Amanda's New Apartment

"You mean it's been--" She paused briefly to count something on her fingers. "Eight months and you haven't told me?"

A letter appeared.

"It's like I don't know you anymore, honestly." She opened the letter.

Rachel looked a bit uncomfortable. "I thought you'd make fun of me. And you'd be to busy with college."

"Of course not!" Olivia folded the letter and stuck it under the couch cushion; how rude would it be to reply when they had company? "It's the gift of LIFE! It's beautiful."

Rachel perked up. "I never thought you'd say that! YOU, Olivia Astor! What's happened to you this whole year!?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia's tone of voice made this sound more like a statement than a question.

"You're kind of... nevermind."

"No, what?"

"I'm not sure if I know the word to describe besides uncaring-I mean, the reason why I didn't visit because I thought you wouldn't care. And you never visit me, so."

"I don't know where you live... For that matter, I don't even know where I live." She punctuated this with a laugh that was just a little bit too loud to be appropriate.

She stared at her seriously. "I thought you had a mansion or something on that island your family owns."

"They said I couldn't stay there unless I finished college. Which, I really don't want to go back."

"Olivia has been living here while I'm at college, I just got back a few weeks ago." Amanda said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah, well, it isn't permanent."

"Whatever... Rachel! We're being such terrible hosts! Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

"You're a terrible host," she interjected.

"You've been living in my house all year, no rent, and no job. I'm still terrible?"

"I've been here for four months."

"Five actually. So a little less than half a year."

"Less than half."

"Anywhere else you'd be paying like... Ugh. Whatever. Do you want anything to snack on, Rachel?"

Amanda leaned on the counter, sighing deeply. She was staring at the dozens of bags in front of her, filled with needed clothes, and just life essentials. It was August 29th, aka, time to move back into a dorm at Pendragon University. She'd be placed in a room with someone she never knew or talked to. Again, she sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair. No more late nights with Olivia, or randomly popping where I want to go.

"Livvv!" Amanda called through the apartment.

However, Olivia had already left earlier that morning to start packing up the rest of her crap from her old apartment in Amsterdam. The only reply Amanda got was a scratching noise - likely made by her cat .