Hard knocks

[morevacant]

It's official. She's failed out of uni. Lydia Bennet, the thick sister of the bunch. The useless one. The disappointment.

Well, her mum won't be disappointed, once Lydia tells her about Cesare. She will quite understand that Lydia spent the time she should have been studying for her exams in Cesare's hotel making him happy. When Lydia tells her. Right now, Lydia doesn't dare: her mum is the biggest gossip and it will take two minutes for word of her and Cesare will be everywhere.

Lydia heads for her favourite haunt, a cosy Starbucks close by. She fancies an extra large double shotted caramel macchiato. What she actually gets is a small tea. Because she's broke. She's failed and she's broke.

Why is life so hard?

Comments

[falsify]

"You know," Eames starts, voice hushed a little like he's sharing a secret, "if you're old enough to go to university, you're old enough to stop doing what they tell you."

Not that he's suggesting she stop talking to her parents, just, you know. Establish a little independence.

[morevacant]

"Oh I know..." Lydia sips her tea. "But Daddy's paying for it. I don't have any money."

[falsify]

"One problem at a time then," Eames finishes his espresso and sets the little cup aside, leaning forward with his elbows on the table because this is Serious.

"So there's make-up exams, you said?" He's trying 5sound positive about it, like this is a good thing. Hell if he knows, Eames has always hated academia. But they're not talking about him right now. "You sound pretty sure you're not going to pass."

OMG I didn't see this!

[morevacant]

"Everyone I know says I'm thick," she sighs dramatically again. "What's the point of even trying if I'm just going to fail anyway? It's just a waste of time."

She kicks off her Louboutins and curls her feet beneath her. "You know how people say you get brains or beauty? I think my sisters got all the brains before I was born. It sucks, you know?"

[falsify]

"Academia doesn't come naturally to everyone," Eames says it softly, genuine. A gently encouraging tone of voice, "it doesn't mean you're not smart — intelligence comes in a lot of different forms — and it certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

[morevacant]

"Yeah, well..." Lydia folds her arms grumpily, "One day, no one is going to think I'm stupid."

She just hasn't worked out how that's going to happen yet.

"But haven't you had enough of me telling you about all this?"

A sudden suspicion crosses her mind. "You're not working with the cat, are you?"