She closed her eyes and hugged the girl back, resting into her hug. She laughed softly. “How…how did you know…?” She asked, her eyes wide when she said Vince’s name. She watched her and shook her head. “Never,” she told the other girl, going into her closet and grabbing things she needed. “No,” she said, softly. “I can’t stay…I’m just…I need some of my stuff,” she explained. She walked over to her bed and smiled faintly when she saw her stuffed elephant, running her hand over it, sadly.
“I’ve known Vince for a long time. And, well, I kinda had a feeling.” Arlene said sadly, shrugging her shoulders. She watched her friend navigate the room, feeling out of place in this picture. “Is he hurting you, Franks? Or forcing you to stay with him? Because if that’s it –” Arlene took a deep breath, standing up with her, “– if that’s it, I can always try to get him to let you go?” Arlene wasn’t confident in her abilities to make good on her promise, but she would do her best to try and get Frankie away from him. She didn’t need to be around him, he wasn’t – he wouldn’t be good to her.