Hopeless Place

Chapter 1

She had tried to protest, she had cried, she had begged but nothing had helped. Her older sister had actually dropped her off. Not that the constant pain in her eyes hadn't caused doubt in her sister's face but it hadn't been enough. That thought filled her head, the memory of her sister driving away while she was crying in front of the large but boring looking building, while she sat in the slightly crowded room. All eyes staring at her.

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again without a single sound slipping out. Again she opened her mouth. "Valentina, I'm an alcoholic." She finally spoke.

"Hello, Valentina." Replied the group.

"I don't really know what else to say."

"You can tell us whatever you want to tell us." The man in front of her, who was leading the meeting, answered.

"Well I guess I always liked to party, have a few drinks but the problem only started after my father passed away." She looked at her hands, she didn't want these people to know her life story, she didn't want to talk anymore.

"Hi, I'm Juliana, sex addict." Spoke a girl a few chairs away from Valentina.

"Juliana, you've been here for 3 months and not once have you been serious in these meetings. I've warned you before that if you don't take this seriously you don't need to show up anymore."

Valentina looked the girl up and down. She was gorgeous. Her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, her eyes staring at the man daringly.

"I thought attendance was obligated." The girl stood up, ready to walk out. But right before she left she looked at Valentina and winked.

The second the meeting ended Valentina ran in the direction of the girl, Juliana. Unfortunately, the hallways were empty already, the girl gone. Probably in her room or something.

Besides the group meetings and the terrible food, the worst part was having to sleep there. The rooms were small, the bathroom old. Not what Valentina was used to.

Since she couldn't find the other girl she decided to spend some time in solitude while waiting for the next activity that was supposed to help her stop drinking. Although everything they made her do made her crave the feeling of the mezcal even more.

The thought had crept in her mind slowly. It caused her to be reckless, careless. She didn't look around her properly. Her body collided with someone else's.
"Excuse me, I wasn't watching out." Valentina mumbled.

"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't the first time that happened to me." The other girl replied. Valentina finally locked out with the intriguing Juliana.

"Honestly, no."

Juliana's giggle filled the hallway. "Good, cause it has never happened before. Hi, I'm Juliana." She held out her hand which Valentina took gratefully.

"I remember, from the meeting you ran out of. I'm Valentina, you kind of saved me from having to do my life story."

"I remember." Juliana responded.

Silence fell between them. A silence Valentina eagerly wanted to break.

"So why are you here?" The question fell off her tongue before she could realize how inappropriate it might sound.

"You figured out I'm not a sex addict, damn it. I should come up with better lies." Even though Juliana didn't seem very bothered by the question, she did avoid answering it. "I should actually go, my stunt got me a private therapy session, yay." Juliana faked some amusement before rolling her eyes.

"Well, it was nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Valentina and trust me that's a first."

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Originally I wrote this story on archive of our own but the wonderful @KarlisItzel14 asked me to post it here.