The IV League [EDITING]

Chapter 12

"Sarah, is there anything I should know before they, you know, interrogate me?"

Sarah gave Vivian a warm smile. "Don't worry, they're not going to interrogate you. They might not even talk to you. Your parents will take care of it."

Vivian rolled her eyes. Her parents would definitely take care of all her problems. It was their way of compensation for all the neglect. Besides, it's that same neglect that got her addicted in the first place. At school, she was the queen bee, the teachers' pet, the girl everyone wanted to sleep with, boys and girls alike. She was beautiful, smart, athletic, talented, funny, sassy with a slight undertone of bitchy, but not someone who'd hurt anyone's feelings. She was the perfect child.

But no one is perfect.

Vivian had always wondered what was wrong with her. She had everything going great for her, yet her parents never seemed to notice that. They never paid attention to her. All they did was give her a credit card and the liberty to do whatever she wanted. Vivian understood that they were busy people, but that never seemed to justify the love she didn't receive. She always put on a bright smile in front of others, but inside she was breaking. She just wanted their time and attention. Her parents never realised that until it was too late.

Vivian sighed and lean against the wall. Her parents were talking  to two people in fancy, tailored suits, and she'd been told to wait for them to finish. She tried to catch what they were saying, but they kept their volume low. She saw a briefcase open on the table, and a bunch of papers were spread out. The print was too small for her to read, but she figured they were the forms she had to fill out in case they agreed to put her on the list.

Vivian got bored of standing there alone and entered the cafeteria. She was still within their line of vision, so they could call her when they needed her.

She saw Carter sitting at a table with an unopened packet of potato chips in his hand. He was looking into his phone. She approached him quietly.

"Hey, Cart."

He jumped at the sound of her voice. "Vivian. What are you doing here?"

"The cafeteria is a public place, you know. Besides, I should be the one asking you that. But I'm glad you finally found the cafeteria. It's nice to see you eating again."

"This isn't for me," he said coolly. "I offered to get Morgan a packet since she's working out right now."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I gotta go." He stood up and turned around.

"Carter, wait."

He stopped, but didn't look at her.

"The Board of Directors is here," she continued, "they're reviewing my case right now."

"You don't need to worry, your parents will take care of it."

"Carter, I could really use some support right now instead of snark."

He shrugged. "Then you've come to the wrong person." Without looking back, he walked away from her.

Vivian let out an audible sigh. She rubbed her temples and sat down. She knew she'd hurt Carter, and it disturbed her to her core. But she wanted his sympathy. She missed him being there for her, and at that moment she needed him more than anyone. But he was pushing her away. She couldn't blame him though, it was her fault.

"Mind if I join you?"

Vivian looked up to see a middle-aged man standing before her. He was a stranger, but he looked friendly, and right now, Vivian just needed someone to talk to.