She leaned her head against the wall in Will's bathroom, sighing as the fluids of the needle coursed through her veins. It was a silly thing to do, shooting up, but she had begun to feel too many things recently. It seemed necessary at the moment.

Grace had left Leo, and she was the one who ended up being volunteered to go over to the house and get Grace's clothes. Apparently, Grace accused him of loving his work more than her, and cheating, and he didn't disagree. Harsh words were exchanged and she left with only her purse. Karen was going over to the apartment the next afternoon.

Her sister was angry with her for taking in Ann after a night of drinking. She made the mistake of lying when she didn't know that another parent had busted the party and called all the parents. Ann apologized and was grounded for a month while Karen was scolded by her younger sister for being irresponsible, not for the first time in her life. It made her feel as if she was only a failure in her sister's eyes, always having to be scolded. It also made her angry, as if she wasn't trusted with anyone else's life. She was the older sister, in her mind she was supposed to be superior.

A breath hitched in her throat, and her legs gave out for a moment. She caught herself from falling by grabbing hold of the sink, but she could feel her arms shaking. Maybe she had gone too far, she vaguely wondered. After a deep breath and a clearing of her voice, she stood tall and made her exit from the bathroom, back to dinner with her friends. Will was the only one who could see how taken with drugs she was; the others were too shallow to detect.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leo spoke incessantly as she carried another box of Grace's belongings to the doorway. Rosario was taking them from the door and loading them into the limo. It would have been a clever system if it weren't for the current resident of the apartment following her everywhere she went, trying his hardest explain the fact that he was not at fault for the demise of his marriage.

"Okay, honey, shut up." She turned to face him, her hands on her hips. "I'm siding with Grace, no matter what you say. I hate to break it to you, but if you would just talk to her instead of climbing the ladder of success so constantly, you probably wouldn't be in this situation." She knew exactly about what she was talking. Her marriage to Stan had begun to die the day he chose work over their marriage and it got worse enough that she found herself in the arms of another man, Will.

"You can't come into my home and talk to me like that." She continued to pack boxes.

"Well, if you would be quiet then I wouldn't have to talk to you at all."

"You're such a bitch." She rolled her eyes at his lame attempt to begin an argument with her and took another box to the door. "Wait a minute, those books are mine." He tried to take the box from her hands, but she fought him for it.

"They were on my list, so I'm taking them." She pulled, but he was stronger. "Damn it, Leo, let go. Stop being such a child."

"No, these are mine. You let go." Abruptly, the box ripped down the side and all the contents littered the floor next to their feet. She pushed his shoulder in anger before sitting on her knees and gathering books. He began to gather as well, and they were soon arguing again. Oh, how he infuriated her.

Suddenly, their eyes met and his lips were warmly pressed against hers. As if she were controlled by bodily impulse only, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. She couldn't have been able to fathom what she was thinking. Their tongues caressed, and she felt his fingertips upon her stomach, where her shirt had slid upward.

"Oh my God!" She pushed him away quickly, backing away as if his kiss had burnt. He looked as shocked as she, his eyes wide. It was at that moment she knew that it meant the same to him as it did to her, nothing at all.

"Karen…" She held her hand up to stop his words, shaking her head. If she had to be honest, she didn't want to hear a word he had to say. All she could do was turn around and leave. Rosario came back for the rest.