• SHORT-LIVED

    Rumor Wickelle forced the edges of her painted-pink lips upward into a smile looking herself over in the mirror. Her waist had grown at least three inches in the past three months and her skirts pulled tighter around her middle clinging to the skin below. She sighed angry at herself. Her stupid fat was making the already gloomy prospect of a day even worse. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection angry at what it was showing her. Why couldn’t it lie to her? Rearrange her body to make her happy.
    She already, in her opinion, was ugly enough. She hated everything about her person, from the dark blonde half ringlets that lie on her head with no particular form nor fashion, to her tall stature. She hated her too big feet, and she hated her tiny fingers. And now, she hated her flubber.
    “Oh! Dear!”
    Her mom rushed into the room, her eyes growing wide as she took in the sight of her daughter. Rumor could have sworn she had seen some sort of five-clawed twelve footed creature, judging by the look on her face. A huge hideous beast to be greatly feared.
    But truly Rumor didn’t have to be a hideous beast for her prim and proper mother to be quite horrified of her. No, she just had to be in the slightest way, imperfect.
    “Rumor you look like an absolute cow!” said her mother in an atypical imashamedofyouasmydaughterrumor voice “What’s become of my beautiful daughter?” Allison Wickelle pressed her hands to Rumor’s hips marking the horizontal progression. “What can we do with you?”
    Rumor bit her lip, “Mom… Stop... Get your hands off of me…” she said in a quiet voice pushing the unwelcome hands off her waist.
    “Come now Rumor, I gave birth to you… No need to be shy around me. IT was pain enough to bring you into this world, don’t make it a pain now that you’re here. Now to loose all these… These abundances of pounds.”
    She began muttering under her breath, turned on her heel gracefully (which had no doubt been dutifully practiced over the years) and twisted around to face Rumor at the door, “And remember, fat is not attractive regardless of what your… Your friends think.” She then left Rumor at that.
    Above all else Allison hated about Rumor, her friends were the pinnacle of her mom’s loathing. They being weird and strange as they were, were amazing candidates for blaming all Rumor’s faults on. They were radical about everything, and her family hated them, but Rumor didn’t care. She had given up on fighting it, and her mother.
    “Oh yes mother I think fat is the raddest turn on since morning breath.” She muttered angrily pulling her clothing off her ignoring the rips she was making by her failing to unzip either. She threw them across the room not caring to watch as they fell in a heap at the foot of her bed. She turned through her closet taking care to find her mothers least favorite outfit. She ruffled through the never ending fields of lace and cotton until finding a pair of dark blue jeans and a cream spaghetti-strap shirt equipped with lace sewn on the bottom. She pulled the shirt over her head and forced the pants past her growing thighs.
    “Wonderfully slutty darling I do congratulate you.” She smiled at her reflection blew it a kiss and was off down the stairs.
    She made her way down the ivory sea that was her stairs, trying to ignore how hard it was becoming to run. Regardless of what strength (or lack thereof) she had left, she bolted past the room where her mother stood a plate of tomatoes and wheat toast in hand. “No thanks I’m going over to Victoria’s… Bye!” she called back rushing through the rest of the length of their particularly enormous home, leaving her mothers cry of “That girl’s a bad influence!” in her wake.
    “My oh my, it’s Rumor! Now that’s surprising,” said Ella with a smile pulling on the ends of Victoria’s straight light brown hair. Victoria looked up seeing her friend and beamed.
    “My Rumor!” she cried with open arms. She pulled herself up from the comfortable spot on the grass, with Ella’s knees as her backrest. Rumor ran faster seeing Victoria outside racing into her arms laughing.
    “Your Rumor hmm?? Is that what you think I am? Well I am here to inform you, you can be my friend today on one condition.” She said breaking away from her,
    “And what is that?” Victoria asked linking her arms through hers leading her into the white ivy covered house. Both of the girls had overabundances of money, and it showed both with their extremely large homes and parents showy manner of dressing. The two girls dress and manner were a disgrace to the name of Wickelle and Wilson. But luckily for Victoria, Ella, her step mom, didn’t mind.
    “You will let me eat everything you own… And then possibly you.”
    Victoria held her arm out, offering it up for food, without missing a beat. The two had been friends, since, as far as they were concerned, the begging of time. And had gotten used to the oddities each seemed to posses more of in one finger then any other normal humans whole body.
    “I hear I’m quite tasty… Or so says Andrew.” She said with a smirk.
    Andrew Black was Victoria’s boyfriend of two months. And as Victoria was… Victoria, and premature obsession were often used together… Acctauly more often then not. Marking the reason why her implication didn’t surprise Rumor in the slightest.
    “You’re the raddest slut I’ve ever met.” She turned into the kitchen not waiting for Victoria’s permission to sift through the cabinets.
    “Why thank you deary... Now why are you in the mood for human flesh as a third course?” Rumor turned towards her,
    “The wonder I live with…” she said taking a huge bite of candy apple smothered in gooey carmel that Ella Wilson had just made knowing that Rumor would most likely be coming, “She’s making me starve until I lose my cowish figure.” Victoria laughed, “Well then eat all you want sweetheart.”
    Rumor smiled puling herself up on the counter only to drop back down as Victoria’s dad traveled down the stairs wearing a business suit and tie. He was a handsome man, by anybody’s standards, he had dark brown hair that was cut short and always perfectly smooth, he and Victoria shared the same large blue eyes, and pale skin. Though handsome he was, tender loving kindness was not something anybody accused him of.
    “Bye Victoria...” Daniel Wilson muttered, proving the previous. She didn’t bother answering, watching him leave.
    “K… We’re safe.” She said with a smile listening to the revving of the engine in the garage.
    “Now… What would you like to do once you finish your feast?” asked Victoria pulling at the end of her hair, looking longingly at the stairs. Rumor looked over at her following her gaze, recognizing the path her eyes followed as well as the longing glaze that came with the thought of what was at the end of the path.
    “Torii,” She pleaded, “Come on… Why don’t we go... Why don’t we go shopping?” she finished at a loss for words.
    Rumor had no idea why she constantly kept Victoria from her addiction. Her drugs. She made what everybody made seem so terrible, like a dream… A multicolored swirling dream. But, as Rumor was raised, thinking that everything Victoria put in her body was terrible, her first instinct was to keep her from it.
    Victoria had given up on caring, whether it killed her or not, she was to deep in… Rumor knew down where there was logical sense concerning her obsession, that whatever she said or did to try to prevent the use of the illegal substance, it wasn’t going to help.
    Victoria laughed, “And can you say excuse?”
    Rumor sighed the logical sense surfacing, “Whatever… Do whatever you want…” Victoria raised an eyebrow, “Why so easily swayed?” Rumor bit into the apple not wanting to answer shrugging her shoulders.
    “No, now your going to tell me…”
    “Nothing Victoria… Just… Do whatever you want.”
    “Nice try Ru-dear.” She smirked watching Rumor chew the bite of apple into bits leaving streaks of caramel on her tannish cheeks. Victoria leaned forward, “Your forcing me with that pitiful stare of yours to take you the sweetest shopping place in this craphole named New York.”
    She would give up her addiction, even if just this once, because she wanted to make her happy? Rumor blinked repeatedly trying to think through the words Victoria said, was she kidding? Did she think it was funny? It was hard to fathom the stubborn Torri to give up in the small time she did. Though the thought of hanging out with Victoria, without the aid of … Anything, was to overpowering to not hope, to not convince herself she had heard her right, though she knew she couldn’t have.
    “No… You can if you want to…. I mean…”
    “Stop tempting me.” Victoria said seriously.
    Victoria knew she wanted to go upstairs and take the syringe, and shoot up as much as she could stand before the needle looked like it was dancing around the room among the other hallucinations the LSD brought on. She wanted to roll up the leaves and smoke the beautiful stuff until she couldn’t see straight. She wanted more then only one thing to go into her room chasing away inhibitions and sense of reality. Though the only thing before it was making Rumor happy, and seeing as, her doing the previous now would completely ruin her dearest friends day. She could stand a couple hours without it… She would live.
    "Anyways, it's really bumming me out how you can't believe I would give up one day of the stuff for the coolest friend in all of these United States."
    She said with a smirk. She shook her head in mock disgust, venturing across the length of their Italiano decorated kitchen, reaching for her car keys. She looked back at Rumor's and her mutilated apple before making her way outside to her car.
    It truly did make her a bit sad to see how unbelievable it was to Rumor that she wouldn't give up one high for her. She would do anything for her, and taking one day off from what she loved, whatever it happened to be, seemed a small price to pay for somebody who had done so much for her.
    Rumor laughed relaxing looking forward to today more then anything she had in a while. She took the keys before Victoria could reach the door, "Pshh.. I’m driving…” she said. True to her word, she bolted into the garage Victoria right behind her, and made her way through the garage into the front seat of the lime green Cadillac, “Am I the coolest friend now?” she smiled turning the keys in the ignition barely giving Victoria enough time to hop in the car before she raced off down the street.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Victoria couldn't help but grin as Rumor devoured the fudge topped sundae she had bought her, "Darling, I'm sorry to tell you if you eat that whole thing you may die of a heat attack tomorrow."
    Rumor down at the ice cream bowl and then up at Victoria, a perfectly practiced smirk on her lips. “No Ru, don’t do it… No!” Victoria cried.
    Rumor picked up the spoon, a large amount of gooey dripping cold ice cream piled on the piece of plastic. She bent it back, the treat flying towards it’s selected target.
    “Ha!” Rumor said beaming. She then saw Victoria vengeful smile, and took her chance ducking behind the wall of a booth the food court provided her with.
    Before she had time to take it from her, Victoria tore the bowl from her hands.
    “But my luv! Hark do not hurt me… My fragile body cannot take it!”
    Victoria stuck her tounge out, slowly spilling the spoonful over her hair, watching happily as it dripped down her friends features.
    Rumor smirked as she heard the gasp of shock from the surrounding crowd.
    “Your turn.”
    Rumor leaned forward over the wall the separated them, taking the bowl and flinging it at Victoria.
    Though as the two girls were used to, they were to wreck somebody’s day.
    This time by the ice cream flying over her friends head and landing on a ladies fancy pastel suit.
    She was obviously high-class; as was the outfit she wore. Much to the girls extreme pleasure and delight.
    "WHAT... WHA..." before the last slayable and the many explicates that would follow the two girls bolted off Rumor letting the ice cream bowl drop the floor.
    They ran until they both were out of strength as well as breath leaving them leaning against a wall gasping for air laughing still. "I am truly horrified to... to.. Learn what that clone would have said if we had stayed." Rumor said in between gasps of air.
    Clone, as Rumor had called the high-class person that had the misfortune of standing near the pair, was Victoria and hers favorite insult. If there was one thing they hated above all else it was people that are to afraid to be anybody other then everybody else. The people that wear the same clothing, in the same muted hue. The clean-cut hair that always seemed to be pinned in the most fashionable styles. As they had asked themselves many a time, why couldn't they just be individuals? Act like a person instead of a fleshy robot? As there was no answer to this question, they both came to an unspoken decision to hate them instead, and act the complete opposite.
    "Now that we have officially completed the first part of the musts for a day out with us, what rad store would you like to inhabit?" Victoria asked looking around her almost certain of the answer before Rumor even moved her lips to say it. She smiled happy that she had thought to bring money with her as her blue eyes traveled towards her absolute favorite store, Darlings. It was a simple store really, not to radical, like everywhere Victoria seemed to love, but it was just strange enough that Rumor adored it, and seemed to buy everything from there. She didn't get many chances to shop here, after all, when she did buy anything, she had to keep it at Victoria's house so that she could change out on arrival. But when she did, she virtually wiped the store clean. Seeing as she had no lack of money whatsoever.
    “Let us journey to… A one Darlings.” Rumor skipped forward nearly spilling over with delight as her and Victoria made there way trough the crowd all their minds obviously centered on the central point of the sale at a high fashion store.
    “Ooh! My sister from another mister there are having a sale at a**l-Mania.” She said in a high-pitched voice sticking her pinky up in the air, as well as her nose.
    “Oh my! I am so disappointed we didn’t’ catch that one!” said Rumor snorting through a laugh as she made a sharp turn into Darlings.
    “Hi Karl!” said Rumor cheerily seeing the employee who ran the shop every Monday and Friday.
    “Well hello their Miss Rumor! How are you this fine day.”
    Rumor opened her mouth to answer before Victoria shoved her out of the way folding her arms over her chest over dramatically, “I command you to say hello now Mr. Karl.”
    He smiled, “Hello then Missie Victoria.”
    “Alright, carry on now children.”
    Rumor rolled her eyes, “I’m good by the way, and I was going to ask, before I was so rudely interrupted if you have the new Lennon record in?”
    “Ah! I tell you time and time again dearest, that it is The Beatles. There are other members in the band, though I think you know that seeing you love them ALMOST as much as a I do.”
    “Yes, but John Lennon is the best of the bunch, and there’s nothing you can say to deny that.”
    “UUHH… Yea... No… But you can think that.”
    Karl looked between the two shaking his head pointing towards a shelf of record’s,
    “Right there, incase you ever get around to stopping that argument a’ yours.”
    Rumor smiled pleasantly, “Thank you.”
    If there was one thing that the two girls agreed to spot on, it was that The Beatles were the best thing since sliced bread. Both swore that they would go to a concert one day, when there were out of their parents rule, but until then they would satisfy themselves by listening to each record incessantly.
    “Here it is!” Rumor pulled it away from the others kissing the cover and hugging it to her chest, “How much?” she asked Karl stroking the top of it with her finger.
    “5 dollars.”
    She smiled pulling a wad of bills from her pocket and placing one on a counter and taking a bag from behind the wall.
    “Thank you Rumor, see you soon.”
    She smiled taking Victoria’s arm and pulled her out, bag in hand.
    “Now your turn to choose.”


    "Hmm... I have no idea... I believe I would like to go to Bloomingdale’s as there seems to be a tear in my ohsofavorite of skirts." Victoria said flashing her friend a sickly sweet grin making her way towards one of the stores. Rumor minded much less then the rest her friend liked, it was The Pit. She pushed open the door to the familiar voices of the workers there.
    "Well hello there my blooming flowers!" came the breathy voice one of the two women they knew to be the managers twin. Identical twins acctualy, both with long auburn hair, they hadn’t cut since goodness knows when. It currently reached on each of them to their ankles and was tied in a bun on Autumn Hart at the moment. They both also had forest green eyes that were envied by all.
    Her person smelled much like she was smoking a little more then nicotine, and her manner proved it.
    "I would like to give you a greeting." she said hugging them both. Rumor and Victoria both had gotten used to Autumn over the years, and had learned to deal with her unnaturally strange actions, and both hugged her back.
    "Ru! ViVi!!" cried another woman coming out from behind a curtain beaming and running towards them with outstretched arms. She seemed more normal then the other one and smelled like a floral perfume. Her hair was in the same bun, but was more kept up.
    They both hugged her in turn much more happy to see Summer Hart, the girls twin and manager.
    "What brings you gorgeous girls in here today?" she asked leaning against the counter looking them both over. Victoria motioned towards Rumor telling Summer she didn't want anything at the moment. Truly right now, the smell emanating from the back room was tempting her far worse then the shapely patterns hanging the small room. She sighed a bit trying to hold herself back from rushing past the curtain pulling the joint from whoever’s lips it rested in between and taking a drag herself.

    She wanted a trip more then she had in a while, and it had to be the one time she was away from home when Ella and her dad were gone. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection wishing it that her drugs didn't have to be an inbetweenherparentsbeingoutofthehouse thing. She wished she could go back to her birth moms were she could sit with people she didn't even know and feel perfectly happily comfortable with each and every one of them, because they were all in the same boat as her. They all knew how she felt and how badly she wanted whatever she could get just to get out of the hole her parents had dug for her to live in. But it wasn't her mom’s fault for bringing her into this awful thing called life... It was her dad.

    Her father who paid her to come over and sexhimup three nights in a row. It was him who was to horny to leave the poor girl alone. It was him who put inside the 17 year old girl a baby, who he would only end up abusing every chance he got, because he took out his anger on her.. Oh she wanted something to get her out of her mind.. She needed something to get her out of her mind.. She hated thinking.. She couldn't think.. Thoughts only made everything worse.. She wanted to get away.. To get away.. She turned around in the room her head spinning the walls along with it,

    "Hey. Hey Viccluvv... You need this?" Autumn said in a small voice holding out a burning joint. Victoria took it from her fingers without hesitation sticking it into her lips and taking a large smoke from the beautiful plant. She took a deep sigh the substance immediately claming her nerves sending a beautiful feeling throughout her body.

    Rumor smiled holding the bundle of clothing in the brightest hues that one could imagine. She clutched them to her chest turning towards Summer a smile stuck on her lips, today was going to be a good day,
    “Thank you Summer I…” she started, though she didn’t have occasion to finish as the smell of marijuana reached her. Rumor laughed coughing a bit and waving her hand in front of her face, she never did like the smell of it.
    “Well Autumn’s having a bad day hmm?” Rumor smiled not looking at Summer long enough to watch her gaze flick towards the smoking Victoria. Rumor turned, trying to find the supposed culprit, only to watch the cloud of smoke wane from none other then her Victoria’s face.
    “I…” Rumor began. Her face fell, her expression not betraying the sadness that seeing her friend doing what she was brought here not to do. Her smile fell and her arms dropped a bit, a couple shirts falling off the top her pile.
    In fact her whole being lost the happiness it had been filed with only moments earlier. Watching Victoria’s, almost unworldly reaction to the drug made her want to throw it across the room, cry and scream all at the same time. And her friends expression didn’t help much either. Her eyes were glazed over, the artificial joy setting in, and her lips were in not so much of a smile as an forcibly upturned frown from the substance induced high.
    Victoria looked down at her, the same expression not changing as she spoke, “Wella helloRu…” she said in a slow voice. Rumor bit her lip looking over at Victoria trying her hardest not to cry right then and there. She couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of depression watching the wisps of smoke slip from Victoria’s lips. She had wanted so badly to have this one day with her friend. Without the slowing depressant that was weed. She couldn’t blame the girl really, if she had the life Victoria had had to live with all her 18 years, she wouldn’t have been able to resist the stuff the hour they had been at the shopping center.
    Victoria took a deep breath inward shaking a bit as the sensation pulsed through her being. Why wasn’t Rumor smoking to? She wanted her to be able to feel as wonderful as she did. As light… As free from life… Like you were the wind floating carelessly above everything that was bad. And there was no way you could stop it so you don’t try. You just take another breath in and take in all that’s good in life and let it stew around floating higher and higher.
    “C’mon RuRu.. Why aren’t you… What are you waiting for?” Victoria said her speech getting slower and slower as each moment went by, making it increasingly obvious how oblivious she was to Rumor’s pain.
    Rumor looked down at the temptation that had been plaguing her for months now. It rested before her, so innocent looking… Would it really make her forget everything? “Just take it! It’s not that hard!” Victoria was obviously distressed over the fact that Rumor didn’t want it immediately.
    Summer moved forward watching Rumor expression go from utterly depressed to ultra tempted. She knew that Victoria wouldn’t give up until poor-Rumor gave in, and by the looks of it, that wouldn’t take that long. “Her ‘Toria? Leave Rumor alone, there’s more for you in that room back there…” Summer nodded to the room that Autumn had snuck back to after handing over the smoke to Victoria. Summer looked down at her, “You okay darling?”
    Rumor ignored Summer shaking free from her grip. She wasn’t going to let Victoria go get stoned if she could help it any. Her lips set in determination as she took a step forward. She knew she was stronger then Victoria, as the girl didn’t eat… Anything almost. She would be able to wrestle her into the car, and if she had to, with anybody who decided to sat anything against their leaving.
    “Your not going back there… Sorry.” Rumor took her hand, making sure she didn’t move from the precariously close spot she had stopped at. She then proceeded to take the weed from her throwing it the ground and crushing it under her shoe. She didn’t care how much it had cost, or how much Victoria would be mad at her for keeping it away.
    “Wait… No… No… Stop…”
    Rumor shook her head, “To late…”
    She then started to pull at her dragging her tiny frame away from it’s current standing. Summer couldn’t help but smile. Rumor was more of an amazing friend to Victoria then she had seen in a long time. She was so strong in taking such a far away person from the addiction.
    “Bye luv.. You need help bringing her back to the car?” Rumor shook her head quickly rushing out.
    Truly she wasn’t happy with either of the twins right now. If it hadn’t been for stupid Autumn, Victoria would have had no temptation and they could have enjoyed the rest of their day. And Summer… Summer would have let the girl smoke herself into oblivion. They had ruined their day, and possibly get Victoria in loads of trouble. She was certain Ella and Daniel had no idea about anything, especially her affixation. Victoria was good about timing and had perfected hiding it over the years.
    But now that Victoria was in a craze, she didn’t really unsertand was she was doing and would walk right up to her dad and step mom and inform them of her state and how she had gotten there. How was she going to keep her from leaving her room without locking her in with the drugs? Unless…
    “Hey Victoria, I’m… I’m staying at your house tonight.”
    Then Rumor could keep her parents away from her and her away from what gave her the side effects she was now trying to hide from the previous.
    “Whydya take it away from me man??” Victoria said her dragging steps as slow as her slurred speech.
    “I… I… needed that right now.”
    Rumor shook her head trying to tune out her words. She was out of her mind right now, she wasn’t going to let her best friend ruin her life, at least not for today. “C’mon Rumor… It’s not bad… I… I… I need to forget. Let me go back. Your not helping your like torturing me.”
    Rumor bit her lip holding back all that she wanted to do forcing her feet to continue carrying her further and further forward. Victoria went on and on, all Rumor could do was trudge onward hoping the car would come sooner.
    “Here we are…”
    She said in relived whisper taking the keys from her pocket unlocking the passenger and carefully helping Victoria in despite her adamant protests. She rushed to the other side plunging the key first into the lock and next into the ignition rushing out of the parking lot.
    “Ruuuumor.”
    “Victoria listen! I’m doing…” she bit back tears,
    “I’m doing this for you! You don’t want to have to… To have to live like this! Every time you feel something turning to... To drugs! There are other ways of letting everything out…” she cried making a few sharp turns into their neighborhood and finally into her driveway.
    “There’s other ways of letting your pain… Out…” Rumor said trying desperately to justify her actions. She got out of the car slowly making her way to the other side only to find the pitiful thing that was Victoria sitting on the car seat her eyes huge as she had obviously been crying,
    “You don’t know how much it hurts.” She said in a small voice pulling her knees to her chest.
    Rumor could barely look at the mess that was her friend. Victoria was often sad after coming down, but this time it was increased by a tenfold.
    Rumor reached forward and put her hand on Victoria knee, “You… You.. Okay?” she said dumbly.
    Victoria acted as if she hadn’t heard Rumor, though from the increasing elevation of her level of crying, she probably hadn’t.
    “No… It’s alright, c’mere… We’ll take you inside and get you some… Something.” She hooked her arms around her friend’s legs lifting her into her arms. Rumor rushed her inside making sure not to hit Victoria on anything, though her tiny size in height and weight did help a lot.
    “Shhh…” she said moving Victoria’s hair from her eye as holding her could be done with one hand for the time she did.
    “It’s okay Torii …” she moved inside the house trying to keep herself from crying at seeing her friend in this state.
    “Here you go…” Rumor sat on the couch placing Victoria on her lap and wrapping her arms around her waist, “It’s okay… You don’t need… The… The weed. You can just cry…” she said running her fingers through the ends of her hair.
    Victoria curled against Rumor relaxing a bit though still sobbing, “Rumor… Thank you for… For trying to help you… Your… You’re really an awesome friend… But I need it… I really.. I really need it. This pain that I… It won’t leave. All thinking does is torture me.” She said.
    Rumor shook her head, “No you don’t… You don’t need it.” She knew she wasn’t going to make herself or Victoria feel better but at least voicing the words that she knew was a lie would make her feel as if she could convince the obvious untruth to her friend. Truly she was jealous of the drugs; she wanted Victoria to be able to pour herself out to her. To tell her everything that was wrong. Victoria had only let her know half of the pain that she felt, only that her father would abuse her before he had married the life-saving Ella. She had shown her the bruises that ran along each reach of her body. The things that Daniel Wilson would do to her were horrifying. And though Victoria hadn’t said anything about him having raped her, she was certain he had as the poor girl had scars that reached along the upper half of her inner leg. Why couldn’t the poor girl then have something to get it all out of her mind? Something to let her forget even if just a tiny piece of her horrid past? Who was Rumor to tell her she couldn’t have it?
    Still she couldn’t help but feel important as Victoria relaxed in her arms, her breath coming in and out in deep sighs, and she had stopped complaining about her lack of high. That was Rumor’s doing, not anybody or anything else’s. Rumor had helped Victoria and she felt wonderful for it. Though her happiness would be short lived.