"Ngh..."
Courtney slowly lifted her heavy head from the desk she'd fallen asleep at and looked around, blinking slowly. It took a moment for reality to sink in again, and she wished she'd never woken up.
No. Those thoughts were no good. She lifted her head a bit before letting gravity make it thunk against the desk, and repeated the process several times as she tried to get herself together for the thousandth time that week.
Two weeks ago Courtney Larsen was a military officer in the 3rd division. Nobody especially important, just someone who did the footwork for the organization. But even so. Even if she hadn't been special or anything, she was proud of the work she did. It was something she could go home and brag to her brothers and parents about.
Stuff like catching a purse snatcher, or finally cracking a murder case. She couldn't always give specific details, but that didn't matter. Within the military, she'd had friends, frenemies, acquaintances...
And now that was all gone.
She cursed her stubbornness. If she wasn't so stubborn, Medina and Colonel Evans wouldn't have gotten rid of her. She wouldn't have been fired.
Or if she'd never found the evidence of Evans' embezzlement. If she'd remained blissfully ignorant, she'd still be a proud officer of the Arx Nubibus Military Force.
No! Bad thoughts.
Cursing her lack of integrity now, Courtney hauled herself over to the bed and stuck her head under a pillow.
She wouldn't be who she was if she was willing to just let something that big slide. The military needed officers who were held to strict integrity, who would do everything by the spirit of the rules and do everything in their power to protect Arx and its citizens. All of them, from the poorest person to the richest.
Was that a naïve ideal? Courtney believed in it wholeheartedly, but maybe it was asking for too much. Maybe humanity would never be capable of producing enough individuals of character to run the military. Or were those individuals of character smart enough to stay out of the politics?
She moaned again and burrowed under her blanket. Somewhere out in the apartment the front door closed.
"Court! I'm back. How's the job search?"
Courtney's response was a groan.
"That great, huh? Let's look at stuff together."
All too soon Courtney's door opened and Lillie stepped in.
"Hey, roomie. Up from the bed of misery and back to the computer." Lillie grabbed Courtney's shoulders to pull her up. Since Courtney was so much bigger than Lillie, it was a bit of a lost cause.
"I've stared at job sites for two hours a day for the past two weeks; please don't make me suffer more."
"How long do you think your savings will last, Court? And I really don't want to see you like this. What happened to my best friend who was always bright and vibrant? Maybe a touch too serious at times, but I'm willing to pay that price for someone who never compromises on their morals."
"Look where never compromising on my morals got me."
"Idiots, all of them! C'moooooon, Court. Get back on that horse. Or I'll call your brothers and tell them just how pathetic you're being. Also you're seriously heavy. How can so much weight fit in one body?"
"It's called muscle. Not that I need it anymore."
"Oh shut it! What if you got a job as a bouncer? You'd be good at it. I mean, sure you're a girl, but dress right and you'd be more intimidating than half the male bouncers. You're certainly built for it."
"I appreciate you reminding me exactly how unfeminine my body is."
"You're welcome. Now would you get that muscle back to job searching? Or literally anything but burying yourself in that mattress? How about we do cake? Or ice cream?"
"Goody, sugar I'll need to burn off when I don't want to stand up."
"Fine! A nice lean cricket steak? Help me out here."
"No. Let me die in peace."
"Courtney!" Lillie forcefully turned her over and sat on her abdomen, pressing her hands into Courtney's shoulders.
"I could knock you off easily," Courtney muttered.
"So do it! Do something! I don't care what! Just stop being depressed. Sure, you lost the career you've been dreaming of since before I knew you. But is that all you are, Courtney Larsen? There are other ways to help people. You could go back to school and become a gym teacher or something! Shaping the next generation and all that.
"You could become a technician and keep the city afloat. You could be a professional athlete or something. You could do smaller repairs. You could work at a gym, or I dunno, be a dietician or something. You're a wellness nerd. There is so much more to the world than what you saw. Just. Look. Up. And stand up!"
Courtney shoved Lillie onto the floor and sat up, glaring at her.
"You think I'm not trying? I don't have the money to go back to school and keep living here with you, so at the very least I need a job. Even if it's a cashier or something. But nobody wants to hire an ex-military officer who was fired. Just leave me alone, please."
Lillie stared at her for several moments, tears in her eyes. Then she nodded, stood and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Courtney flopped over on her bed again and went back to moping. She didn't have the energy to do anything else.
