CHAPTER 3
Las Vegas, 1950

         "I thought I said this was a date." 

     Violet arrived at the restaurant earlier than she had intended. She never imagined that meeting Benny Watts in an empty hall wouldn't have an effect on her. It didn't get to her because he was kind in some way, although it was too much to say; he was charming and cocky as she'd remembered him, which couldn't potentially offer her a good reason to be bitter with the man. But there was a part of her that longed to crush him both ways.

          "My mother kept asking me stuff, so I just told her I asked you out to dinner," Beth said meekly.

          "Why did she want to come, though?" Violet wondered, her limbs stiff. She wasn't furious; rather, she was anxious, as if she were a teenage boy meeting the girl's father. Alma Wheatley was far too sweet to ask her to leave.

          "What I said about my mom liking you was true. She did research."

          "She did what?"

          "Jesus, she liked your story, with the retirement. I obviously made it into an excuse so you'd accept going out tonight, but I didn't lie about it."

     Violet couldn't take her focus away from the redhead. She noticed a mixture of disappointment and excitement as she chose to attend their date and stay there for the rest of the night, even with Beth's mother. Violet couldn't get upset at the older woman for talking so much since she was such delightful company. She really had a lot to say.

      Alma's words echoed in the distance as Violet tried to clear her mind of those concerns, "It's great to have other female chess players around here. Beth is so enthralled by it! I never imagined another woman could be as brilliant as her," Alma Wheatley smiled and sipped from her Gibson once again.

     Violet giggled. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Beth. The redhead didn't seem to be as happy as her, but her cheeks were still flushing red. Something about that made Violet frown a little, her grin still spread across her features. It also led her to believe Beth was comfortable with her there. Nonetheless, Beth had proven herself to be more competent than Violet when it came to chess, and she was indifferent about it. She was ecstatic of herself and Beth. Now that they kind of liked each other's company — perhaps a little too much, she didn't care as much if Beth won against her or not. She was there for the experience too.

     Actually, V did care about winning, but she couldn't occupy her head with chess tonight. She had to stay away from it, at least for a few hours if she couldn't make the night.

     The brunette licked down on her lip so her smile would go away. "Mrs. Wheatley, your daughter is something we like to call a chess phenomenon. And I am far away from that," She pointed out and took another bite of her well-cooked chicken noodles. "But thank you. For the compliment and invitation. It's...nice," Violet carried on. She filled her mouth with chicken again so it won't be necessary for her to speak anymore.

     She was enjoying her dinner, and Beth's mother was such a pleasant, wonderful woman, someone any daughter would want around, someone who could brighten your mood at any time and, without even realizing it, take good care of you. But when she brought up the invitation, her recollections of Martha drew her back into her feelings. That woman was diametrically opposed to Alma. Violet had also developed an odd tendency of comparing any other mother to her own, but this was only her way of proving to herself that there was better out there.

     V's mood shifted once again as she thought about her meeting with Benny. The memory of the event was still fresh in her mind but she quickly let go of the thought after Alma chose to question her about matches, family, and lastly why she resigned and what prompted her to return. Violet breezed through all questions, but Beth signaled to Alma from time to time, usually with her feet under the table, to keep her curiosity at bay.

          "I've read a couple of your prior matches, darling," Alma stated, "I hope you two get to play together, but I'm sure it's already on the cards," Alma finished her beverage, "That'd be so exciting!"

     As she laughed, the older woman gestured for the waiter to get her another drink. "Well, there's a chance, the media's gone crazy, right?" Violet pondered the question while twirling her noodles around her fork.

          "For sure! But I'm afraid the fans won't be as happy as we are about it. It's all around the news," Alma complained.

          "You haven't watched any?" Beth asked.

          "Oh, no, no...," Violet responded. "I got enough of it. What's all around the news? What fans?"

         "Rumors mostly," Beth cut in quickly and avoided her gaze. "It's no big deal," Alma received a stern sideways glance from her.

     Violet frowned. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something odd about their exchange of looks. Despite the fact that Beth was unwilling to continue the conversation about this news thing, V had been getting closer to something this whole time. She put her fork down. "I want to know," Violet said, her eyes locking with Beth's, "Why aren't the fans excited?"

     The other young female let out a soft sigh. Alma appeared to be as perplexed as V was, which piqued Violet's interest even more. To both of their surprise, Beth got up and put a $70 bill on the table. Violet's eyes widened as she watched Beth's motions. She blinked a few times and watched Beth leave. After the girl promised Alma she'd be back in a minute, Violet followed.

     The brunette was certain that there were just a few rumors involved once again, and Beth made it look like it was different. If such was the case, why would Beth dodge the topic? Violet clearly assumed that once she decided to return to public life, she would have to get used to this sort of stuff all over again, which didn't seem like a problem. Yet, she was compelled to defend her reputation now that her father was no longer present to guide her or speak with the media on her behalf.

     She spun around and looked Beth in the eyes as soon as she heard the door close behind her. It began to worry her that Beth was so concerned all of a sudden. They sat knee-deep in silence as if both waited for each other to break it, "I didn't want my mother to spoil this for you. I didn't know you haven't seen the news."

          "What do you mean?"

          "It's just-," She shrieked, "You won't like this."

          "They're just rumors, of course, I won't," She reassured Beth, "Whether true or not, I don't think it was necessary for you to just leave your mother there to pay the bill alone. In fact, I think we should go ba-" Violet pushed.

          "It's about Benny Watts."

          "Alright. So? What about Benny?"

     Beth didn't say anything. She still had that expression on her face, as if she was waiting for something else to happen, for someone to become involved in their discussion and save her from it — although she was the one that had initiated it in the first place. In fact, all she wanted was for Violet not to get mad at her for what she was going to say. Their date had already been ruined.

     Violet smoothed her hair away from her face. "I even spoke to him. Prior to arriving here. On our way down, we met at the elevators," Violet sat down beside her.

          "What?" Beth exclaimed.

          "What?"

          "Did he say anything to you?"

          "Why?"

          "Did he bother you?"

          "Wait. Stop."

     The redhead wrapped her arms over her knees and tucked the sleeves of her dress up. Violet locked her gaze on her for a few moments. She had absolutely no clue why she told her that. Maybe it was her way of reassuring Beth that she shouldn't have been worried. Although Beth couldn't possibly understand how this man had affected her, it seemed as she was beginning to do so.

     Beth threw her head back and sighed, "There was this interview..."

          "Go on."

          "...Benny was being asked a bunch of questions,..."

     Violet's voice was frigid and her heartbeat was steady, despite the fact that she could feel her blood boiling inside, her disease yearning to take over. Anytime this happened, V's judgments would be so affected, and she would have to maintain her calm if she didn't want to step over the line. Beth Harmon did nothing wrong but care for her well-being from the moment they met each other. She wasn't supposed to take part in one of Violet's bipolar episodes, especially at their date — or at least what was left of it.

          "....and He started to blather on about the game between you two in '56."

          "What exactly about it?"

          "Something about how he can't wait to humiliate you again."

     Violet's heart thudded in her chest, "That's all?"

     Beth turned her gaze back to Violet's, her eyes meeting the sight of her parted plump beautiful lips, "I think you should see the rest of it yourself."

     She felt her legs go weak and her head numb, "Have you seen it?"

          "No. I heard my mother saying something about Benny speaking really ill of you," Beth stammered, "But the thing is that the news is making it seem like people don't want to see you play anymore unless you make a fool of yourself and give them more entertainment. But I'm sure it's just the ones that know nothing about chess who say this. This isn't a reality show," Beth assured her.

          "Hm," Violet paused, "Okay."

     The brunette was completely oblivious to the fact that the other girl had been staring at her lips for the past two minutes. Her mind, on the other hand, didn't appear to be following Beth's voice. It was juggling between thoughts about that scumbag and his interview, and there wasn't much she could do to make them stop bugging her at that time, although there was this thing that had popped into her head as soon as Violet herself decided to stare down too.

          "Aren't you mad?"

          "Beth."

          "What?"

          "Close your eyes."

     Violet gently placed her thumb on Beth's lips to see if she'd pull away, her eyes still open. She didn't, which immediately caused V to lean closer and kiss her. Beth's lips moved as if no one had ever done this before to her, which she expected, Beth was 4 years younger than her. However, the kiss was soft and moist, they sought union and closeness and the sharing of one breath as they continued to explore each other's lips. The pink rose in Beth's cheeks as their tongues met, quick and electric. Then it all became firmer, more determined, more curious about the heat that lay within. Beth's lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against Violet's. The brunette could feel the soft tickle of Beth's breath beneath her nose, fingers carding through her hair as they breathed each other in. It might have seemed wrong at first and yet it felt like the right thing to do and it turned into the best decision. They wanted to feel their bonds connect, to ease each other's pain. Violet's muscles relaxed every ten seconds, sinking herself even more deeply into the kiss. It was the best date she'd ever been to.