Page 36 of (Not So) Mad About You

“Alli?”

She took a breath. “Yeah?”

“You look a little flushed, that’s all.”

“I’m fine.”

“Sure?”

She puffed out a breath. “Fine. Completely fine. And frankly, I really don’t need to be psychoanalyzed by someone who’s all of twelve. Are you even old enough to drink?”

“Do you drink?” Lex asked.

“What the fuck? What? That was not a segue into potential alcoholism. It was a dig, an insult,” Alli said, getting angrier by the second.

“I know,” was all Lex said in return.

“Jesus, I give up.” Alli stood up. “I’m done here.”

“It’s the end of our session anyway,” Lex said calmly. “You can see yourself out.”

Which just made things worse, because someone not responding to anger just made Alli seethe inside.

She was bubbling and boiling as she marched out of the room and down the corridor. So angry that she almost missed the low whisper of her name.

“Alli!” hissed a voice. “Alli!”

She looked around and finally saw a face in the crack of a door. The door opened further, and Daria beckoned her inside. Curious, Alli went in.

Daria was… not around much. They’d had meditation and relaxation classes with her. But given that neither of those things required much talking, Alli felt that she didn’t really know the woman. She was attractive enough, small and dark, with quick eyes and long fingers. Her voice was low and soft, but that was as far as Alli was prepared to go in her descriptions.

It wasn’t helped by the fact that she’d never seen Daria outside of class until now. She seemed to scurry away elsewhere when she wasn’t needed.

“Um, hello,” Alli tried.

Daria looked up and down the corridor before closing the door quietly behind them. “I might be able to help you.”

Alli rolled her eyes. “No and no. If you think that extra meditation is what I need then you’re dead wrong. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t really meditate even in class. I just sit there and think about Game of Thrones or something else equally epicuntil you let me go again.”

“I’m not talking about meditation,” Daria said. She was leaning back against the door.

“What are you talking about then?”

“Helping you,” said Daria, looking slightly shifty. “With your little problem.”

“What problem would that be?” Alli was starting to get angry again, starting to move toward the door.

“Jesus, do I need to spell it out for you?” Daria also looked… not exactly pleased.

“Well, yes, probably,” Alli said. “Since I’ve not got the first clue what you’re talking about.”

“Do you want to get out of here or don’t you?”

Alli stopped in her tracks. Ah. That sort of help. “I want out,” she said cautiously, because she wasn’t entirely sure that Daria was to be trusted.

“I can do that. I can get you out for five thousand.”

“Pounds?” It sounded a ridiculous amount of money. “Are you dazzling Josh with diamonds so he doesn’t see me leave?”

---