Chapter 14

Muffy was off from the pizzeria so she could attend class. After an uneventful morning, she wondered if Arthur had made it all up. At least her dorm was at peace after a stern lecture from the building manager about manners and sharing a living space. Apparently Sunday was a boiling point because the lecture was to the entire building and not just their room. Muffy grinned as she realized they had no clue what they were doing—cramming six girls to a room fit for two wasn't a good idea.

As she ate her lunch, she heard her coming. She looked up to see Jade and Rina taking a seat nearby with a boy she didn't recognize, but a glance in the other direction showed her who she expected, Francine.

"Your parents are on a sinking ship, Crosswire. They've got postings all over Elwood City selling their property. No wonder they've abandoned you. They're broke!" she cackled, her booming voice silencing the area.

Muffy continued to eat her food. She looked at Francine to acknowledge her existence, but she refused to react to her words. She really felt no reaction anyway. Her parents could do whatever they wanted. It's not like they were including her anyway.

"Really? You just, like, don't even give a shit? What happened to you? Being broke got your tongue?" Francine said sharply.

"What a bitch," someone said nearby, grabbing their tray and retreating to the other side of the room with their friend.

"She's the bitch! You've gone after me for YEARS, and now look at us. You're on the way out and I'm on my way up," Francine grinned.

Muffy shook her head, "Doesn't look that way to me, sorry. That girl's right. Now you're the bitch."

Francine moved to protest, but someone had gotten the attention of an attendant. Francine was asked to stop her tirade or leave the building. She chose to leave.

Jade came over to Muffy's table right after, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine actually. I...I don't know if you were just talking because you were drunk this weekend or what, but...I can see how things could be my fault. But with her? It stopped being my fault a long time ago."

Jade grimaced, "I wondered what I told you. Well, I guess I just spoke my mind to you. I think a lot of your problems are personal, but I think you can get through them if you agree to work on yourself. As for her? Avoid at all cost. That bitch be crazy."

"I've noticed," Muffy smiled, checking her watch, "I have another class, then my last one is with her. Wish me luck," she said, depositing her dirty dishes in the right spot and heading out. All eyes were on her as she left, but the glances died down the further she got from Francine's outburst. Muffy was invisible in the crowd for the first time in her life, but she found it oddly comforting. She was already putting on less makeup, namely to save money, but she didn't miss it. Being the icon was no longer her priority.

Muffy attended her classes, continuing to ignore Francine and any onlookers as she did. There weren't many as the day went on, but that's what she hoped for. As she prepared for bed that night in the aftermath of the dorm war (how did nail polish get on the ceiling?), she wondered how things would go now that she'd figured things out. Mostly she wanted to know how long it would take before she could be truly happy with her own path.