What Viola Said

Part Two: Chapter 8

"Have you talked to Vee?" Verena asks, "We planned to prepare for the Wassersteins dinner. I tried calling her but it went straight to voicemail."

Theodore and her were on their way to their last class of the week and Verena is surely concerned about Viola not showing up to school the pst three days, "Um," he wonders, "Yeah, I did, actually."

Verena turns her head to him, "And you didnt tell me?" She exclaims, not sure if it sounds surprised or pissed. Now that she thinks of it, it definitely sounds like she's pissed and it is because she is pissed.

"She didn't want me to tell you."

"So?" Verena's glad she can keep this conversation going without having to be interrupted by them already arriving in class because Agthoven's grounds are massive. The 10 minute breaks are no doubt meant for students to move from one class to another.

"She told me to tell you she went to Mexico with her mom but I mean, you can tell that was bullshit."

Verena scoffed, "As if I'll believe that? That's bullshit."

Theodore nods in agreement, "I think it's food poisoning, I went to meet her wednesday night and she uh..." he trails off, "she wasn't really feeling well. She kept throwing up. She said her head felt like it was gonna explode at any time. It's weird cause I haven't seen her this sick in forever."

"Geez," Verena sighs, "Thanks, Theo. Thought she ran away or something."

Verena, Viola and Angelica initially planned earlier the week to go to fittings for the Wasstersteins New Years Dinner which wasn't so far away as November is soon facing closure.

The Wasserstein's New Years Dinner is for New York's elite. It's what everyone dies to attend on last Sunday of every year. At this point, Robert Wasserstein is more known for his huge dinner in his extravagant mansion rather than his corporation. People in Agthoven and Harbor View who doesn't get to go waits in their bedrooms for tabloids to publish what their fellow schoolmates wore; while the people who do get to go are too busy picking what to wear to show what people are missing out on. It's a battle of wealth and privelege. An unhealthy combination for people who are too busy caught up in their egos.

It's the talk of the town the moment the clock strikes midnight on November 30th. December is a ringing bell for Wassersteins New Years Dinner to be mentioned in everyone's conversation.

"I'm going go Vee's." Verena packs her books in her bag and wears her coat after class is finished.

Theodore makes a face, "I don't think she'd want that."

"Jesus, Theo, stop with your boyfriend privilege already." Verena rolls her eyes playfully. He chuckles. "I'll call her before showing up."

Verena leaves but stops in her track and spins on her heels, calling Theo.

Theo raises his eyebrows. "What?"

"Why didn't Max show up during lunch today?"

"He went home to check up on Claire, I think she caught a flu or something."

"And he skipped the rest of today?"

"I think so."

"Jesus, Max," she scoffs, "He didn't go for Claribel. If she was sick, Donna would be there anyway. It's bullshit."

Verena sounds like she's talking to herself more than she's talking to Theo at this point, "Don't know, Ren. That's what he told me." Theo shrugs.

Verena does as she says so, calling Viola while she heats her cold car prior to visiting her home. She expected it going to voicemail again but when Viola answered, it takes Verena by surprise.

"Oh my god, Vee." She gasps, "Thank goodness. Are you okay? You disapeared for three days!"

Viola chuckles weakly, "Did Theo tell you?"

"Yeah."

"It sucks, I was eating like I'd never eaten before in Mexico. Blame Theo for letting me eat exotic foods like that." Verena sets the call on speaker before driving off, "Are you coming?"

"But it's been a month since you went to Mexico. And yes, I'm driving there."

"Oh thank god, I was craving cheesecakes, mind if you brought me some?"

Verena frowned but laughed, "I thought you weren't alright."

"No, no. I'm alright for cheesecakes. Ugh, just shut up and bring me cheesecakes already, I've been thinking about it too much I probably dreamt about it last night."

Verena chuckles at Viola's aggressiveness towards wanting to eat cheesecakes. She wonders if a weekend in Tulum with Theo changed the 'I have to keep my body shape steady' Viola and turned her into 'I need to shove hundreds of cheesecakes down my throat'. Either way, Verena didn't mind and got four slices of cheesecakes before arriving.

Viola is tucked in her bed with no makeup and her hair all messed up when Verena arrives. It probably hasn't been touched in forever.

"Only four?" Viola pouts.

Verena makes herself comfortable on the bean bag and waits for Viola to give her some sort of explanation. "Are you better?"

"With this cheesecake? Yes." With statements like this, Verena thinks it's quite obvious there's something up with her. She doesn't ask yet but she doesn't reply either. "So," Viola speaks, after taking the last slice of cheesecake, what's up."

Verena chuckles. "What's up? The same thing. Possibly a party next Saturday."

"Ooh, I'd totally fancy going. Who's is it?"

"No idea. It's at Ferrans."

Ferrans is best known for multiple Agthoven and Harbor View chaos. When it comes to parties like this, people go batshit insane. A luxury bar and rich high school kids is enough to make thousands of dollars worth damage.

"A Christmas party. Maybe."

"This early?"

Verena shrugs. "Christmas is an excuse, I'm sure."

Viola doesn't reply and takes a sip of her tea. Something inside Verena is tuggung her to ask Viola if she's hiding something from her but a part of her refuses to do so.

Because Viola is a little bit sensitive at heart, it's easy to make her mad. You can say what sheMs doing is wrong and she'll say you're a fucking cunt and not talk to you for days. So Verena asking Viola if she has something she hasn't shared yet, then it's most likeley she'll say Verena's a nosy bitch.

What she decided to do was offer her to throw the empty boxes. The only trash can she had was in the bathroom so alongside throwing the trash, she took the chance to glance at herself in the mirror.

But when Verena's close to exiting she opens the trash can again, recollecting something odd. And she was right, underneath the cheese smudged boxes, there is a test and bunch of pills.