From Chex: Thought I'd get an update in while I have some free time.

"This is it?" Anna gaped openly at her first week's paycheck. She looked again in the empty envelope, turned the check over, and peered at it from ever conceivable angle. "Where's the rest of it?"

"You know," Krystal drawled. "For someone who spent the entire week having someone else do most of her work," she glared pointedly at Skippy, "you complain way too much." Skippy quickly stuffed his paycheck in his pocket. With a sheepish grin, he waved and hurried out the back door of the kitchen. Anna and Krystal watched him go with a roll of their eyes.

Anna crossed her arms petulantly. I can't believe I did all that work for this.

Krystal looked amused. "How much did you think you were making?"

"I dunno. A couple thousand at least."

The older girl burst out laughing. Anna jumped at the sudden explosion. Krystal wasn't usually so easily amused. "That's a good one!" She pushed Anna's shoulder lightly, making her cringe away. "God, I almost thought..." Her laughter subsided into hysteric giggles. "I almost thought you were..." She blanked at the look on the younger waitress's face. "...serious."

Anna stared blankly at her.

"You weren't, right? Serious, I mean."

Sensing she'd made some sort of social faux pas, she tugged self-consciously at the collar of her hideous blue and grey uniform and shrugged.

"My God...you've got a really messed up view of reality."

"Whatever." At least this week is over. She had spent nearly every free minute of the week on Krystal's computer. 'Becoming a creepy hermit', as her roommate had put it. And despite having to use her cover story, she was kept up to date on what she'd be 'missing'. Which included the when and where of all the hottest parties for the weekends. Of course, she would have to pretend she didn't know anyone there, but would that really stop her from having a good time? Not if there's booze and hot guys, she thought with a satisfied smirk.

The minute Krystal opened the door, Anna ran in and locked herself in the bathroom. After a quick shower (to wash off the scent of old newspaper and stale coffee that always clung to her after work), she rifled through her duffle bag for an appropriate outfit. Needless to say, she didn't have much to work with. I don't believe this! Her breath caught in frustration. She could feel another fit coming on when she found a plastic shopping bag underneath all of her clothes. Oh...this is the stuff I wore the last time I saw... She stared at the pile of clothes. They hadn't been washed, but the glittery sequins and clunky gold jewelry called out to her.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, dressed in the tightest, shortest things she owned, Krystal was watching TV. Bryan sat on the floor in front of her playing with small toy cars.

Krystal looked away from the screen to eye Anna. "Where are you going?" she asked as if she already knew the answer and didn't like it.

"Out," Anna said simply, her voice coming out high-pitched in her effort not to sound snarky.

Krystal gave her a hard look. Without saying anything, she conveyed her thoughts on the matter, a silent warning passing between them.

"Can I go?" Bryan asked suddenly.

"No B," Krystal said with a sigh. "Anna's going to a place that's only for big kids."

"But I'm a big kid! I'm almost six!"

"And its almost you're bedtime." Despite his pouting, he let Krystal pick him up and carry him to his room. Over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes at Princess. "Twelve thirty."

It wasn't quite an order, but it was definitely more than a suggestion. Princess left, wondering what kind of consequences would await her if she didn't heed the warning. Whatever.

At 12:30 Anna was laying on the floor of a bedroom, her legs spread wide, some boy running his hands up her thighs. Her head was spinning. Her hands and wrists were sticky with some dried liquid. Her hair had come down in a tangled mass around her shoulders, the not-quite curls sticking to her shoulders and back with sweat.

She glanced at the boy hovering over her, unconcerned about his presence and what he was doing to her. She couldn't quite recall his name. Something that started with an R. Rick? Roy?

When she first arrived, she'd experienced the unexpected thrill of being the mysterious girl nobody knew. But it quickly wore off. With no one to really talk to, she'd spent most of the party nursing a beer. Or two. Or three. Leaning her head against the wall, the rhythmic thumping of the loud bass music just outside the door made her sleepy. She looked back down at the boy, realizing with faint surprise that he'd already gotten her skirt off. Randy. That's his name. She smiled lazily, proud that she'd remembered it. "Raaandy," she said, in a sing-song voice.

He looked up at her briefly, flashing her a grin while hooking a finger in the waistband of her panties.

Her eyelids felt heavy. The room was uncomfortably hot. Sweat dripped down her neck and forehead. "I wanna go somewhere elsh," she slurred. She tried to pull herself up.

"What?" Randy said, irritated.

"I...I wanna go someplacsh elsh," she groaned, trying to reach for the skirt that was down around her ankles. She stood, then bent to pull up the skirt, nearly falling on her head in the process. She got the zipper up, but couldn't manage to button it. "Dammit."

As she reached for the door, Randy grabbed her by the wrist. "I though we were gonna do this." He sounded disappointed and angry all at once.

She snatched her hand back, and threw the door open so that it skimmed right by his face. The loud music practically smacked her in the face. Wobbling slightly, she looked him up and down. "Yeah, well, you aren't as cute as-as I thought you were."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked indignantly. She was already out in the hallway, her eardrums slowly adjusting. Unsure of what she was looking for, she fought to focus on any one thing. A swath of blonde hair came into view like a beacon.

"Trish!" Waving her hand and calling too much attention to herself, she flagged down the blonde. Trisha Coows stared at her, her nose wrinkled in disgust. Anna didn't seem to notice. "Trish," she threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders, making her squeak in protest. "I needa ride..."

"Do I know you?" Trisha asked, squirming away from her touch.

Anna scoffed. "Whatever, bitch."

A guy sidled up beside Trisha. Not the last boyfriend Anna remembered her having. "Whose this?"

"Some drunk loser," Trisha responded, shooting her a look that said get lost as she wound her arms around the guys neck.

Spurned, Anna headed out the door, refusing to risk wounding her ego any more by asking anyone else for a ride. Out on the porch, she was greeted (or not greeted, as the case may be) by the stoners and loners. Among which was, surprisingly enough, Beth Flores. Recognizing her former lackey, Anna went up to her.

Beth looked as she always did, dressed too plain and demure for a party, her hair pulled up in that messy ponytail she never seemed to tire of. She looked up curiously. "Hello?" Before Anna could think of something catty to say, she threw up, then promptly fell on her butt. The group of guys passing a joint around in the corner started to laugh at her. "Oh my gosh!" Beth jumped up, walking gingerly around the puddle of vomit and reaching for Anna. "Are you okay?"

Do I look okay you dumb...Oh, my head. The auburned-haired girl just shook her head, heaving dryly.

With a lot of effort on her part, Beth heaved her up. "No offense, but I think someone should take you home. Do you have a ride?" Anna groaned, her arms limp and her head lolling senselessly on her shoulders. "Yes? No?" She managed to shake her head. It hurt. "Ok, well, uh, do you think you could tell me your address or something. I'll take you home." She guided Anna down the steps and towards the cars lining the sidewalk.

"Mmp mohs..." Anna mumbled.

"What?"

"Up Joe's," she said, heaving slightly.

Beth stopped beside her white Nissan Sentra, waiting to see if Anna would puke again before helping her in. "At Joe's? I don't think I know a Joe. Is it near Delaney?"

Anna groaned.

It took nearly an hour for Beth to be able to decipher any of the directions Anna gave her. This was mostly because she had to occasionally pinch and shake her so she wouldn't pass out. When they pulled up in front of the diner, naturally, all the lights were off and the Closed sign was out. "Are you sure you wanted me to take you here? Its closed."

This didn't stop Anna from scrambling out of the car and banging on the front door until Beth thought she would break the glass. "KRYSTAL! LET ME IN! KRYSTAL!" Beth cringed, cowering and begging for her to be quiet. A light came on in the apartment upstairs. A few moments later, Krystal appeared at the door. Her hair was a mess and she wore an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. She looked positively furious. "Get your ass in here," she hissed. "Now."

"Umm..." Beth stood awkwardly outside while Krystal hauled Anna inside. "So I guess I'll be going."

Krystal glanced at her briefly. "I'd say thanks for bringing her back, but I'm not sure if I'd mean it."

"Uh, right. Well...bye."

As soon as Beth was gone, Krystal laid into her. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you not understand what twelve thirty means, or can you just not read a clock? And what the hell were you thinking banging and screaming like you've lost your goddamn mind! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't toss your ass out on the street!" She was yelling in a hushed whisper, her voice low and intense. She was practically shaking with rage.

Anna was too drunk to fear the threat of being thrown out. She responded to Krystal's rage with her own. "You can't control me! You're not my mom!"

"Oh no? And why not? I've been feeding you and putting a roof over your head for over a week now! In what way am I not your mom?"

Anna groaned. "Forget it! Forget you! You're just like my dad! You don't care about me! You hate me! You hate me 'cause I'm not good enough for you! But guess what? I don't care. I don't care if you hate me! I don't care if he hates me! I don't care if Trisha hates me! I don't care if everyone hates me! I don't need anybody! Do you know who I am? Do you KNOW who I AM?" She yelled hoarsely, her throat clogging with tears. Her eyes, already red, were wet and squeezed shut. Her face was was a mess. All running make-up and tears and snot and misery. "I'm...I'm..." She wailed, falling to her knees.

Krystal's face softened. Somewhat reluctantly, she knelt beside her, not touching, but sitting close enough to attempt comfort. "Hey..."

"I'm nobody," she moaned. "I'm nobody. I'm nothing. I don't matter anymore. I'm just Anna. I'm gonna die as stupid Anna Edwards and nobody's even gonna care 'cause nobody'll know who I really am. Nobody knows..."

"Mommy?" A tiny voice called from upstairs.

"Go back upstairs," Krystal said firmly.

"B-But..."

"Upstairs B. Now." She waited until she heard the door click shut. With a tired groan, she got to her feet, pulling Anna along with her. With a grimace, she realized she was getting accustomed to hauling the younger girl around. "C'mon. Let's get you to bed." They trudged upstairs together, Krystal pulling most of the weight. She wasn't surprised to find Bryan, still up, waiting for them. He stood in the middle of the living room looking scared and small in his monster truck pajamas.

"Nobody..." Anna moaned as Krystal tossed her on the couch.

Bryan went over to her, glancing at his mother to see if she would stop him. "What's wrong?" he asked the lifeless lump that was Anna. "You're crying."

She looked at him with wide, sad eyes. Like a lost little girl. She looked broken. "I-I'm nobody..."

He blinked at her. "No. You're Anna. You can't be nobody if you're Anna. Right Mommy?"

Krystal smiled ruefully. "That's right," she said as she pulled a blanket over the girl's huddled form. "You can't be nobody if you're Anna."

From Chex: "Heartbreaking, ain't it?" Or maybe just pathetic. I try to be as objective as possible. Feedback please.