Page 109 of Gifted & Talented

Dzhuliya: It was only a couple of times.

Eilidh raises one hand to her head, squeezing her eyes shut. The pain appears to be searing, which Meredith notices and takes as a personal offense.

Meredith: Jesus. You can stop being so dramatic.

Eilidh’s eyes remain shut.

Eilidh: Shut up, Meredith.

Meredith: What do you have to be so upset about? This is happening to all of us.

Eilidh:Is it?

She glares furiously up at Meredith.

Eilidh: You think I don’t know why he chose you? Why he decided that his legacy was safe withyou?Youthink I don’t know that he respected you the most—that he saw the most potential in you? I get it, Meredith, okay? I’m the one he had to keep safe because he knew I couldn’t do it on my own! So there, are you happy? Are you happy now?

Meredith: Are you serious?

Now Meredith looks pale with anger.

Meredith: He left his shares to me because he knew I would fumble it. Because he wanted me to be the one holding the ball when the whole thing went down. It’s a shithole, Eilidh——Dad was a terrible investor. He lost almost all of it trying to go to fucking space. The rest of it he threwaway on companies that were only copying mine. He tried to take me down, and when he couldn’t, he handed me a flaming pile of shit. Don’t deny it.

Meredith looks hard at Lou when she says it. Lou receives the glare with utter bewilderment and looks around for answers, confused.

Lou: What?

Meredith: I know you were developing something to compete with Chirp. I know you were trying to force me into obsolescence.

Lou: Dude, I don’t care about your ’solescence. I don’t fuck around with neuromancy.

Meredith: Your company pitched him a neuromantic chip!

Lou: I don’t have a company! I work at a fucking Wrenfare store! I pitched Thayer something totally different——which isn’t even relevant, by the way, because he never made an offer! I think he was probably just fucking with me.

Dzhuliya: No, he wrote up an offer.

Everyone looks at Dzhuliya then. She takes the opportunity to return the conversation to Eilidh, who is doubled over, hugging herself.

Dzhuliya: Eilidh, just so you know, I didn’t know he planned to give it all to Meredith. Until Ryan called me the other day, I honestly thought he was planning to give it to you—

Lou looks around, distracted.

Lou: You guys really don’t hear that buzzing sound?

Gillian frowns.

Gillian: Actually—

Eilidh squeezes her eyes shut and motions for Dzhuliya to stop talking.

Dzhuliya doesn’t listen.

Dzhuliya: You were the one he always talked about, Eilidh.And… and I washappyto listen, I really was. I’ve always had feelings for you, and I didn’t think… I just didn’t think anything would ever happen with us, you’d made it so clear you weren’t interested, and Thayer was… I don’t know. I don’t even have an excuse, I was just lonely, I was fed up with dating, and he was so… so attentive, and—

Meredith: Oh mygod.

Dzhuliya: I’m not talking to you.

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