Flaws

Chapter 34 - Meaningless Communication

*About Two Weeks Later*

"So you're back together with Trev, then?"

It was Hazel's first week back at work and as soon as her Friday shift ended she was out the door to meet Violet. They dropped by a new pub, an attempt to gentrify the neighborhood, and sat in a booth in the back.

"I guess," Violet shrugged. "I don't know."

"Have you guys had sex?" Hazel didn't hold back, it was rare either of them did, as she stirred some sugar into her iced tea.

"No," Violet sipped her beer. "It still kind of feels like it's wrong, like I'm cheating on Tig, or whatever."

Nodding along, happy to be out of her own head, Hazel was much more invested in the conversation than usual. "When's the last time you spoke to him?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she pouted. "He said he couldn't trust me, Hazel. He looked at me like, like he did the night we first saw him. Like I'm the enemy."

Whenever Violet said she didn't want to talk it meant she wanted to, desperately, and instantly a flood of emotions bombarded her.

"I guess he feels like you are," Hazel said. "I don't think you are, I know why you did it and I know you'd never actually go to the cops about shit with them but they're so paranoid."

"They should be, I guess, I just thought maybe, that like I was special," Violet mumbled quietly. "Trevor always makes me feel like I'm some magical princess."

"That is not the real world," Hazel sighed. "I mean, Vi, you see that's not real right? It's weird and it's not how relationships really work."

"I'm in my Trevor bubble," she admitted. "It worked for us."

"Until you met Tig," Hazel reminded her. "I'm not sure this is good for you, jumping back into shit with Trevor."

Violet nodded, but she didn't care, and sat quietly with her eyes locked on her beer. Seeing she had shut down, Hazel fiddled with her straw before bringing up a new topic.

"So, I have to talk to you about something."

"What's up?" Violet looked away from her glass finally.

Hazel wouldn't meet Violet's stare. "It only takes like one or two days of missed pills to screw the whole 99.9% effective thing, right?"

"Oh shit," Violet hissed. "Chibs knocked you up?"

"What, no," Hazel shook her head. "I haven't slept with him in a while, like before the Pope shit while."

"Nate?" Violet guessed.

"No," Hazel sniffled. "When Pope had me I couldn't take my pill," her voice trailed off.

"Oh," Violet inhaled sharply. "Oh, Hazel, I didn't know."

"Cause I didn't tell you," she snapped. "You know how I get when I take certain things."

"You wanted to?" Violet seemed horrified.

"Yeah," Hazel closed her eyes. "They spiked my drink to make me easier to shoot up but fuck, we literally partied before the hard shit started. As soon as the X hit me I was dancing and," she shook her head. "I hate myself and trust me, I'm more grossed out than you are."

"I just," Violet trailed off. "I don't know, I don't get it. I never used anything."

"Forget it," Hazel hated Violet's eyes on her.

"No," Violet whined. "So what, you're late?"

Hazel nodded. "Yeah, I checked the calendar and I'm four days late but like, I don't know, there's a small chance if I am it's Chibs."