Company

Chapter Six

The therapy session at Gunter's did not go well. Even chocolate brownie ice cream, Violet's favorite treat, wasn't helping the situation. She just started at it and cried.

"Violet, this was out of your control. There was no way of you knowing that he was gay," I said, taking a bite of my Coconut Bliss. We had been here for two hours already, and I was feeling a bit anxious.

"I FEEL SO STUPID!" she cried, spooning ice cream into her mouth. A young couple heard her wail and looked over their shoulders. I mouthed an apology to them and tried to think of a way to cheer Violet up.

"Hey, maybe we could go to Jane's house and watch Finding Nemo! You love Finding Nemo, and that'll definitely cheer you up," Orsnick suggested. His dessert was slathered in chocolate and whipped cream, and he kept on stirring it into a soupy mess.

"Nathan liked Finding Nemo too..." Violet moaned.

"We could watch Chicago, or Monty Python! Nathan didn't like those movies," Orsnick tried again. Violet just cried, placing her head onto the table. He shot me a look of desperation and helplessness.

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "Nothing is working."

"I think we should take her home. Let her nap, listen to showtunes, just get off her back. That should do something." Orsnick began to rub Violet's back, and that seemed to calm her down a bit.

"Is her mom home today?"

"No. Violet told me that her mom has a business trip to Idaho today, so we should be fine. I think her dad went as well."

We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, figuring out what else to do. I decided that Orsnick's idea was the best. Violet needed to be alone, us crowding her and trying to help her wasn't going to be the best thing right now.

"David, look! It's the Fakes!" a shrill voice yelled behind me. I turned and saw Abby. My blood began to boil, and Orsnick got this fire in his eyes.

"Just ignore her," I said, hoping that would calm him down. That did nothing. He glared at her as she sauntered over, her skirt swishing with the movement of her hips.

"Why the long faces? Rejection letters? Realization of failure?" she asked. As much as I hated Abby, I couldn't help but admire how her hair looked. Normally, she kept her dark hair down, the loose waves framing her face. But today, it was up in a well-constructed messy updo. I needed to pull myself away from how amazing her hair was so. I could go back to hating her. Seeing David smirking as he drank a chocolate milkshake by the door was enough to pull me back into reality.

"Don't you have better places to be, Abby? Right now is not the best time," Orsnick said, trying to be civil in a public setting.

"I was just about to leave, but them I saw you over here, and I just had to say hello," she giggled, a false glee in her voice. She knew Orsnick despised her. She knew that being around him caused him great amounts of pain. Abby found great pleasure when she bothered Orsnick. It was the same satisfaction David got whenever he talked to me.

"Well, you've said hello. Now go away, please," Orsnick growled.

"Are you sure? Maybe we could chat for a bit. Discuss important things."

"Abby, I really don't want to talk right now, okay?" He motioned his head towards Violet, whose back was violently moving up and down as she tried to stifle her sobs.

A look of false pity crossed Abby's face. "Oh, I see. We're taking care of the diva today, aren't we? I didn't realize you were such a kiss up."

Orsnick looked as if he was about to explode. Before he could say anything, Violet stood up and glared at Abby.