Page 6 of Caged

“How much more is there?” Viv asks.

“Too much,” I groan. Viv scoffs and heads downstairs.

I decide to take a well-deserved break and begin inspecting the contents of Viv’s grocery haul when Ele bursts through the door.

“There is no parking anywhere in this bitch,” Ele shouts. “Oh, you guys brought my stuff upstairs!” she exclaims.

“Yeah, you’re fucking welcome,” I say playfully. Settling on a bottle of cheap rosé and a block of cheddar cheese, I close the refrigerator door with my hip and grab an unopened box of crackers from the cabinet.

“Are we having a girl dinner?” Ele asks gleefully.

“Unless you have a better idea,” I say.

“Listen, returning to our staple diet of cheese and crackers is fine with me. I definitely overindulged at Google this summer. Having unlimited access to fully stocked micro kitchens and dining halls serving any food you can imagine is dangerous.”

“Sounds amazing,” I say, sighing wistfully. “My internship at NBCUniversal did not come with such perks.”

“But you liked it, right?” Ele asks, slicing off a piece of cheese.

“Loved it,” I say. “I definitely want to find a job doing sales partnerships when I graduate. Hopefully, a position opens up at NBCUniversal, because the team is amazing, but it’s not a guarantee.”

“Viv, how was Morgan Stanley?” Ele asks.

“Not the best,” she responds, assembling a cracker and cheese sandwich stack.

I give Ele a subtle shake of my head, hoping she’ll get the hint.

But, of course, she doesn’t. “What?” Ele asks me. “Is it about Monroe?”

“She’s probably referring to my breakup with Sophie,” Viv says, unamused. “Which, by the way, I’m fine. Yeah, it sucks. I really liked her, but I’ll live.”

“I’m sorry,” Ele offers. “That does suck.”

We crunch uncomfortably on our cheese and crackers until Ele breaks the tension.

“Has anyone heard from Monroe?” she asks hesitantly.

Both Vivienne and I shake our heads.

“God, this is so fucked. You two heard the rumors, right?”

My head snaps up. “No! What rumors?”

“Should I light a cigarette for this?” Viv asks.

Ele scrunches her face. “You’re smoking again?”

“I don’t need your judgment,” Viv huffs, pulling another cigarette from her bag.

“At least go over to the window,” I point.

Viv flips her arms in resignation and waits to light her cigarette until she’s leaning halfway outside.

“What rumors?” I ask again.

“That it was Kieren,” Ele says.

“Of course it was Kieren,” I say, my face contorting into a disgusted grimace.