i want to be the girl with the most cake

ESTEFANIA 'TEFI' C. BETANCOURT. thirty-two, expert waitress. kinda married, foster's bertha mason. intercontinental party girl. blue harbor, illinois.

[tefibetancourt]

i. biography. ii. statistics. iii. connections.

NAME / Estefania ‘Tefi’ Crystal Betancourt AGE / 32, born on July 28th, 1992 GENDER & PRONOUNS / Cis woman, she/her ORIENTATION / Bisexual MARITAL STATUS / Married to Matthew Foster… for now HOMETOWN / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania RESIDENCE / Oak Gardens Cardinal Hill, Blue Harbor, Illinois as of 2024 OCCUPATION / Server at Waterway Diner Barista at Latte Love

SUMMARY,

trigger warnings — parental neglect, drugs mention, toxic relationship(s), homelessness/unhoused mention.

Tefi grew up the baby of a large family. Along with the privileged position of being the youngest, her parents grew more and more lax with each child they had. The freedom she was given as a child was inappropriate, but that was not indicative of the love her parents held for her (or so Tefi thought). Some could say they were lazy parents, but Tefi viewed them as trusting—she always knew if she really fucked up, mom and dad would be there for her, but she was given free rein to make as many mistakes as she needed to learn and grow.

With their hippie-like parenting style, Tefi did indeed have free rein. As long as she let them or her older siblings know where she was going, Tefi had the freedom to roam about King of Prussia all hours of the day. She didn’t care about her grades, viewing class only as an opportunity to hang out with her friends, and her family didn’t press the importance of schooling as much as they should’ve. In Tefi’s mind, she was treated like an adult at home, so she was supposed to be treated like an adult everywhere else in society. Adults got to decide if they cared about school, and only in seventh grade, Estefania knew that she didn’t. All she cared about was having fun.

By the skin of her teeth, the grace of god, or some administrator’s pity, Tefi barely graduated high school with no plans for higher education. While her friends were going all over the country for college, Tefi stayed in Philly and joined the workforce at her parents’ insistence. Becoming a server at the local Perkins, it became the first job in a long, long line of customer service jobs for Tefi.

Eternally getting hired at a job, then quitting or getting fired within months, Tefi acquired a friend group that also enjoyed nothing more than getting high in the afternoons and getting drunk all night. On one such night out at a bar, Estefania noticed a boy with icy blue eyes and an aquiline nose. The night ended with Tefi infatuated with him, knowing him only as Foster. Quickly, they fell in love. Just as quick, their new relationship turned messy and toxic—though Tefi, at the time, preferred to think of them as passionate.

A few months into their relationship, after countless nights of breaking up, making up, and breaking up again, Tefi awoke one morning in a motel room in Atlantic City, with a ring on her finger and her husband in bed next to her. Unfortunately, marriage did not fix their relationship, and they continued their toxic cycle. Until one fateful night, during another argument after she found out that he slept with her best friend, Foster walked out of their apartment and slammed the door behind him, never to return again. 

Extremely upset for the first few months in his absence, she all but forgot Foster when she focused on her new passion: being famous. Setting out to Los Angeles, Tefi tried her hardest to jumpstart a career in acting, singing, or modeling. The hitch was that she wasn’t naturally talented at any of it. All of her ventures to be a celebrity failed, including a brief stint on The Bachelor and multiple attempts to start a social media influencer account; she was still stuck working dead end customer service jobs.

After ten years in L.A. with nothing to show for it, she again focused on a new passion: becoming a trophy wife. Soon, her prayers were answered when she met a rich man named Ralph. She was willing to do whatever he wanted as long as he gave her whatever she wanted, and lucky for her, Ralph wanted the same arrangement. Another whirlwind romance, he proposed on Christmas.

There was just one teeny, tiny, little problem: She was already married. Fucking Foster, a man she hadn’t thought about in years, still found ways to fuck everything up. She had no idea where he went off to after he disappeared, so it wasn’t like she could track him down and force him to divorce her for good. It wasn’t until she came clean to Ralph about her marital status that he hired a private investigator to find her ex. 

And find him, they did: Blue Harbor, Illinois. Ralph gave her plane ticket and a mission to find Foster, get him to sign the divorce papers, and return all within a week. If she didn’t, she was going to get thrown out on her ass. Unfortunately, the moment she finally found Foster after arriving in town, he disappeared—again! The harder she tried to catch him around town, the more he avoided her. No one would tell her where he worked and anyone she asked about his whereabouts had the gall to act like she was some crazy stalker. It had been a whole week since she arrived in town and no one would help her, Foster apparently ceased existing, and Ralph grew more paranoid the longer she stayed in Blue Harbor.

One week turned into two, then three, then four. After the fourth week with the papers still unsigned, Ralph made good on his promise, dumped her, and evicted her from his condo. Stuck in Illinois with very little no money, no car, and nowhere to stay after Ralph stopped paying for her room at the Weaver Inn, she had to make some money fast. Luckily, serving was quick, easy money, so she walked into the nearest restaurant to her as she walked down the street—which turned out to be Waterway Diner—and started work that day.

Housing was still an issue, though. The owner rejected her request to sleep in one of the booths and the cash tips she made weren’t enough for a hotel room. Sitting on the curb outside the restaurant, sobbing into her hands as she tried to reconcile with the fact that she would likely be sleeping on a park bench that night, a good samaritan walked by and offered to let her crash on their couch.

The offer to stay over was supposed to last for a night, but now a month later, Tefi has pretty much permanently moved in. Still trying to think up a plan for her future, she’s still focused on the now, and right now, all she wants to do is make Foster pay for the havoc he’s wrecked over her life. She just wanted him to sign the divorce papers, but now she’ll make sure they’re married until the end of time, as long as he ends up as unhappy as she is.

PERSONALITY,

On the surface, Estefania seems like an effortlessly cool, carefree girl; always smiling and decked out in funky, vintage clothing and jewelry, ready to party at any moment’s notice. This is a trap! Tefi is incredibly messy, self-centered, and capricious. She’s constantly getting into shenanigans, sometimes nearly risking her life (or others) by heading blindly into danger, and pulls innocent bystanders into her bullshit all the time. She uses her charms and assets to fool people into thinking she’s some blithe, vivacious bohemian, only for them to learn quickly that she’s a toxic brat. Basically, she wants to be a manic pixie dream girl, and learned the wrong lesson from Gone Girl lol.

It’s not completely a front, though. Tefi genuinely wants everyone to be happy (except Foster) and is your go-to woman for fun nights out. She has trouble with boundaries, though, and always takes things too far if no one’s watching her.

Tefi is a lover of all things mid-century modern. She spends a lot of her free time perusing antique malls, scrolling through Esty and Ebay, and amassing a large collection of vintage clothing. She feels naked without rings on every finger, multiple piercings in her ears, and at least two necklaces. It’s not strange to see her in glittery disco pants and a peasant blouse in the grocery store at ten in the morning, mind ya business. She loves pastels, campy movies, and considers Sharon Tate to be a personal hero.

She has a lot of growing up to do. Though she’s in her thirties, she still acts like a twenty-something and resents the idea that she somehow has to mature. Tefi wants someone to always take care of her, while also giving her the same freedom she became accustomed to at a young age. She feels a sense of jealousy over her peers having stable jobs, families, and property, but ultimately doesn’t want to be like them. She likes herself (most of the time), why can’t everyone else?

CONNECTIONS,

specific connections,

HER HUSBAND (1/1) / Matthew Foster, and her number one enemy. Though she truly loved him at one point in her life, he’s now persona non grata because she blames him for her current predicament. If he hadn’t avoided her, she’d be home in L.A. with signed divorce papers and the ability to marry her rich boyfriend. Not only that, but he’s happy with an esteemed job, sweet girlfriend, and many friends. It’s just so totally NOT fair!

HER SAVIORS (2/2) / This person was the one to offer up their couch to Tefi once they saw her crying on the sidewalk last month. We can discuss if they’re happy she’s still sleeping on their couch or if they’re on the verge of kicking her out lol @thecjwelford / @sebastianvora

general connections,

CUSTOMERS / If your character has come to the Waterway Diner within recent weeks, then they’ve likely seen Tefi. Despite her lack of passion for serving, she’s a veteran waitress that has worked various food service jobs for over a decade now, so she knows what she’s doing. We can develop deeper plots throughout this connection, but this can be a good starting place for any of the suggestions below!

FRIENDS / Tefi is new to Blue Harbor, but she has an easy time making friends, mostly because she’s extremely extroverted. She’s the typical girl in the bar bathroom giving out compliments and unsolicited advice. At the outset, she’s a fun, cool girl with eclectic style and lots of energy, so most don’t see her darker side until they’ve gotten to know her. She will also steal your clothes, so watch out!

ENEMIES / While she has ease making friends, she has ease making enemies as well. Maybe she fucked your muse over, flirted with your character’s boy/girlfriend, stole something from them, or any other reason we can think of to make them fight lol. Usually she’s not that petty with relative strangers, but with Foster making her so angry, she can spare some of that anger for others as well.

PARTY BUDDIES / Estefania is a party girl first and foremost! She spends most of her nights at the bar or at someone’s house, drinking and smoking weed. Their relationship wouldn’t be deep in any sense, but whenever they want someone to show them a good time, Tefi is their first call.

CONFIDANT (0/1) / Again, Tefi is new to the scene, so this would be developed from a general friend connection, but Tefi has moments of vulnerability and your muse is the person she turns to whenever she’s feeling particularly down. Normally she’s all go-go-go but this is the friend she sits on the couch and watches movies with, tells all her hopes and dreams to, and gives her advice (that she likely won’t follow) whenever she requests it. Knowing Tefi, this is kind of a one-sided relationship, but she would try to be there for them in the same capacity as they are for her.

PARTNER-IN-REVENGE (2/2) / This person knows the extent of her anger for Foster, so they help her cook up schemes to make his life hell. I imagine this person either also dislikes her husband or they just think Tefi’s quest for revenge is hilarious. She gives up her quest a few months into play, but for now, they help her think up pranks and tricks. / @sebastianvora, @thecjwelford

SEXUAL INTERESTS / C’mon, Tefi is super hot, so it wasn’t hard for her to find someone to hook up with. Either it could be a one-night-stand or a casual hookup, but Tefi has no plans to start up a relationship with them or anyone else in town.

ROMANTIC INTERESTS / Just because she has no plans to start up a relationship with anyone doesn’t mean it won’t happen, though! It likely won’t be serious at the start, but Tefi falls in love hard and quick, and unfortunately is still pretty toxic. She’ll try not to get into a cycle of fighting and making up like she had with Foster, but she doesn’t want to be a doormat like she was with Ralph, either (they both fucked her over in the end, anyhow!). 

And anything else we can think of!! IM me <3 also it would be really funny if someone recognized her from her one episode of the bachelor lol

[leonwozniak]

who: open! @bluestarters where: o'shea's (irish pub extraordinaire)

leon tried hard not to let his face reveal the growing annoyance as he was rattled off to ingredients for some overly complicated cocktail. it was supposed to be a quiet night—just him, his regulars, maybe a chance to go over last month’s sales in peace. o’shea’s wasn’t the place for sugary, twelve-ingredient monstrosities. aurora down the road thrived on that sort of thing, but here? no. o’shea’s was a pub, not a cocktail bar. the only sweet liquor they had was that weird hornet thing for st. patrick’s day, and that was a stretch. otherwise, this place was about beer, whiskey, and the occasional gin mixer. “we're an irish pub. i can’t do that,” leon said flatly, shooting down the request with a shrug. “you can have a lager, guinness, or an amber,” he offered, tapping the taps as he spoke. “i’ve got cider if you want it sweet. and i can make you a gin and tonic—that’s about as fancy as we get.”

[tefibetancourt]

tefi was used to surly bartenders. unfortunately for surly bartenders, tefi was used to getting her way. she saw the way his face darkened as she recited the ingredients for a brandy alexander. tefi smiled patiently, hands folded over each other on top of the bar. “y’know, cognac, cream, chocolate liqueur? put it in a shaker with some ice and then pour it straight up into a cocktail glass? like in the movie tattoo with bruce dern?” she didn’t understand why she always had to explain what exactly went into the cocktail. maybe it fell out of fashion or something, but from her groovy vintage dress and classic white go-go boots, it was clearly telegraphed that tefi didn’t care about what was in fashion.

her own face darkened when he explained how he couldn’t do that for her, proclaiming it was an irish pub. what, the irish didn’t like cocktails? nonsense. she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “the blonde one always makes it for me.” tefi countered, brows lifting haughtily. “ann-margaret or something.” she didn’t think the other bartender was actually named after the actress, but tefi considered ann-margaret to be not only a style icon, but a lifestyle icon. in her mind, it was a compliment. she relented with a roll of her eyes, “fine. i’ll take a vodka cran if you’re going to be a baby about it. surely the irish like cranberry juice?”

[biteswings]

where: the pour house who: open

When November came, a chill fully settled in, bringing with it winds and rains, the taste of winter, like it always did. And as always, things seemed a bit more harsh in Weaver Ridge, the rotten root that kills the whole tree. While other neighborhoods were getting a start on pie competitions and Christmas lights, a knock-off inflatable zombie Snoopy with eyes too humanoid blew in front of Freya like a tumbleweed. Fitting. She stopped to watch despite the way her wet clothes clung to her skin like sharp icicles, traveling deeper into bone. She kind of liked the way it made her feel – both the fucked-up Snoopy and the cold. As if on purpose, the sky split open with thunder as the inflatable finally hit and flattened against the outside of The Pour House. R.I.P. zombie dog. She shrugged and followed heed – Freya’s own version of what she considered divine intervention. A fan of bars aplenty, she didn’t venture into The Pour House often. If Blue Harbor was a radioactive map of the most-fucked-up-reminders-of-your-life, Freya’s internal Geiger scale was always off the charts there, even if she’d never admit it. Besides, rum could help warm things up – warm her up. She didn’t go for the rum first, though. Instead, Freya veered towards the bar stool on the far left. Years ago, at that spot, she had discovered her parents’ initials carved into the table, surrounded by a heart and all. It had unsettled her then, so Freya ignored it until now. Now she dug her keys out of her pockets and scratched at the engraved wood because it didn’t deserve to exist if they didn’t exist. She felt the presence of someone else before they made themselves known. “I’m helping re-decorate. This place is a shithole,” she said, expecting admonishment.

[tefibetancourt]

tefi would absolutely reject the title barfly for a myriad of reasons. first and foremost, she did not stick around one bar, she visited many like a royal on a public relations tour, putting all the nightlife establishments in blue harbor on a steadfast rotation. that alone saved her from such a heinous term! there were other reasons, too, like how she didn’t sit at the bar the whole time, drinking the night away and trapping fellow customers with old tales about her glory days, or how she did not know all the bartenders by name, just some of them. so… take that, anyone that would dare describe her that way! it had been months since the last time she’d been banned from the pour house, having paid off her debt for breaking a stool (from standing on it and performing a half-ass, thankfully interrupted go-go dance), so it was back on rotation. that was why she was hanging out on a rainy night shortly after halloween, and not because she had nothing better to do. nursing a brandy alexander, she noticed the blonde because of the way she was furiously scratching out something on the table. her brows shot up, but she didn’t say anything until she said something to tefi. “hey, i’m not judging. live your truth, sister.” she shrugged, “just don’t let the owner see. he banned me a few months ago for breaking a stool, so i don’t know if defacing his table is a worse offense or not.” she said it with a laugh, like getting banned from bars was just a cutesy trait and not trashy. “you crossin’ out your ex-boyfriend’s name or somethin’?”

[theobailey]

Theo had been enjoying a quiet drink at the edge of the bar, his wheelchair tucked neatly out of the way, when the unmistakable voice of someone committing to a karaoke performance—half a pitch too high but with full enthusiasm—drew his attention. He couldn't help but smirk as the woman, now lounging across the bar like she owned the place, belted out ABBA with reckless abandon. It was chaos in motion—a sort of beautiful, carefree disaster—and Theo was more than intrigued. He leaned against the counter, watching the person command the room like a queen of karaoke, and couldn't help but smile.

The next thing he knew, a microphone was being thrust into his face. Caught off guard, Theo blinked, staring at the woman who was clearly expecting him to sing the next line. Theo didn't hesitate. He grabbed it with a grin and, without missing a beat, launched into the next line. “So I say, thank you for the music…” He held the mic with an ease that only someone used to being on stage could muster. He should do karaokes more often. As the crowd reacted to the final lines, he handed the mic back to her, grinning widely. "Hope that met your standards. I would hate to think I've spoiled your brilliant performance."

[tefibetancourt]

it was a consequence of being an intercontinental party girl: tefi could go into any place in any town and make a spectacle of herself. whether people responded in kind or got annoyed by her antics was up to the individual person, and tefi didn’t really care either way. it was sort of effortless, the way she commanded attention, ever since she was a child. perhaps it was born out of her family’s disinterest in her; if her parents or siblings didn’t want to watch her sing and dance in the living room, she just found a friend down the street that would be enraptured by her rendition of part of your world from the little mermaid. if someone was bothered by her taking over the dance floor at the club or, say, belting out an abba hit as if she was putting on a one-woman show, tefi would just move on and find someone that was entertained.

luckily, the man sitting at the bar was evidently entertained, turning her one-woman show into a duet. tefi grinned encouragingly, head swaying along as he sang the next line. the rest of the bar joined in for the last few bars, so tefi extended her hand into the air so the microphone would capture everyone’s voice as she sang along. in these moments where the alcohol fuzzed up her brain and no one was actively telling her to fuck off, she felt something akin to euphoria. like the karaoke bar wasn’t just a bar, it had turned into valhalla with neon lights and a disco ball spinning up above. that’s what heaven was to her, like the dancing scenes from saturday night fever or boogie nights. where it was the ‘70s forever, and the harsh realities of the world didn’t exist anymore. that was the thing, though. the song always ended, and the neon lights would be turned off in favor of bright overhead lighting. in the end, valhalla would turn back into earth, and tefi would have to go home. “you were brilliant, darling!” tefi exclaimed excitedly. she was mostly just happy someone was willing to play along. the bartender behind her motioned for her to give back the mic, which she did reluctantly. she flashed them a small pout before she turned her attention back to her duet partner. “i’m tefi. i don’t believe we’ve met.”

[alecflynnarchive]

Alec shot Tefi an amused expression. It was entirely possible that she was bad for business, prone to being an all around menace to society. But as a fellow anarchist, Alec could only respect it. He enjoyed it, actually.

"Gonna make me google how to do my fucking job," he grumbled with feigned annoyance, shaking his head. His gaze slid to hers, holding it for a moment like he was contemplating whether or not to follow the order. The truth was, he would have served her regardless. One, because he was bored, but two— well, money was money was money. But that didn't mean he couldn't play a little bit first. "Say please."

[tefibetancourt]

tefi felt a satisfaction that only came from getting what she wanted. it wasn’t the first time she had been banned from an establishment, nor would it be the last, but they were usually temporary. except for la cita bar back in los angeles, but that was a long story she didn’t like to dwell on (it also involved destruction of property). “you mean you don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails? tsk, tsk.” tefi tutted playfully, lifting a hand to her collar bone in mock-offense.

at the prompt to say please, she rolled her eyes haughtily; ever the petulant child. she pretended to hem and haw for about thirty seconds before she dropped the pretense and leaned forward on the bar. “pleaseeeeee, would you make me a brandy alexander?”

[safyavas-deactivated20250508]

Sure, Safiye had witnessed many an altercation between Foster and Tefi—probably even broke up a few of them by putting herself in the middle—but she never really understood what a last straw looked like for the two of them with just how volatile things always were between them. Where was the line? And if Safiye had known, would it have been any different? Or was that just the excuse she went with when she was so freshly in her twenties? Her chest felt tight and heavy with the burden of guilt as she stared back at Tefi with nothing but remorse filling her eyes. Until recent years, Safiye hadn't very well known what it really meant to be a friend. But she couldn't open her mouth just to say she was too young and too dumb then to catch herself at every wrong turn. "I'm sorry, Tef," she managed to weave together, her eyes completely closed as she said it, "I–I didn't know.."

Except she did know a bit more than she was letting on. Maybe not that Foster had gone and done the most anti-girl-guy code shit on the list. But to some extent in her heart of hearts, she had to know that if Foster and Tefi were no more, it was likely it was Foster's fault. But talking to Foster in a deep, personal, connecting sort of way—oh, it was rare if ever. Getting answers from him was usually a pointless endeavor because you wouldn't get very far. He made sure of that. Tefi had always been there in a more meaningful way, hadn't she? Safiye's eyes finally lifted to meet her. "I didn't know he did that," she tried softly before clearing her throat. "I didn't have a whole lot of friends then and it was—f–cked up.. It was f–cked up...what I did to you, and I'm sorry."

It was better that she left it at that than try to formulate an excuse that could pardon her social crimes against Tefi. As far as Safiye could remember, Foster hadn't said much about who, what, when, where or why he and Tefi never worked out. But Safiye didn't dare to ask either. In the nightmare that was her entire first-half of her college experience, Foster had been a light that soothed her, that helped her without saying as much. Aside from a patch-up here and there, he never really asked for much either, and so she bid her loyalty to thank him. Their relationship was almost transactional, really. Tefi, on the other hand, really tried to fill the role of being the sister she never had. Though rough around the edges, she did always look out for the younger of the pair. Every little moment she could recall between both Foster and Tefi was warring with another in her head now, screaming about which 'side' was the right one.

"Where do we even go from here?" she asked, digging her hands into her pockets and exhaling deeply, "How can I apologize?"

𝐅𝐎𝐑: @tefibetancourt

[tefibetancourt]

i'm sorry, tef, i–i didn't know…

you didn’t know because you didn’t want to know, tefi had wanted to say. she had wanted to really let safiye have it, to tell her all the ways in which she was a shitty friend, to make her feel as shitty as tefi did, but she couldn’t. not fully. it should have been easy for her to lift her chin in the air, to lord over safiye with the terrible knowledge that their friendship was needlessly ended, but it didn’t feel good to do so. all she saw was her former friend with watery eyes and a heartbroken expression. tefi wished she didn’t physically feel herself softening. it would be so much more comfortable to sit in her anger, an anger that last ten whole years, than to immediately forgive safiye. even if she did seem genuinely sorry.

…but safiye was only sorry now, tefi reminded herself. all those years ago, when foster had freshly left her behind with no way for her to contact him, safiye had refused to help her. she chose foster over tefi. like most people in her life, someone else was chosen. tefi was always second-best, and anyone’s love for her came with conditions. there was no grace for her mistakes, her histrionics. there would always be someone more worthy of love, more worthy of their time than tefi. she was all alone, and she knew that was her fault, but why couldn’t anyone else take responsibility for how they treated her? how they left her? at least safiye had the decency to be upset. that was more than tefi could ask for from a lot of different people in her life.

despite herself, tears began to brim. tefi pressed her lips together painfully to try and keep them from falling, eyes rolling towards the sky. “listen, i’m not going to act like i’m some perfect person. we both know that i’m not.” she returned her rheumy gaze to safiye, shrugging limply. “but i don’t want to be mad at you anymore.” her anger was one of the few things that tefi could control in her life. she could turn it on and off like a faucet, if she wanted to. except for foster, of course. “i don’t know how to move forward. i want to, i just… ten years is a long time, y’know?” safiye probably had a whole beautiful life now while tefi was simply stuck. stuck and stunted. the whole world passed her by and she was still acting as if she was twenty-one. “i’m willing to try, though. if you are.”

@safaksoy

[laineycaldwell]

"It's actually super annoying," Lainey said, rolling her eyes. There were more times than she could count that there'd been some insane rumor about her spread around town-- and about half of them had gotten all the way back to her dad. "Like, when I was in ninth grade my dad made me take a fucking pregnancy test because my basketball teammates were, like, out to get me." The Blur Harbor curse.

"How'd you like Philly? Only been a handful of times," Lainey confessed, leaning forward and grabbing Tefi's arm in excitement. "Oh my God! I just moved from L.A." She sighed, almost wistfully. Lainey knew her first winter back in Illinois was going to be a bitch, and the promise of frostbite was almost worse than the threat of small-town rumors. "Why the hell did we move to Blue Habor from Los Angeles?" Lainey asked, laughing.

Lainey nodded, fixing her own hair as they sat down. "Good fucking riddance," she declared, taking a long drink of water from their bartender friend. At Tefi's confession, Lainey clapped her hands together, "My kind of woman! I knew I liked you, Tefi." She quickly waved her hand in the air, dismissing Tefi's apology. "I've done a lot more for a lot less, babe. Trust. No judgment here."

She shook her head, disgusted at what was certainly an overreaction from Tefi's ex. Men. Lainey thought about it for a moment, tapping her finger on her water glass and offering, "Besides completely ruining my career?" It was... sort of true.

[tefibetancourt]

“girl, what?!” tefi asked, mouth dropping to the floor. “i’d die if my dad did that!” of course, that would require her father to actually care about what she did with her days, but she could imagine the indignity. especially as a teenager, when her parents were the most embarrassing people in the world, and at the time, she thought she lucked out with a mom and dad that were laissez faire about parenting. she didn’t realize it wasn’t cool that her parents didn’t care what time she came home or that they let her smoke cigarettes in her room. 

“it’s fine for what it is.” that was as diplomatic as she could be about her hometown. philadelphia was certainly better than the boring suburb she grew up in, but it was still too cold for her liking and there weren't a lot of career opportunities there. not for the type of career she wanted. unlike l.a., where everyone was trying to be a star. “darling, i ask myself that every single day.” tefi said with a laugh, as if it were untrue. if it wasn’t for her mission, tefi would have probably already left for a new city. the problem was having enough money to start over.

lainey was beginning to seem like a kindred spirit. like someone that could understand what it was that made tefi so… herself. that was incredibly rare. most people made her feel like she was wrong for operating the way that she did, and maybe they were right to do that, but it was nice to feel some sort of acceptance from lainey. even if she was a virtual stranger. “well, thanks, because everyone else always acts like i’m crazy or something. i mean, they’re probably right, but still! can’t they put themselves in my shoes?” her vintage white go-go boots, to be exact. “ohmigod, ruined your career how? and where can i find them so i can beat the shit out of them?”

[hairpintvrns-arxiv]

The world was beginning to recover from being tilted off its axis. The woman’s onset of panic had now receded, not quite into a dull thud but obviously less acute as it had been minutes past and deeper onto the trail. And, on Terry’s part, their instinct to be logical in face of clear and present danger had now given way for something more nurturing—having conflated the roles of mother and father, uncertain which the woman might appreciate more. 

This approach, though, had appeared more conducive. A gentler touch. The precision of the action and conversation now lost itself to the wind, whistling through the trees. “I’m from New York City,” they began, casting with them with another cursory gaze. A city girl, then. No wonder she had found herself so lost. No streets or buildings by which to mark one’s way. They could imagine the nights here as they passed—no streetlights by which to guide one home, and in the thickest parts of the woods, the forest canopy could barely let the moonlight in. Worse yet, the lack of birdsong… 

They willed themselves back into the conversation. “What brings you here to Illinois, then?” A small tilt of their head, curious. The appeal of the forest was not for everyone, least of all to people born in the city. They recalled their brothers’ own confusion at their fairly long-term move—a year in Illinois was not short, but for a person who had lived in one state all their life, it was certain to raise some questions. A change in career, though, had been a fairly sound argument on Terry’s part, even as it obscured their real, more personal intent. “Are you here for your work?” They began, recalling their own reasons. 

What had Lina Bardi said? That architects should commit their attention to men, and not just monuments. Their lips quirked at the thought of being named Amanda, but they offered an explanation, “My full first name is Ketziya Tirtzah. Both names are too feminine for my taste.” 

Above them, the sun was beginning to peek through the forest canopy. Against the sun’s weight, they were both tiny, pliable things. Terry might have appeared more well-adjusted than others, but they were subject to the whims of the forest all the same. “Time is slower here. I’m older now. I needed the change of pace. That might not be the answer looking for, when you’ve spent the entire weekend wishing time would go faster.” They smiled, attempting to evoke something like humor, even as it fell short, “You don’t see the appeal of it, then? Barring this… incident, of course.”

[tefibetancourt]

tefi managed a low, sardonic laugh. it seemed, besides a handful of people she had met, everyone came from somewhere better to blue harbor. she didn’t understand that. if it weren’t for foster, tefi would have no idea that blue harbor even existed. the only time the entire state of illinois ever crossed her mind before this year would have been only if someone mentioned chicago. even now, as far as she was concerned, chicago was the only city in illinois. she spared them a glance. “sorry, i’m not laughing at you. it’s just funny that i keep meeting people from new york or los angeles… here.”

ah, the dreaded question. what was estefania betancourt doing in blue harbor, of all places? only a handful of people knew the truth, and that was for tefi’s sake. if someone warned foster about her plans, then all of it would have been for nothing. it was risky enough that her roommates knew about it, since they were friends with foster’s girlfriend. “i guess you can say that.” no one would ever move cross-country to work at a diner, so she couldn’t blame it on that. “there’s… something i need to do here and i can’t leave until it’s done.”

ketziya tirtzah. tefi had never heard those names before, but since she got asked about her own name often enough, she left the revelation alone. she could concede that time was slower out here, but that was a negative in her eyes, not a positive. all she ever wanted since she was a little girl was time to go faster, to get to the good times quicker and to forget about all the sad bullshit in the world. she just wanted to have fun. that was the whole reason why she was stuck in the forest for days: in pursuit of fun, in the form of partying and drugs most often. most of the time, it didn’t end up with her covered in dirt in the woods. just sometimes.

she shook her head at the next question. “not really, no. sorry.” maybe she should have wanted to be like that, to be able to slow down and appreciate a slower pace. to tefi, it sounded boring. “i grew up in a suburb where everyone knew each other, not as small as blue harbor but similar attitudes, and i spent my childhood just wishing to be somewhere flashier.” hollywood, to be specific. the young girl that tefi once had been would be delighted to know that she had, for quite some time, lived among the stars. she just never became one herself. “i am thankful, though, that you’re into a slower pace. or else i’d probably still be stuck out here.”

[debonheurs]

[ SOUND OF SHUFFLING. SHIRT? PAPERS? ]

CHANCE: Hang on, hang on... alright.

[ THROAT CLEAR. ]

CHANCE: Wait, wait, wait. I mean, yeah, we're hiring, but I gotta say? I'm kinda sus. You literally DO hate fine dining.

[tefibetancourt]

TEFI: Kinda sus?! When have I ever done anything that would ellict such sus-ness? I'm an innocent angel. TEFI: Okay, fine. I was fired from the Waterway Diner! It's a whole long story.

[evigh3t]

“it sounds fancy and it is fancy,” elspeth corrected with a solemn nod. she didn’t take kindly to beautiful women talking down on themselves, making themselves smaller than they were. the mortician had lived life in the shadows long enough; she was used to it, grown tolerant of tucking herself away and sticking to the sidelines, but it was intolerable when she was faced with self-deprecation from another. “i bet it’s a nightmare to spell out to people, though, right?” elspeth commiserated, “it’s hard enough for me. i mean, really, a few seconds worth of critical thought would take them in the right direction. i suppose there isn’t much of that to spare these days.” she was unsure where her name had come from. likely a bible connection, thanks for her preacher of a father who took her to church every week in her sunday best. they thought it was more befitting of a blonde buckle bunny, one with daisy dukes disappearing between her thighs, with braids trailing down her back and a tan the color of creme brûlée. not pasty funeral workers that spent the daylight hours cooped up, hunched over, in solitude. “this will either grab your attention for the rest of the night or have you running for the hills,” they warned, finding the straw of their drink with their tongue. “i work at the mortuary, i’m a funeral technician. i prepare bodies for burial, making them look presentable and pretty for the families. i know, not your standard scan-and-packer at the grocery store.” she remembered roman’s reaction in the coffee shop, almost recoiling and second-guessing his offer of a hot beverage. she remembered the quirk of dante’s brow—even in his sun-stricken haze, he had remembered the next time they crossed paths. elspeth worried that it was a quick fire way of killing a friendship, grabbing it by the throat and squeezing. the booming music had her leaning forward in order to understand the other’s words, focusing on the shapes of tefi’s mouth and the expected syllables. “i’m mostly an elspeth, unless i’m with my mom’s side of the family. my passport says ​​fēn elspeth, but . . . ” her hand waved dismissively, “i suppose it’s like your stephanie-estefania anecdote. it takes too long to explain!” even if she returned that night with a slight buzz, in bed before the early hours for a relatively unbroken sleep, they were thankful for the decision to leave the house and spend time amongst the living. if anything, they had almost doubled the number of people they could call their friend.

[tefibetancourt]

it sounds fancy and it is fancy.

tefi grinned at that. “you know what, you’re so right!” despite her earlier proclamation, she’d do anything to feel like a princess, to feel like she was special and fancy. tefi spent most of her life feeling like she should have been a star, it was just everyone else that couldn’t see her allure and grace. that was how she preferred to see herself—a hidden gem, waiting to be discovered. “we shouldn’t let anyone dull our shine.” and tefi raised her glass at that. “not as much as you’d think, honestly. as long as they can spell estefan and end a little ia on it, it’s okay. most of the time they think i’m saying estelle for some reason? maybe my philly accent.” when it came to her nickname, though, she got back anything from teri to taffy. “well, common sense ain’t so common, as they say.” most people would say that about tefi, however; half the time, they’d be right.

“oh?” tefi’s brow rose, intrigued by the mystery of a job that would send her running for the hills. as they went on to explain, tefi didn’t find herself running away. she wasn’t overly curious in a strange way, but open to hearing more, not at all disgusted or willing to shame her. “morbid! so, you mean like in the movie my girl? with a funeral home and stuff?” she wouldn’t begrudge anyone on their job, because her own work history was filled with hairnets and aprons. tefi hadn’t gone on to college like many of her classmates, she had never even attempted to apply to any school after graduation, so there was no degree attached to her name. plenty of people had made her feel like shit for that, like she was stupid because she didn’t have a bachelor’s in whatever. tefi couldn’t count how many coworkers throughout the last decade that she knew had college degrees, and where did that fancy bachelor’s get them? working right alongside high school graduate estefania at old navy or denny’s. “well, listen, why don’t we add each other on instagram and we can find a time to explain our storied names, eh?”

[sawyermarshall]

"i do." sawyer chuckles. "perks to living in and out of chicago the last few years." of course, her reasonings for coming closer to blue harbor were probably ones she wouldn't share with anyone. at least, not someone who could look at her differently for the choices she made and why she made them. it's why she still hasn't had the guts to fully disclose everything to dante either. plus she knows how much it would hurt him and it's so easy to pretend she's not some fucked up girl from new york city. she brushes her tongue along her lower lip, a laugh leaves her.

"i guess when you grow up there, you don't feel as close to it as you should." she teases. she doesn't expect the other to tell her what exactly she was doing and the blonde knew it was something big by the way the other seems to hold herself back from fully speaking the truth. "i do miss the la days," she admits with a soft laugh. it was like a bubble that was never meant to be popped, a bubble she exploded herself when she went her own way after dante went back on tour. she probably should have just followed him. none of the stuff that happened would have if she didn't get curious.

"well, i'll have to get in all the time with you before you go again." she says. "all we need is a little support." she chuckles. "i'm working, i work at latte love. maya is one of the best." she smiles. her eyes roll playfully at tefi's words about her arrival being about a certain someone. she can't say it's not. he's one of the reasons she's back here. "that certain someone might have a small slice of why i came to blue harbor." she laughs. "but don't read too much into it."

@tefibetancourt

[tefibetancourt]

“you’re more prepared than me then.” tefi refused to buy weather-appropriate clothes in defiance of the very idea of the cold. luckily, in l.a., it rarely dropped below fifty-something degrees most days, but for angelenos, anything below seventy must as well have been the frozen tundra. if her plans took longer than anticipated to come to fruition, she may have to change her stance and actually buy a coat that could withstand more than a light drizzle of rain. “i suppose so.” no one ever thought of philadelphia as some big city oasis, but for a time, it was hollywood in tefi’s young eyes. it held every treasure that the suburb she grew up in lacked, and it was enough to entertain her throughout her teenage and early adulthood years. even so, she had dreamt of the glamour and excitement of los angeles since she was a little girl, so it didn’t take a lot of heart to shed the east coast city for the west coast. 

“absolutely, my darling!” tefi was certainly lacking in friends as of late, so she’d cling onto sawyer as long as she’d let her. dante, too. “latte love? i’ll have to come visit you! and maybe get a drink on the house?” she winked and laughed, as if she was totally joking. (she wasn’t.) however, she doubted dante was just a small slice of why sawyer had come to town. tefi regarded her with a suspicious narrow of her eyes, though a teasing smile dazzled beneath it. “uh-huh. if you say so!” as curious as she was, she wasn’t going to push too hard. though dante and sawyer had let tefi in their bed once before, that didn’t mean she was privy to their private lives, and her friend could keep her secrets as long as she wanted. lord knew tefi had enough of her own. “listen, i gotta head out of here, but text me and we’ll go out sometime, alright? love you!” she gave an air kiss alongside sawyer’s smooth cheek and then spun on her heel towards the exit.

@sawyermarshall

[debonheurs]

if there was one outlet in which ruby was most proficient, it was minding her own business. especially when it comes to dining. she has been practising, as of late, taking herself out on solo dates, testing out what it feels like to only have their own self as company. to not feel obligated to carry on conversation, nor socialise at the drop of a hat, nor give little else than a kind smile to their waitstaff. and so, may it be due to this that ruby, overhearing slightly raised voices ( or some kind of ruckus from across the way ), furrows their brows, hands clutching the raised side of their booth, peeking over. they thought they recognised one of the women involved; the customer. the waitress, blinking, seems boggled about something. and of course, to be working in retail themself? fucking difficult. these things are thankless. ruby, in some weird twisted knot of discomfort, grimaces at the thought of letting this fly. why was no one else intervening? leaving behind their freshly-served pizza on the tray, they don't even shove their hands into their pockets as they approach the — well, whatever the hell was happening. which is what they start out with. "what the heck is going on over here? is everything okay?" some of us are trying to eat — but for now, this remains implied.

STARTER LOTTERY! for @tefibetancourt ; location: at margz & margz.

[tefibetancourt]

estefania had made a career out of working in customer service. whether it was restaurants (her favorite, because of the fast cash), retail stores (least favorite, though sometimes she got clothes at a discount), hotels (the employee discount was nice, but management actually expected you to work, ew), or as of late, as a barista. she knew what it took to put on good service, and normally she would be overwhelmingly apologetic to any waitstaff that she came across because she knew what it was like to get her ass chewed out over nothing… but this wasn’t nothing! her vintage skirt was totally covered in diet coke! “listen, like, shit happens, y’know? it was an accident, i get that, but this is genuine givenchy—like, from the seventies, can only be dry cleaned, authenticated by an auctioneer, cost me more than a car payment. the least you can do is offer to pa—” tefi’s tirade was suddenly cut off by a new person sidling up to the waitress. she assumed they were a manager and sighed with relief. “oh, hi. so, it was not at all on purpose,” she cast a suspicious glance at the waitress, just in case, “but she knocked over my cup and completely drenched my outfit! which cost a lot of money and can’t be replaced. it’s vintage.” tefi tacked on, as if that completely explained her upset. she thought it did.

[tefibetancourt]

availability / closed! / 4 out of 4 / @bluestarters setting / mic drop. timeline / saturday, october 5th, 2024 at 11:47 pm.

“so i say thank you for the music, the songs i’m singing, thanks for all the joy they’re bringing…” tefi sang into the microphone with her mostly melodic voice, half a pitch too high but not egregiously so, sat atop the bar nearest the karaoke stage. she was lounging across it in fact, long legs sideways on the bar, her elbow bent underneath to hold her up as she serenaded the crowd with one of her favorite abba hits. she hadn’t cared if she was annoying anyone with her little show, because when did she ever care if she was being annoying? tefi tore the microphone away from her own mouth to shove it into the face of the nearest patron, “come on, sing the next part!” tefi demanded, despite it not being a duet. she just wanted someone to fill in while she downed the rest of her cocktail, letting out a woo! as she finished it and slammed it on the bar next to her, much to the chagrin of the bartender behind her.

[rafaelmoldonado]

It wasn't the first time he'd heard such an expression. Unfortunately, it likely revealed far more about the young woman sitting next to him than she knew or wanted. There was a reason that only a handful of brave souls wanted to be friends with psychiatrists: they were always on, always analyzing. There were certainly exceptions to it but he didn't have many. Leon had been his best friend since the very beginning and was so achingly familiar that analysis would ruin part of the friendship. He was so separate from everyone else. Just purposefully on that outside. So not exactly what the birthday girl was going through, but enough to prompt his reminiscing. But what didn't? "Have you er, considered talking to someone for that? A professional perhaps?" A good few therapy sessions would surely do her some good.

"I'm afraid karaoke is the opposite of what I enjoy. But I'll go with you for a little bit." He found those establishments to be incredibly overstimulating. But surely it wouldn't be bad in the middle of the day. "Maybe we can pick up a pair of ear plugs for my delicate hearing." Rafael chuckled. "Otherwise I can buy you a proper meal. I hope that you haven't only eaten a cupcake today."

[tefibetancourt]

tefi, through the haze of her self-pity, was starting to wonder if maybe this man would be a potential source of sympathy. older men—that was, men older than the one in front of her, or at least she assumed so—had some innate sense of protection for tefi, particularly when she was in her early twenties. they saw a sad, crying girl somewhere and wanted nothing more than to make her happy; she was so much prettier when she smiled, after all. they forwent their wives, their children, their jobs sometimes in order to spend time with her—an unofficial sugar baby that didn’t get any money and came with way too much drama for them to stick around more than a few weeks. not until ralph. he had been clear with his desire for a trophy wife that’d play the part and not bother him too much, which tefi had been more than willing to fulfill for him until foster had wrecked that plan by not divorcing her ten years ago. maybe this pity-party joiner wanted to be her next source of sympathy, of validation, but then… he suggested she needed professional help! what the fuck! 

this birthday hero of hers, like icarus, flew close to the sun (her ego) and his wings melted (she no longer liked him). 

if she hadn’t been so annoyed by the insinuation that something was wrong with her, she might’ve found his insistence on getting earplugs cute, and would be touched by his offer to buy her something to eat. particularly that last part, because the quickest way to tefi’s heart was to buy it, but it was too late, he had offended her. tefi sat up suddenly, using one hand to clutch at her cupcake and the other to dust the bottom of her skirt off. “actually, that’s nice and all, but i’m gonna have to pass. i’ll go sing karaoke by myself. thanks.” tefi turned with a huff and marched down the street, leaving the stranger by himself.

[ashvvilliams]

NOW THAT ASH HAD THE womans attention, they didn't really know how to proceed. all their life they had avoided situations like these, preferring to staying hidden in the shadows. they cleared their throat, had a moment to thank the lack of customers so that they didn't have an audience for this. "foster." they said with finality, figuring there was no need to drag it out. "i understand you two ... are on bad terms." that was a stupid way of saying it, but ash didn't care. "he didn't give me all the details, but enough to know what was going on. honestly, i don't really care what happened between you two." ash knew that they didn't have all the background that caused this mess. knew that they likely never would. "why did you have to do that to phoebe ?"

[tefibetancourt]

all customer service niceness drained from her face the moment they said her estranged husband’s name. “what?” when they had asked her to step aside for a word, they hadn’t expected that word to be foster. she supposed it made sense, this was his hometown after all, but it wasn’t some one horse town where everyone knew each other; how exactly did they know not only was she tefi (besides the name tag, obviously), but where and when she worked? foster had the good sense not to cross paths with tefi lately, and she hadn’t seen phoebe since that day in the diner, so how did the two of them even know she was working at latte love now? let alone this absolute stranger! tefi couldn’t remember she was at work and had to play nice now, instead her face scrunched up in offense and all service industry pretenses dropped. “uh, i don’t think that’s any of your business?” tefi huffed, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. she didn’t have to justify herself to anybody. “i literally do not know who you are, and i’m at work. this is, like, so inappropriate!”

[just-foster]

Here Foster had been thinking Tefi hadn't changed at all in the decade they'd been apart. Turns out that either wasn't true, or he'd never known her that well to begin with. At least, that was what he had to tell himself, when the truth was he'd just been completely outplayed. By her, and even worse, by himself... He'd played himself — thinking she would ever stick to her word, pretending her need for self-preservation would ever weigh out against her even more selfish thirst for vengeance.

"And you're not some avenging fucking angel!" he spat back, wanting to shake her. He knew responsibility and self-reflection weren't really her 'thing,' but she didn't get to absolve herself just because he was an asshole. He'd never claimed to be anything else, and she'd been the one to marry him anyway. "You're a psychotic, manipulative bitch. You made friends with Phoebe?" That was a whole new level of fucked up, not to mention a violation of their agreement long before he'd stepped foot in here.

[tefibetancourt]

she couldn’t exactly enjoy the spoils of war with phoebe gone and foster yelling at her, but it was satisfying enough just to know she had some kind of effect on his life. his inaction with their divorce cost her so much—her home, her fiancé, her secured future as a trophy wife—so causing a fight in his relationship was just leveling the playing field. it wasn’t as grand as she had wanted, but it was enough. for now. “that is exactly what i fucking am!” tefi yelled, hands balling into fists. her whole life, she had been told she was directionless, that she had no passions, that she wasn’t worth the air she breathed, and for a long time, she had believed that. it wasn’t until earlier that year that tefi realized what her purpose was. it was to make foster hurt just as badly as she did. 

she rolled her eyes at being called a psychotic, manipulative bitch. “oh yeah, i’ve heard it a million times before. i’m so crazy and evil and you’re just some poor little boy get some new fucking material, foster.” tefi shrugged, brows lifting haughtily. “yeah, i did. i told you i was going to ruin your life like you ruined mine, and i made good on that. you can’t hide from it this time, foster. you need to face what you are: an unworthy, unlovable piece of shit. phoebe’s a nice girl, she doesn’t deserve to have a fucking black hole like you in her life. i did her a fucking FAVOR!” her voice rose with every word she spoke until she was screaming, a vein popping out in her forehead.

“what the hell is happening here?!” a voice boomed from behind, making tefi swing her head around to see her manager looking preeettty pissed off. oops.

[thephoebeyates]

In the mental divide Phoebe created in her head, where she had divied up areas and locations in town between her and Foster, she hard firmly placed Earthwave in his column. She never saw the appeal of it, found it too expensive, and was scared if she ever saw any of the branded powders it sold for $10 and over, would just burst out sobbing and not stop. So, she had silently gifted him the organic food store, because she went her entire life up until meeting him fine with grocery shopping at Dreamland. She didn't need it.

Except when she wanted to do something nice for people. She had a lot of people supporting her through this breakup, and felt like doing something to show her gratitude. Pinterest had given her the idea of hampers, which was an easy enough project to personalise towards each person who had contributed into picking her up and dusting her off when she didn't know if she'd ever have the strength to stand again. And Dreamland didn't exactly have the stock.

So she found herself in Earthwave, not exactly terrified of potentially bumping into Foster even though she was sure he was at work right now. There'd be tension — she still hadn't reached out to him to properly talk like she had promised after what had transpired in The Vault. But still, she was hesitant to have an awkward conversation with him in the presence of overpriced vegetables.

But as she rounded each aisle, her anxiety reduced, and she began to enjoy the act of picking what she wanted in each hamper (providing she didn't think too long about the price tag, of course). After picking a selection of jams, chutneys and crackers, Phoebe had went to explore what kind of weird organic snacks Earthwave offered when she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Tefi Betancourt.

She had wondered what had become of the waitress since she was allegedly kicked out of CJ and Seb's apartment. If it had resulted in her doing casual grocery shopping in a store like this, she must have landed on her feet. It boiled Phoebe's blood that she hadn't suffered from the fallout, but she took a deep breath as Tefi seemed blissfully unaware that a stone's throw away stood the woman she hurt trying to exact revenge against someone else. Did Phoebe think Foster deserved getting some payback for what he did to Tefi? Of course she did; her brain still couldn't wrap around that the man she had fallen for would have been someone to cheat on his wife with her best friend and then abandon her.

But what Phoebe was really perplexed about was why Tefi strung the intern along for the ride. As if sensing that she was being stared at, she looked up, and maybe the English tutor imagined the flicker of guilt on the waitress' face, but even that wasn't enough.

Tefi — surprisingly — addressed her and Phoebe was torn between keeping things courteous or just making a point of ignoring her. But of course, there was always a third option. And Phoebe always seemed to choose that one.

"Why'd you do it?" She asked, using her free hand not clutching the basket to gesture at Tefi to refrain from answering too quickly. "I don't mean why'd you do what you did to Foster, I get that. I mean....why did you pretend to be my friend, Tefi? And don't bullshit me, CJ confessed everything and we both know he cannot lie if his life depended on it." And in the moment of his interrogation, it really did. "You knew who I was, and built up a friendship to..do what exactly? Hurt me in case Foster somehow came out of it all unscathed? Just so someone was damaged by your plan?"

[tefibetancourt]

any action that phoebe took would probably be warranted, be it slapping her across the face, yelling at her in the middle of the market, or completely ignoring her entire existence. tefi was used to all of those reactions, especially the latter from her family, and in most instances, they were probably warranted, too. she knew there would be a confrontation at some point. who wouldn’t want some answers for the woman that was married—albeit estranged—to their boyfriend? she knew it, but she had expected a different venue. a different time, actually. in her fantasy of what was meant to happen, phoebe and foster would have a very embarrassing fight in the diner, where tefi got to tell her all about how awful foster was to her, and they’d both leave him there, crying and shitting his pants… or something. she hadn’t expected phoebe to run out before tefi got more than a few words in, or before foster called her a psychotic, manipulative bitch.

so, yes, she expected a confrontation, but not in earthwave. not weeks after the fact. truthfully, she had started to relax a little. foster was nowhere to be seen, she hadn’t run into phoebe around town yet, and yes, she had been kicked out of cj and seb’s apartment, she found another sucker in town to take pity on a crying woman that lost her housing and her job. tefi knew she wasn’t completely safe, not while she remained in blue harbor, but she felt like she could stop looking over her shoulder so often. until now, of course.

tefi inhaled sharply, waiting for the slap or the fusillade of screaming. phoebe did start speaking, and she did sound angry, but it wasn’t the barrage she was expecting. tefi could even concede that her concerns were valid, and that tefi deserved some comeuppance. didn’t mean she wanted to deal with it, though. she kept silent as phoebe lobbed her questions, looking furtively down at the floor. cj confessed everything, had he? did he mention how he and seb knew all about her revenge plans against foster, and had even helped her plan a few of them? her former roommates weren’t frickin’ innocent either. everyone always looked at tefi as if she was the only problem—the lifelong scapegoat to her siblings, the evil harpy making the lives of men harder by daring to want attention, the bad influence on good girls and nice kids. that was the whole point of her revenge, to make foster feel like she did, to make someone understand what it was like to be blamed and abandoned and unloved.

okay, fair, she thought. she wasn’t so deluded that she believed what she had done hadn’t been fucked up. it took a moment to answer. “umm…” tefi stalled, digging the toe of her right boot into the linoleum floor. “because i was curious about you. i wanted to know who was dating my husband. i wanted to know what made you so special that he’d stay and actually treat you nicely and not cheat on you or yell at you all the time like he did with me. i didn’t have this, like, crazy master plan to seduce you or whatever. it just kind of… happened. yeah, i knew who you were when i first met you, that’s true, but i didn’t expect us to hit it off so well. there was a chance you wouldn’t be interested in me, or maybe foster would actually come clean and tell you about me before i had the opportunity—though i wasn’t betting on him doing that—so i just had to hope you’d give me the time of day so i could meet you… my replacement.” 

tefi finally looked up from the floor, mouth twitching to the side in thought. “then it was like i was… in over my head or something. i don’t know. i had to keep up all these lies and foster offered me a lot of money to fuck off and die somewhere, and then i went home for a bit and my brother called me a worthless cunt in the middle of fucking cheesecake factory and…” realizing that she was ranting and off topic, she faltered with a sigh and pushed her hair out of her face. “so, it was just nice to be your friend for a little while. because you were nice to me. yeah, i had hoped you would want to be my friend, so i could learn about you and what foster was like after ten years, but i didn’t make up some elaborate, machiavellian plan to make sure someone would be hurt by this if foster didn’t care about either of us.” tefi exhaled with a sardonic smile. “phoebe, i’m just not that smart.”

so, there it was. the truth of why she had committed such a betrayal to her new friend. it didn’t absolve her of any blame, tefi knew that, but she hoped phoebe could at least understand why she did it. that while she hated having to do it to phoebe, there was no way to save her from being collateral damage. “and i am sorry. i’m sorry that you were hurt by me, and i’m sorry i betrayed your trust. we’re not all worthless cunts, y’know, us girls. some of us are good to each other.” tefi glanced away, her brother’s voice weighing on her mind. “but i’m not sorry for what i did, because foster deserved it. i can’t be sorry for that. i'm sorry you were hurt, but i'm not sorry for doing it.”