A Private Life

Part 3

"Dude, your mom is a culinary genius," Daisy said, around a mouthful of chicken salad. Olivia rolled her eyes at Daisy and her lack of manners. "Where is she anyways?"

"The rents are down in the city again. They are staying for the week, something about appointments and what not," Olivia brushed it away. Daisy stiffened. Daisy and Olivia's parents were close friends. Daisy was a skilled eavesdropper, sitting silently and listening to the echoes through the house. A few weeks ago Daisy had overheard something she wished she hadn't. Olivia's mom had breast cancer when Olivia seven and now it was back again and spreading fast. They weren't telling their family until they had good news to share or until they had a plan laid out. It was why they had been going to the city so often. They were participating in clinical trials and trying to figure out just how far the cancer had spread.

"Oh," Daisy said, pushing the half-eaten sandwich away from her, no longer hungry. Olivia didn't seem to notice Daisy's attitude change.

"Did Mon tell you about her mom?"

"How she disappeared for a week, or about how she is apparently a cocaine addict? I never saw that one coming by the way. Anna has always been a little crazy but still, that one came out of left field," Daisy said, happy for the change in conversation.

"No about how Anna is trying to disown her. She apparently doesn't want her as a daughter anymore."

Daisy's face took on a questioning look. Monica's mom, Anna, was a little eccentric but everything they had heard about her lately was just crazy. Daisy wasn't sure how much of it she should believe. Monica liked to be the center of attention and had exaggerated stories before, but recently it had gotten out of control. Daisy wasn't sure if she believed the things she was being told, but she never confronted Monica on the chance that they weren't lies. She didn't want to lose any friends because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "But do we really believe that?"

"I don't know. I mean it seems too insane for Monica to have made up, but on the same note her mom is a little over the top sometimes." Daisy and Olivia sat at the table for a moment trying to wrapped their heads around this new bit on information. "We should start our presentation." Olivia said, standing up and clearing their plates, not bothering to wash them because Olivia's maid would just do it again tomorrow morning.

"Your room or the TV room?" Daisy asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder she already knew they would be working in Olivia's room. Daisy followed Olivia through the old farm house, walking up the stairs and into her room.

"You'll never guess what I got for us," Olivia said, as Daisy dropped her bag on the floor. Daisy and Olivia were having a girls night. They had a project for school they had to work on and decided to make a whole thing out of it.

"What did you get, Liv?" Daisy asked, pulling out her laptop and sitting cross-legged on Olivia's bed. Daisy watched out of the corner of her eye as Olivia moved towards her white desk, pulling open the drawer she kept her flask and bowl stashed. Daisy nearly dropped her laptop as Olivia pulled out a small baggie out filled with the white powder Daisy was now all too familiar with.

"I got us coke. I know you've done it, but I haven't. I wanted to try it and figured this would be the perfect time. We can do a few lines and then work on the presentation," Olivia explained, as she walked closer to Daisy, who sat frozen on her bed. "So? What do you say D? We gonna do this?" Daisy locked her dark eyes with Olivia's blue ones. Daisy couldn't fight the smile that started to spread across her face, anticipation filling her.

"You lock the door, and I'll cut the lines," Daisy ordered, grabbing the bag from her friends pale fingers as they both set off to carry out their respective tasks. Daisy coached Olivia through the process, warning her about the taste, about how after twenty minutes or so it would start to drip down the back of her throat. She warned her that it would make her throat numb, like Novocain does. Olivia smiled through it all, watching Daisy as she showed her how to snort the white drug. "I blew it all over the first time I did it. Just make sure to completely exhale before getting close. It's gonna feel like you got water up your nose," Daisy explained.