"Yo, E!" Almas voice made Ethan turn, only for Alma to head toward Elliot, Rue, and Jules. The trio she'd been spending most of her time with. It wasn't that Ethan and Alma weren't close anymore, because they were, he just wouldn't admit that her having more friends, while she was his only one, kinda sucked.

"This is gonna backfire. I can feel it." Alma spoke, looking through the window as Elliott bowed toward the three.

"Who cares?" Rue laughed, sneakingly whipped the white powder from Almas nose, clearly left over. Alma looked over, Rue gave her a little wink as the Darling girl smiled slightly.

Elliot took off down the hallway as the boy he'd been talking to hit him in the head and took off after him. The trio of girls laughed, looking out the window and the door as the boys continued to chase Elliot, shouting profound words such as "i'll fucking end you."

Ethan waited for Alma to walk from the classroom to run up behind her. "Hey, Alma."

She turned, grinning. "Ethan, hey."

"Can I steal you for just a second?" he said, giving a little, and awkward, wave to Jules and Rue.

"Yeah." she said, following him toward their shared locker, since Almas had been on the other side of school and it took her extra long to get to her first class. "What's up?"

"That's kinda what I was gonna ask you." he gave an awkward laugh, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I don't know. I feel like we haven't really talked."

Alma gave a little grin. "What do you mean? We just talked about video games last night."

"No, that was four nights ago." he said back, a weird look in his eye. Alma laughed it off, but her words scared him. "You alright?"

"Yeah." she laughed, grabbing his arm. "Come in. Hug me. Sorry i've been so distant lately."

Ethan hugged her in the hallway as he exhaled. "Feel like walking me to class?"

"Yeah, i'm just gonna run to the bathroom right quick." Alma nodded her head, tossing a thumb over her shoulder as Ethan nodded, watching her go.

"Hey, Alma." Cassie said as she dug through her makeup back.

"Hey, Cass." Alma said back, trying not to eye her odd choice of outfit. Alma pushed her way into one of the stalls, shrugging her backpack off as she dug into the pocket. Using her ruler, Alma crushed the pills on the back of her phone, keeping it steady as she used one nostril to snort what was left of it. With a sniffle, and small gag, she let it get into her system and put her phone away.

Alma was about to leave before she heard the voice of Maddy, shutting her eyes. "Shit."

Here's what was funny with Maddy and Alma. Thing was, if Maddy hadn't made Almas life so miserable for so long, she'd actually really enjoy being her friend. Alma felt guilty she keeping this huge secret from her, pretending to be her friend just to avoid her bullying Alma, because she couldn't handle that shit with all that happened last year. But, with Maddy, it was completely different.

It was almost like Maddy wanted to completely forget all she's done to Alma, mainly because she didn't see any wrong in what she had done. She really loved Alma, she felt more connected with her then she had with any of her other friends. Alma had listened to whatever she had to say, said whatever it was to make Maddy happy. That's why she loved her so much, because she had no clue Alma had been faking it all just to avoid any misery.

Apart of me feels bad for both of them. Another part of me things they're both shitty.

"So, it was shitty?" Alma excused herself from Rue, Elliot, and Jules to answer Ethan's call.

"It was weird." he said back, flopping on his bed. "Kat just started laughing and was saying she had no clue who she was."

"Like schizophrenia?" Alma answered, taking a sip of the bottle Rue hid in the bathroom.

"No." Ethan gave a slight chuckle as he listened to her. "Like, in general, I guess. Who she was as a person. My mom was kinda a jerk to her."

"I'd probably be a jerk to someone that acted like the had schizophrenia too." Alma inhaled with a long exhale after. "Look, don't worry about it. Who cared if it went shitty? It's not like Kat and your mom are the ones dating."

"Thank you for that mental image, Alma." Ethan cringed from the other line. "Feel like coming over and playing some video games?"

"I've got a lot of homework. But, tomorrow night?" she suggested, biting the inside of her mouth. Ethan hadn't answered. "Ethannnnn, you still there?"

"Yeah, tomorrow is great." he said on the other line. "Okay, go learn something."

"Will do." Alma smiled slightly. "Night."

Alma walked back into the room to see it had just been Jules and Elliot left. "Where'd Rue go?"

"NA meeting." Jules nodded her head, Alma sitting on the bed.

"Okay, let's ask Alma." Elliot blew smoke from his mouth as they looked over toward the girl, who tossed three pills in her mouth and was downing the rest of the alcohol. "Do you think Rues a sexual person?"

Alma looked at him oddly. "Excuse me?"

"Rue. Does she seem Asexual to you?" he continued on, Alma looked to Jules in questioning, yet she didn't seem bothered by it.

"I've never gotten sexual with Rue, so, I don't know." she said back, laying across the bed and felt deeply uncomfortable.

"She is sexual." Jules defended Rue.

"I feel like you've fucked too many people to look me in the face and tell me she's some sexual force of nature." Elliot exhaled, looking toward Jules as she bite the inside of her mouth from the window.

"Fine. No, she's not, like, the most sexual person ever." Jules shook her head. Alma hung half way off the bed, her eyes heavy, listening to them.

"How does that work?" Elliot asked.

"What do you mean?" Jules asked in return.

"Cause you're, like, a sexual person." he exclaimed with a nod.

"Not all the time, but sometimes." Jules agreed. Elliot made a face, nor believing her as Jules laughed slightly. "Fine. No, okay, she's not a sexual person. Maybe she is, but, I haven't seen that side yet."

Elliot stared at her. "I wouldn't blame yourself."

"I'm not." Jules shook her head.

"I'm just saying, it's like, easy to take that kind of stuff personally." his words made Alma feel weird, uncomfortable, and immediately as if he had been trying to gaslight Jules.

"Are you like trying to be an asshole right now?" Jules asked in disbelief.

"I'm being sweet right now." he argued.

"How is that sweet?" she asked in disbelief.

"Cause you're very fuckin' fuckable." he said back, and Alma officially felt weird. She liked Elliot, when they first met, she really did. But, right now, she just felt weird. Like, something was wrong, like he was somehow not who he portrayed himself to be when she told him her entire story.

"Why?" Jules asked him.

"I mean, you're fascinating, right? So creative and smart, and you're kinda fucked up, but you're cute and awkward. And you're, like, kinda clumsy but very much a whore, intentionally, which is great." Elliot listed on, Alma hung off the side of the bed, listening to him as her head filled with so many bad thoughts. "You're extroverted but also introverted and shy. And your art is amazing. They should hang it up at fuckin MoMA. But in like a more superficial note, you've got great tits. And you and Kurt Cobain have the same haircut-"

"I've gotta get home." Almas words cut him short as she rolled onto the floor, standing up with a low groan.

"What? I thought you were staying the night?" Elliot looked at her oddly.

Alma shook her head. "Yeah, but, i've got that quiz I have to study for."

"So, study here." Jules suggested.

"No. Fuck, I want to go home." Alma was getting annoyed with it now, the high she was in only making it worse.

"Okay, well, you're super high right now so maybe just stay until you sober up." Elliot suggested, sitting up as he went to grab her hand to lead her back down. Alma hit him in the forehead, making him fall back. "Alma, what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" she pointed at herself, laughing at him. "I think you're an asshole. That's what wrong with me."

"Why? What did I do?" he looked in confusion, watching as she grabbed her bag. "Alma, dude, what?"

"Your head is fucking weird, man. I see straight though that nice guy that introduced me to cocaine." Alma pulled her shoes on, anger pulsing through her veins. She wouldn't have acted like this if it hadn't been for how high she had been. "You hurt Rue and i'm gonna fuck you up!"

"Alma, calm down, what are you talking about?" Jules looked in worry as Alma pushed Elliot hard on the bed. "How high are you?"

"It's my fault." Elliot spoke from the bed. "I shouldn't have given her any coke."

"You make me sick." Alma jabbed a finger in Elliot's direction. "I see the exact type of person you are and I want nothing to do with it."

Alma slammed the door as she walked out of the house, heading down the dark street as she held her backpack close to her. She was glad she was high, glad she had the courage to say that. Alma hadn't been talking about the first thing to cross her mind, yet, she saw whatever Elliot had been planning in his head. Him and Jules both set her off in those moments, and she didn't want to be apart of it.

Ethan was on the phone with Kat as he heard the tap on his window, looking over. She'd been pretty short on the line anyways, their hang up easy as he walked to the window. "Finish studying?"

Ethan looked at Almas sad eyes, the way her face sparkled of possible tears. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Will you ever turn into the bad guy somehow?" Alma blinked as she looked up as him. "I really hate the bad guys, Ethan."

He looked in worry, backing up to see if she wanted to come in. Alma didn't, frozen at his window. He shook his head. "I won't be one of your bad guys."

A sad smile went across her face. "You know that you're the only person I feel like I can really trust in the world?"

"Me too." he said back with a little grin. "Why don't you come in?"

Alma nodded, grabbing his arm as he pulled her into the house.

•

kylie speaks

alma said fucking all
bitches with the name
elliot, as she should.