Chapter 9: This Isn't Working
Rhoda and Brenda solemnly walked into the apartment. The conversation playing over and over again in Rhoda's head. She knew that Mary didn't really mean what she had said, but it still hurt her.
"The one person, the one you would never expect, and there she is," Rhoda started as she dropped her purse onto the table.
"Yeah, well, I think you two are going to be talking again," Brenda said.
Rhoda sighed. "You know I'll talk to her. As angry as I am right now, I still gotta help her. No matter what she thinks, she's still that naive kid from Minneapolis." She sat down on the bed and sighed.
"Yeah, that and the fact that I found this," Brenda said as she pulled the pill bottle out of her purse.
Rhoda's eyes widened. Quickly, she stood up and grabbed the bottle. "How did you?" she asked as she examined the bottle.
"While you and Daniel were talking to her I got some time to dig through a few things. Living here taught me to be quick." Brenda took the bottle back and carried it over to the counter. "Now, next time she comes over, I can prove it that I stole something."
"You really wanna keep those things?" Rhoda asked. The very thought of those being in the apartment bothered her. It wasn't so much that she thought Brenda would take them, it was just what they represented. The tearing apart of an innocent, unsuspecting, undeserving person.
"Doesn't really matter to me," Brenda said.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Mary grabbed her pajamas and decided to get ready for bed. This day was over. Nothing more could come of it. Once you're convinced that you lost the people who meant the most to you, there was no reason to continue that day. Mary Richards, the real Mary Richards would have never let that happen.
Washing all her make up off, she paused and stared at herself. This was something that she had been doing a lot lately. It was amazing how she could look the same, and yet feel so different. She had to get what ever was in her system out of her.
"They're eating me alive!" Mary yelled out as she sat up.
"I don't want the bugs. Okay?"
She took a pill before her very small dinner. It still had to be in her stomach. Without any hesitation, she started to force herself to throw up. Her knees hit the floor and she emptied her contents into the toilet.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Rhoda carried the bottle into the bathroom with her. She removed the cap and threw it into the garbage. Taking the bottle, she turned it and emptied the pills into the toilet and flushed it. They were gone. Finally, they were gone. She tossed the empty container into the garbage can and hoped that that was the only container that Stacy had given her.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Mary sat back and leaned against the wall. She pressedher palms to her eyes for a moment before leaning her head back. Her thoughts were all clouded over as she tried to think of where she made her first mistake. There was deciding to take the pills, letting Stacy get to her, deciding to go to New York in the first place, even agreeing to be the model for Daniel. It didn't matter. The damage was done.
Slowly, she lifted herself from the ground and went on to finish getting ready for bed. As soon as she was done, there was something that she knew she needed to do. Pulling open the dresser drawers, she started going through everything. No matter what, she had to get rid of those pills.
"Come on!" she scolded herself. About fifteen minutes had been spent on looking for those pills, and she still couldn't find them. They were supposed to be right there. They had to be.
"I guess maybe they are just gone," Mary said to herself. It was time to give up on finding them. It wasn't like she was going to take anymore of them. With that final thought, she went to bed.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
"Hey! Country girl! Wake up!"
Mary's eyes flew open as she quickly sat up. "What?" she asked trying to figure out what was going on.
"Its time to get up. We have to work out. Rehearsal is the day after tomorrow," Stacy said.
Mary sat up and looked around. "So?"
"So we have to get down to the gym and burn off anything we can. Seriously, that is the only thing that you should do today," Stacy said as she pulled her hair back into a pony tail. "And eat some celery or something before hand, and bring water."
"I think I know how to work out," Mary said as she finally climbed out of bed.
"Do you? All day long?" Stacy asked.
Mary rolled her eyes as she walked over to grab a change of clothes,"You know, that can't be good for you to work out all day long."
Stacy turned and laughed. "Since when do you know what's good? If I recall right, you were the one who actually started taking the pills."
Mary froze and slowly looked to her. "How did you know?" She knew that there were affects, but she had no idea as to how obvious they were to everyone else. Rhoda knew, but she had also been her best friend for three years now.
Stacy sighed. "Well there's the fact that you were burshing your hair like you were trying to rip it out yesterday. That and you couldn't sit still for more than thirty seconds."
"Well, I've stopped," Mary said.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Stacy said warned.
"Yeah? And why not?" Mary asked.
Stacy shrugged. "You really tired yet? How about hungry? Think you could eat a buffet?"
Mary closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath before completely turning to her. "Look, I only took two. I am not addicted. And of course I'm hungry, I haven't eaten a decent thing in three days. That would also account for being tired."
Stacy waved her off and grabbed her things. "What ever. See you down stairs."
Mary stood there and watched her leave. She was now trying to remember how many she had taken. It couldn't have been more than two. Could it have been? "I've got to find that bottle," Mary said to herself as she frantically began to search. In teh beginning there was twenty pills. It said on the bottle and it had not been opened yet.
