Bitter Fights, Bitter Rumors, Bitter Connections

In exchange for the video Alex took of Oliver, Candace sent her photos of his birthday party since her schedule was too busy to attend. Surrounded by confetti and streamers were at least twenty or so kids, which supported the claim that Oliver had plenty of friends. Alex was relieved to know he was doing well at school and had a fun time at his party. They got a big pony-themed cake, decorated with figurines for extra flare, and seeing Oliver's smiling face covered in pink frosting put Alex in a good mood for the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, the following week would not be all warm and fuzzy. It all started when Alex came home to the sound of shouting and arguing, proceeded by the front door slamming open with Val stomping out with her ears covered while her father trailed behind her. Startled, Alex backed up against the wall as the two continued on, not even acknowledging her presence.

"I'm a grown ass adult! I can hang out with whoever I want!" Val shouted in an annoyed tone often heard from children defying their parents.

"You're not getting involved with her," her father firmly replied. "I'm not letting her get you in trouble."

"Shut up! How many times do I have to explain myself?! I'm going to that con and you can't stop me!"

"I can and I will even if I have to resort to drastic measures."

"Oh, that's rich. What ya gonna do? Arrest me?!"

Seeing that this wasn't her business, Alex scooted into their apartment and hid in her room until the coast was clear. She had learned from her brother's fights with their parents how to dodge these situations. Oddly enough, it was also due to the people he liked to call his friends, as well as his girlfriend. Why parents felt the need to tell their kids who they should and shouldn't hang out with was beyond her.

Once the noise had died down for some time, Alex peeked her head out the door to check the situation. Val's father seemed to have left, while Val herself was on the couch with her face buried in a pillow. Alex cautiously approached Val and sat in the other chair.

"Is everything okay?" Alex asked.

"No," Val mumbled into the pillow.

"Didn't think so. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe."

Knowing how Val could get when in a bad mood, Alex briefly stood up to go into the fridge, coming back with a can of beer to place on the table. Like a pet lured out with treats, Val rose her head up and snatched the can. She then sat up just enough to open the can and chug it down in one go, breathing out a sigh once she was satisfied.

"I dunno what his problem is," Val said. "I tell him what I've been up to and suddenly he's tellin' me I can't go to the con with my friend."

Alex's eyes widened, completely surprised. "That's not like him. He normally supports everything you do."

"Right?! Since when did he think he could boss me 'round? And he's sayin' my friend's not trustworthy? Like what???"

"That's definitely weird," Alex said with a frown, both confused and concerned. "Did he say why she's not trustworthy?"

Val shrugged her shoulders. "Somethin' about bein' in a gang? But I know that's bullshit. She never did anythin' wrong."

Alex crossed her arms, completely perplexed. Sure, Val's father was a policeman, so it makes sense that he wouldn't want his daughter associated with a criminal. Yet Val was claiming that wasn't the case. There had to be more to it.

For now, Alex said, "I'm sure he'll come around. Give him some time. If not, you're an adult and can do whatever you want. You want to go, you can go."

Val smirked in response. "Damn right!"

Since this clearly wasn't going to be resolved today, Alex helped Val calm down by getting her some more beers and watching some movies together. She even helped her get to bed when Val got carried away and couldn't walk well on her own. Thankfully, there was no puke involved, so that was nice. Last time didn't go so swimmingly because it was difficult getting a solid grip on her thick, red hair while Val was dunking her head in the toilet. Alex crawled into bed right after her, hoping tomorrow would be better.

---

Tomorrow was not better.

Forced to leave Val with some medicine for her hangover, Alex entered work with the hope that she could take a break from the negativity and get her thoughts together. However, when she went over to Nami to greet her, she immediately noticed something was wrong. For one thing, Nami put very little effort into her appearance today, sticking with gray sweats, no makeup, and a small hair tie to keep her poofy, black hair under control. Upon closer inspection, her cheeks were puffier than usual, and her eyes were red and swollen. Finally, there was no lunch box to be seen, or any other trace of food at all. Put it all together and you have a crying, fragile mess of a broken heart.

Realizing she was about to step on a landmine, Alex said as gently as possible, "Um... good morning. Did... something happen?"

The landmine went off, Nami hiding her face in her hands as she began sobbing. Even when she was trying to be quiet about it, it didn't stop people from looking, and Alex knew she had to relocate Nami to maintain her reputation. Quickly grabbing her hand, Alex dragged Nami towards the ladies' restroom, with Nami showing no sign of resistance. While in there, Alex moistened some paper towels and handed them to Nami.

"T-Thanks," Nami hiccuped as she accepted the towels. She used them to wipe her face and cleaned herself up. "Sorry... I shouldn't have come to work today."

"No, I get it," Alex said. "I know you only take days off when it's an emergency. On the other hand, a mental health day could be considered an emergency."

Nami cracked a small smile as she rolled her eyes. "We can't all be emotional like you."

Alex pouted at that, but she took it in stride. "It's because I'm emotional I know when a girl's got love trouble. I'm betting you don't have anything for lunch today because you got in a fight with your boyfriend."

Nami nodded to confirm her suspicions. "Yeah, that's exactly right. We got a huge fight. I'm surprised you figured that out."

"If it was literally anything else, you would've had two lunchboxes instead. I remember that from when your mom was sick."

"His lunches do make me feel better..." Nami lowered her gaze down to the paper towels in her hands. "But I messed up. Even though he told me not to look into his sister, I did anyway and he found out."

"What was wrong with his sister?" Alex asked.

"She got arrested a while ago for owning drugs. You know... the illegal kind."

"Well it's not like they're arresting people for having cough medicine," Alex joked. "But I get what you mean. It must've been a sore spot for him."

"Very." Nami dabbed her eyes with a towel as she recalled the incident. "I had no idea. I didn't expect him to get so mad. I was just really curious, but I've been thinking about it nonstop and I know I should've respected his privacy. But people were posting about it all over the internet so it was easy to search!"

"Your nosy habits finally got you in trouble, it seems." Alex gave Nami a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "But I'm sure he'll forgive you. You obviously regret it and you know what you did wrong. If you talk to him about it, I bet it'll be solved in no time."

Nami took a long, deep breath, then said, "You're right. I know that, but what if he doesn't trust me anymore after what I did?"

Alex pumped her fist up with confidence. "Then you're going to have to earn it back. That's how trust works."

That seemed to do the trick at the moment. After getting some tea for Nami to calm down some more, it was ultimately decided that she should leave early for the day. Alex assured her everything would be fine and she'd cover for her. Eternally grateful, Nami grabbed her things and waved with a little more positivity as she left.

After Nami was gone, Alex first notified Edmund about Nami leaving early.

"She had to leave due to personal problems preventing her from working properly," Alex explained simply. "She should be fine by tomorrow."

Edmund was staring at his papers as she reported this. He glanced up at her, then back down at his papers before stating, "Alright. That shouldn't be an issue."

"Thank you, sir."

It was very straightforward, but that made it all the easier to deal with. Next, she had to inform Rumi since the two were working together on an article. Ever since Alex and Nami had been attending photoshoots, it became more common for editors to collaborate with models on certain topics. It had the benefit of making sure everyone was on the same page in terms of setting the right tone and style. That combined with them both being friends with Alex resulted in them being on friendly terms. Alex knew she could be more open because of that.

"Wow, that sucks," Rumi said after Alex told him everything that happened. "I told her not to do it."

"You knew?" Alex asked.

"She mentioned it once, remember? Like a week or two ago."

Alex shook her head. That was around the time Alex was involved with Edmund's family, and she had been so wrapped up in that she wasn't focusing on much else.

Rumi sighed and ran a hand through his vanilla curls. "Well it bit her in the ass regardless. You gotta be careful when it comes to your partner's privacy. My girlfriend and I agreed early on to only talk about what we want to talk about unless it's too important to ignore."

"You really do have a healthy relationship with your girlfriend, huh," Alex said.

"I-I guess," Rumi replied with a slight blush, somewhat embarrassed. "It wasn't perfect in the beginning. We had our own fights too and we got through them. We had to fight other people too, especially with her reputation. Then and now..."

Alex curiously tilted her head. "Reputation?"

"People thought she was part of a gang 'cause the leader of her cosplay group got arrested for drugs. Obviously it wasn't true, but you know how folks are."

"No way..."

That couldn't have been a coincidence. Alex suspected that. Then again, could they all be connected so conveniently? That wouldn't normally be possible. Unless there was a reason...

"Hold on," Alex said. "Can you tell me more about this group?"

"Huh?" Rumi seemed confused by the request, but went along with it anyway. "You might've heard of them. They went by the name 'The Lacers'. Several people were part of it, with some people coming and going."

She didn't, but she might know who did. She paused her conversation to text Nami.

A: Hey there. I know this is sudden, but was his sister part of a group called 'The Lacers'?
N: Yes actually! They were mentioned when I was looking her up. She was caught and arrested at a con, so they were suspected of being involved somehow.
A: What happened to them?
N: Everyone who was tested was cleared and even submitted testimonies. Sadly, they broke up anyway.
A: Got it. Thanks.
N: ???
A: I'll explain later.

After that, she moved on to messaging Val.

A: Sorry for waking you up, but it's important. Was your friend part of a cosplay group called 'The Lacers'?
V: Huh? Yep. They were gonna have a reunion at the con.
A: That's why your dad doesn't want you to go. He thinks they're a gang.
V: WTF? Why???
A: I'll tell you everything when I get home.
V: Ok...

Rumi watched Alex fiddling with her phone with a confused expression, then eventually asked, "Uh... everything good?"

"It's great now thanks to you!" Alex said as she put her phone away. "I finally figured it all out. In fact, the reason why you mentioned her girlfriend's reputation is because it's been on your mind, right?"

Rumi blinked, baffled by her statement, then nodded. "Yeah, that's right. It got brought up again after she announced what her group was doing. They're having a reunion at an upcoming convention. They were gonna rebuild with a new member and everything."

"I know that new member. She's my roommate, Val."

Rumi's jaw suddenly dropped in shock. "The bouncing bartender at The Slutty Saloon?!"

"You know her?"

"Literally everyone cool knows her." Rumi groaned as he pressed his hand against his face. "Fuck, her whole group goes there too. One of them must've dragged her into it. Now I'm going to have to deal with her calling me 'bitch boy' the whole trip there. Wish she told me in advance..."

Realizing Alex may have triggered the beginning of yet another fight, she waved her hands defensively as she said, "Don't worry! I'll tell Val not to bother you on the trip. She's having trouble being able to go anyway, so she'll probably lighten up if she finds out you helped her out."

Rumi narrowed his eyes as he stared her down. "She better."

Alex laughed awkwardly at that, then shifted back to work before either one of them was noticed goofing off. As she was wrapping up, she started planning on how she would confront Val's father. She prayed that he would be understanding.

---

The apartment living room contained three people: Val huffing and pouting on the couch, her father sitting in the big chair with a stern expression, and Alex standing in front of a table covered with papers.

"Thank you for coming today," Alex said as if doing a presentation at work to keep herself composed. "We're all gathered here to discuss Val going on her trip with her friends."

"There's nothing to discuss," Val's father said. "She's not going."

"Oh come on!" Val shouted.

Alex raised a hand to silence Val, causing her to pout even more. "I understand your concern. This all started when Val told you the group was called 'The Lacers'. As a policeman, you were familiar with the case of their leader being arrested for drug possession. Am I correct?"

"Clever girl," Val's father replied with a pleased nod. "That's correct. I don't want my daughter to be associated with criminals."

Alex then bent over to push the relevant papers towards him. "But if you look at this, you'll see the rest of the group wasn't involved. They all tested negative on the drug test and provided their own testimonies to prove their innocence. In the end, only the leader was proven to be guilty."

Val's father picked up the papers to scan them over, his bushy, red eyebrows furrowing as he read further. "Hm... these are copies of legitimate reports. Where did you get these?"

"I have a very nosy friend."

"This still means nothing," Val's father said stubbornly as he placed the papers back on the table. "They might not have been directly involved, but they were following her without question. Who knows what else they might get into if left alone."

"They were victims, dad!" Val said as she slammed her hands down on the table. "I talked to them about it after Alex told me what happened! The leader literally used blackmail and peer pressure to keep them quiet. Then she fucked up and got them all in trouble. They've learned from that and swore to never let it happen again!"

Val's father remained silent. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Alex did everything she could on her end, so it was up to Val to settle it.

Val sighed, her rage beginning to fizzle out as the sadness set in. "Just... tell me why you're being like this. You never act like this."

Her father's expression saddened as well. "I don't want you to get hurt like your mother."

Alex frowned, joining them in the growing depressing atmosphere. She was aware of what happened to Val's mother, and it made sense that her father would want to protect her where he couldn't before. After a moment of silence, Val stood up from the couch and faced her father.

"I ain't like mom," Val said. "I won't let people take advantage of me. If I didn't know they were good people, I wouldn't have ever bothered. Sure, they got a bad past, but who doesn't? I wanna help them do better, and I can probably show them better than anyone. So please... give us a chance."

Finally, after all their arguing, Val's father folded and said, "Fine. You may go, but if anything happens, contact me immediately."

Val hopped over to give her father a hug, which he happily returned. Alex watched on with a smile, glad that this drama was over. She had enough on her plate with Edmund and all of his baggage. Everyone had something going on it seems, but that doesn't mean you can't stop to help once in a while.

As they were enjoying a celebratory box of doughnuts, Alex's phone buzzed from a sudden text message. Curious to know who was messaging her so late, she looked at it to discover it was from Nami. To be precise, she had sent Alex a photo of her and her boyfriend wearing matching green Christmas sweaters.

N: We made up!!!
A: That's great!!!
N: Thanks for the help. Taking the day off helped me clear my head. Mental health really is an emergency!
A: No problem! I'll see you tomorrow.
N: See you then!

It was funny. Thinking back, this wasn't the first time Alex had helped people with drama. Growing up, she was popular with the girls because they felt safe talking to her about boy problems. She had forgotten how skilled she was at that kind of thing, though maybe it was good that she was humble about it. She could instead keep it as a kind reminder that she had her value in some areas.

During that weekend, Val sent her several photos from her trip, most of them showing off her and the group's costumes. Yet one of them showed a picture of her and Rumi hanging out outside of costume, with Rumi's face scrunched up as Val pulled him in to ruffle up his hair. What a small world we live in.