand many words, but the pictures were funny! Still, I wanted to see you more but Donny said you were visiting somewhere! I’m glad you’re here now Vicky!!!’
Victoria choked back another sob and smiled. She held out her arms to show Ally her new tattoo sleeves. Ally was in awe, but as she reached out to touch Victoria’s arms, the older sister slowly drew her arms back.
‘You can’t touch yet, I’m still healing. I just wanted to show you what I got while I was away!’
‘Wow! How did you do this? Did you draw this yourself?’
Victoria shook her head and held a finger up to her mouth. ‘That’s a secret! Maybe if you ask Huck, he’ll tell you all about it.’
Ally’s eyes lit up. ‘Hucky was so nice whenever he visited! He brang letters and candy! I love Hucky!’
Victoria hesitated, but she nodded with mildly red ears. ‘Me too, Ally. I love him too.’
...
35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCV4JX96Z6
Victoria woke up, groaning. Her leg was throbbing with jolts of pain, but her fever seemed to have gone down tremendously. She looked over at her nightstand to see the bottle of painkillers sitting next to a mug of water. Victoria reached over with a small smile, downed the pills with a slosh of water, then slowly wiggled out of bed. As her wounded leg touched the floor, a surge of pain shot up through her leg. Victoria winced, but took a deep breath as she forced herself up. After using the bathroom, she hobbled over to the kitchen to where Dante sat in the middle of a phonecall with orange-tinted eyes. Upon seeing a figure emerge from the corner of his eye, he looked up slowly, wrapped up his conversation, and nodded as he hung up.
“You feel good enough to get back to work?”
Victoria scowled. “Piss off. It hurts to put any sort of pressure on my leg right now.”
Dante waved his hand as if to shoo Victoria away. “Go rewrap your bandages and get back to sleep then. Stop wasting my time.”
Victoria scanned the papers on the table. “I see you’ve made zero progress, as expected.”
Dante looked up with exhausted, but agitated eyes. “A bulletwound won’t stop me from kicking your teeth in, so keep it up fuckwad.”
Victoria rolled her eyes and hobbled out of the kitchen. Grabbing the bandages from the first aid kit, Victoria winced as she slowly lowered herself to the ground. She rolled up her dress and examined her old bandage. There was a tiny bit of blood made visible, so it was about time to apply a fresh change. Right as Victoria was about to get to changing the covering, Olivia burst out from the hallway and quickly scrambled to Victoria’s position. The blond woman looked at her new visitor with startled eyes. Olivia repositioned her lingerie’s straps and muttered under her breath as she slowly began to unravel Victoria’s gauze. Victoria said nothing, but simply let out a small smile instead.
Shortly after Victoria’s bandage was unwound from her leg, a knock appeared at the door. Olivia hesitated, her eyes darting back and forth from the wound and the front door. Victoria nodded to the door with her head as she held her leg up.
“Hey, its cool. You can get that.”
Olivia muttered a quick apology before scrambling to answer the door. Upon opening the door, the woman’s face scrunched up in mild confusion and shock.
“Aren’t you…”
The visitor coughed. The cough was male…and very familiar.
“So…is Victoria here?”
Olivia hesitated, not sure of what to answer. Victoria cleared her throat.
“That you, Joel? How’d you find out where I live?”
...
After Joel handed over a hundred dollar bill, Dante gave the kid permission to talk privately in Victoria’s room. Joel sat in a makeup stool with a backpack slung over a shoulder and Victoria sat in bed with her leg outstretched, with Olivia quietly applying the new roll of gauze and ointment. Joel’s eyes were nervously darting around the room, yet actively seemed to be avoiding Victoria’s gaze. After Victoria’s treatment was finished, Victoria gave a soft smile to the other woman.
“Thanks, ‘liv.”
Oliva muttered, bowed, then ducked out of the room. With just the two of them, Victoria nodded to Joel and offered a fistbump. Joel hesitated, then held out his hand. After bumping, Victoria leaned back and rolled her ankle slowly.
“So… ow what brings you here? Hell, how’d you even know where I live?”
Joel bit his lip, clearly hesitating. After a moment of silence, he inhaled and locked eyes with Victoria with firm resolve.
“I asked Ally, and she gave a general idea on where you lived. I came by because I wanted to talk to you.”
Victoria blinked, mildly confused. Ally didn’t know Dante’s address. How would she know where they lived? Shelving that confusion for a bit, Victoria shook her head.
“Alrighty, bit confused how Ally told you Dante’s address, but whatsup?”
Joel’s brow furrowed, and he pointed at Victoria’s leg. “Did you, uh, did you get hurt?”
Victoria looked at her wrapped wound. “Yep. I dropped a knife randomly while cooking. It’s genuinely impressive how the blade fell at the angle it did, but now I’m just resting as the cut recovers.”
Now, that was a lie. Obviously. However, there was no point in worrying the kid about her wound. Joel tilted his head. “You know how to cook?”
Victoria doubled down. “Pizza roller. I was cutting pizza. Sue me.”
Joel bought it, unslung his backpack and moved on. “So…does Ally know?”
Victoria smiled and tilted her head. “About the cut? Nah, this wound was from a few days ago.”
Joel shook his head. “No. About the prostitution.”
Victoria’s heart dropped to her stomach, but she held a poker face as she slightly frowned. “Elaborate?”35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLUDOLUouD
Joel tightened his lips, obviously uncomfortable, but he pushed forward. “I know you’re a prostitute. Does Ally know about it?”
The jig was up. Victoria eye’s gazed slightly downwards, a bit of light fading from her pupils. “How’d you find out?”
“Doesn’t matter. Does Ally know?”
Victoria sighed as she shook her head. “Of course not. How could I tell her?”
Joel nodded. “Gotcha. I figured. Besides that though, could I ask for advice?”
Victoria was a bit ashamed and confused at this sudden development, but she nodded. Joel hugged his backpack for a few seconds, before speaking.
“How did you deal with the guilt of hiding the whole prostitution idea from Ally? How did you deal with the guilt of prostitution in general? Was there any guilt when you did it”
Victoria felt pretty offended, but as she looked up at Joel, her irritation vanished. Joel’s eyes seemed desperate. Panicked, even. The kid looked as though he genuinely wanted guidance. Victoria wasn’t sure as to why he felt this certain way, but she felt a tug at her soul to aid Joel. So, she laid her heart bare.
Victoria leaned back on her arms, breaking gaze with Joel to look at the ceiling. “How could I not feel ashamed or guilty? Of course I felt horrid upon prostituting myself and hiding this side of myself from Ally. However, more than guilt, I felt a sense of need. Ally needed my help. My intentions will be to always aid my sister, and everything comes second. Would it help to cry and cower? Would it help to feel guilty? Obviously not. If it meant my sister could have the world, I’ll bear all the guilt and shame.”
Victoria scratched her head, slightly smiling. “So, to answer your question…I found a bigger purpose that lay behind the guilt. I tried to find the reasoning on why I felt guilt and shame, then plowed right through it…cheesy as it sounds.”
Joel sat there quietly, his eyes glossy as he was deep in thought. After Victoria finished speaking, Joel posed another question.
“If you had to choose between hiding the act of prostituting yourself or backstabbing, say, Huck…what would you do?”
Victoria scrunched up her face, a bit concerned by the implications of the question, but she answered anyhow. “I’d expose myself. I’d rather hurt myself than hurt others.”
Joel’s shoulders lightly trembled, but he nodded. “Thanks, Vic’.”
Joel held out a closed fist to Victoria. Victoria enthusiastically met it in the middle, winking at the boy as she did.
Joel’s leg bounced up and down rapidly, a small bead of sweat sliding down his neck. He anxiously looked at Victoria.
“Hey, do you trust me?”
Victoria shrugged. “To an extent, yeah. Whatsup?”
Joel nodded. “Alright. I’m sorry.”
Before Victoria could process his words, Joel averted his eyes to the ground. “I need you and Ally to do something for me. If you disagree, I’ll tell Ally about your prostitution job.”
...
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