Dopamine!

Chapter 2: Dior

Melanie ends up taking the juice to the living room herself, which is what causes me to jump out of my reverie. Worried that she might have sensed annoyance of any sort from me, I hurry back to the living room and put on my brightest smile. Rocky gives me a weird look and Anissa offers me the tiny spot that's left on the couch, next to her.

"So I was just talking about how I moved here from the other end of the ocean." Lawrence explains to both Melanie and I.

"Are you serious?" I gasp, "Well, that's so amazing. You've probably seen so much, you probably know so much."

"Well, don't get your hopes up." he shrugs lamely.

"Are you serious?" Clementine sighs, "We could've used you as a tool."

"Excuse me?"

"That's not at all what it sounds like. The four of us, we were just talking about how terrible the people over here have been at welcoming us. But they'd be intimidated by somebody so much more interesting than them. I heard about the majority of the people have never even been outside this town."

"How sad is that." Anissa sighs.

"How is that sad? They're happy that way, they think they're better than everyone else."

"Clementina, why are you so worried about what they think?" Melanie asks, "You've been talking about it ever since you got here."

"Yes, what's your story?" Rocky asks her, "Why are you so desperate for validation?"

Clementine opens her mouth and closes it again, but Rocky doesn't seem to notice that anything is wrong, as he smiles at her with interest.

"Let me guess, you were tormented quite a bit back home, and you don't want it happening again. That's why you're trying so hard to start fresh. You've got your hair freshly curled, your outfit says you spent too much time planning it, and you think thrice before every sentence, because you want people to think the absolute best of you. That's why you get so frustrated when, after all that effort, you're not even given a chance."

Clementine stands up.

"Okay, I will just be leaving right around now--"

"Clementina, stay, don't ruin the fun. Here, Zenon, judge me next." Melanie rushes.

"Why are you calling me that? You know what? Fine, I'll stay."

She sits back down, looking dangerously calm. I catch Anissa's eye over Clementine's perked head, and we exchange nervous glances.

"Alright Zenon," Clementine begins with a smile, "The only time you've spoken is either to order Dior, or insult me. You've been hurt so much in the past, that you feel as if that's the only thing you can and should give back. You put too much effort into your clothes because you want so badly to prove that you're better than everyone else. If you look better, that can help make it true, right? I mean, look at that blouse. Lawyer or student? You couldn't make me guess."

Zenon inhales and I clutch my glass, getting ready to go into my bedroom and call it a day. I should have known it was too good to be true when we got out own apartments, instead of just rooms. Besides, Melanie is my roommate and she seems to have been enjoyingg everything I haven't, all night.

Zenon tilts his head to the side and smiles.

"I'm impressed. You're right."

Clementine blinks and Melanie gasps.

"Although the dressing really is a passion. I do it to feel better than everyone else, not to prove it to others. I don't have to if I believe it."