There were one too many days in which Tori would hide away from the world in her penthouse turned ivory tower. The silence, especially in the evenings when all the staff had gone for the day was deafening. This effectively blanketed her depression as much as it did caused her to turn to Kal's flirtations for comfort. In a twisted sense, when the day was done, Tori did have someone close to her, even if he were a person listed on her payroll. Tori knew that this was an unadvisable path toward getting sued or worse; even still, Kal was the one to initiate that kind of relationship, or so she rationalized it that way. He had worn her down over the months they were together and with their ill-fated stint overseas behind them, they had an artificial closeness to hold them together. In truth, Tori had never quite gotten over her fallout with Jesse. She regarded him as the standard of a normal personal relationship. In actuality, he became the nail in the coffin for Tori in how she viewed her love life, which was now irreparably harmed. Tori wanted to be loved. Often internally she acknowledged the tragedy that she was in her prime years, yet so alone. Kal was the only man to entertain her occupied thoughts, however much so that he was a dicey resort to Tori in the context of dating.
Kal was not an unattractive man in his own right. He was strong, had a full head of hair and there was a suaveness to his character that others found quite charming. To Tori, it was an act that felt fake. She could never fully pinpoint what made Kal so unappealing to her other than she found him to be disingenuous in a way when she expected him most to pull through for her. It was as if he were always slightly irritated to be helpful. As if he wanted his paycheck, but not the effort. Tori had to admit to herself that to Kal she was probably a prize for his ego rather than a vulnerable person who looked to him as a protector. This attitude was palpable with Kal's minimizing comments. He found her problems to be trivial to his past difficulties. Did she need him to go to the parking garage for something? Of course, in response to such a request, he would bring up an event from when he faced greater obstacles and she should do the same. He must have forgotten his place in her world somewhere along the way and the many context-related discrepancies between her situation and his.
That aside, time was her biggest drain. Tori felt like time itself was just something to run down until she passed as her father had. She had nothing to look forward to, now that she had gotten everything she had ever wanted at least materialistically. Manners were no matter to her because she could have the people around her sent away with the gesture of her hand. No one could look down on her because she did not depend on them in any way regardless. Tori had no reason to keep up appearances, plan, or be vexed by anything. When all of an individual's problems have quick solutions, there is nothing anymore at all to consider. Thus Tori had to push back against the emptiness of her existence, waiting for her ultimate expiration with a sick amount of joy she secretly held. It was not until she had a feeling of being left out of a meeting meant to address the handling of her assets, that Tori revisited the idea of seeking a higher education. This sting of annoyance and embarrassment jolted her from her mentally checked-out state into being present for the first time in some time.
With a bit of enthusiasm, Tori began looking into Ivy Leagues. Mr. Kenton helped Tori fudge her SAT scores by hiring a ringer after she confided in him that she was never a top student. Tori felt guilty about going through with it though. That is until Mr. Kenton pointed out that she was not the only person to game the collegiate system as elites do so with ease, and often as a show of clout amongst one another. The admissions process was being manipulated to Tori's tolerance until it came to light that the admissions letter she wrote had been thrown out and a ghostwriter replaced her at Mr. Kenton's request. To Tori, it was telling that the people who were supporting her had no faith in her as an intellectual equal. She had hired a tutor and worked on that admissions letter for weeks, all while being told she was as well-read as any other applicant. Shame and humiliation stirred within Tori upon realizing this was not the case. She was shaken in her confidence. Briefly, she withdrew to her quarters no longer wanting to pursue her goal. However, with a few nights' rest, she resolved to be less reliant on Mr. Kenton as a remedy to quell her feelings of inadequacy.
Wanting to put space between herself and those who were too helpful, Tori went forward with an on-campus orientation, accompanied by Kal. Both had an agreement to be as incognito as feasibly possible. Naturally, Tori took the time to inform Mr. Peeters of her plans to start school. Taking in the news, Mr. Peeters warned Tori that she would be in dire straights if her financial status were found out and that she needed to keep a low profile. Tori explained all of this to Kal who gave her a speech about how he was a prior special forces operative for two different nations and that he would protect her without an entire team during their trip. Although Tori appreciated his impressive background, she found that Kal had been slipping in his duties regarding her safety. Kal had become her fattened housecat, more ready to take a nap on her couch than to jump to her defense. To Tori, it seemed like every time she brought an issue to Kal's attention he would find a way to sidestep the importance of it. Tori wanted to rely on his expertise and not have to replace him with a different person from the security company, but she felt like Kal was both a too comfortable friend and a subpar employee at the same time.
They arrived at the rented minimalist house near Tori's dream school in New Hampshire late in the evening as a precaution. Tori immediately noted that Kal was slacking more so than usual as he didn't do any security checks but instead played on a game console all night in the den. Tori wanting to have a sense of normalcy didn't address this outside of asking him his plans for the day after they had their breakfast delivered on their second morning there. This was significant because the expected first conversation of the day between a security team member and the protected party was meant to be about the day's safety protocol, something that Kal had ceased doing entirely.
Tori was not sure if she should be grateful for the chance to have a typical disinterested boyfriend or be upset that her employee was shirking his work. Still, against her better judgment she went on the campus tour alone after Kal told her that she was paranoid when she questioned her safety without him. As Tori walked by herself she realized that even Kal probably didn't know her full net worth, again confusing her as to whether she should be worried or feel freed by that fact. Despite feeling uncomfortable with the thought of it, Tori tried to go about her day as if she were just another student. It was not long before Tori felt almost comfortable being on her own. Kal for the most part appeared to be right.
She was unrecognized and able to go about her day as if she were like anyone else. That was until at lunch in a sandwich shop, Tori was recognized by a person she had never met before. The woman introduced herself politely enough by asking if she could eat with Tori at her table. Tori had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach with each of the woman's words as if there was more that she wanted to say, despite her seemingly friendly pretense. Tori made the excuse that she was on her way out and offered the table to the woman as she walked away. This exchange only aggravated her, though. The woman, whose name was Dayton, switched up her emotional tone from feigning kindness to overt hostility. Dayton might not have known exactly who Tori was but was set her on a mission to extract cash out of her all the same.
Tori walked away from the shop with Dayton behind her walking quickly to keep up. Tori wasn't against giving money to a good cause, but the anger was so off-putting to Tori. It reminded her of the angry administrator who demanded Tori give as much as she could to his charity, which turned out to be a crime front. Tori now associated angry demands with those who were working in opposition to helping others, those who safeguarded their selfish interests. Tori had hated herself for caving to first the administrator. She was not about to throw money at another unreasonable person for a second time. As Tori walked away at a nearly jogging pace, Dayton began to yell things at Tori like that she deserved money more than her because she had a harder life and that she was prettier than Tori too. Not knowing what to do Tori made her way to Kal, who she rightly predicted was back on the couch at the rental house. Dayton followed Tori there, all the while yelling hate at her for having more than she ever would. Tori barely got inside because Dayton was grabbing her arm in the doorway, making it reddened and bruised.
Tori knew that Kal not been listening to her shout at Dayton to get off of her as she pushed her away. He was on the other side of the entryway wall, yet unmoved. Tori finally was able to push the stocky Dayton outside and lock the door. Dayton, not giving up, stood outside screaming and kicking.
Tori had half a mind to call the police on Dayton, instead she confronted Kal, saying that she needed an actual security guard. He had no reaction as he lowered his noise canceling headphones. She went on to say that he was off her account or essentially fired. Kal was unfazed by Tori as he responded that she needed to toughen up and to stop being dramatic about one chubby lady giving her flack. Tori was dumbfounded that Kal was making his obvious failure to act into a lecture on schoolyard one up-manship of him over her. When he was finished he went back to eating his bowl of cereal, with each bite he took he spilled milk onto the floor. Tori wondered if he were on something or that he had always been this useless. Tori stll furious called him out asking if he were trying to cut down her fears by replying that he had been through worse and that she was overreacting. Kal ended their exchange by stating that he wouldn't give into her hysterics, then he stone walled her as if she weren't in the room when she tried to unpack his blatant cop out.
Tori went upstairs to seeth alone, her arm still throbbed from Dayton clawing at her. Tori knew that Kal thought he had her in his pocket, as if she had him fired he would bring up their relationship and Tori would look incompetent, something that could be troublesome in her position. She did fear that with one wrong move, that one of her many lawyers could cry that she needed to be under a conservatorship. Likely one where she could be medicated out of consciousness and locked in a room for the rest of her life, while her accounts were raided. Why did she let things get so out of hand? She regretfully thought to herself. Then she realized that things probably never were in her control from the start. Setting her catastrophized thinking aside regarding a dreaded conservatorship, Tori was hurt the most that Kal did not care. She knew she was was going to have him replaced as her primary security guard, and frankly surprised he was still there at all. Yet, the issue that alarmed her was what she wanted was for him to have cared that she was scared. She wished he wanted to protect her, not as a paid guard, but as her lover.
While on the cold bed, Tori remembered when she was bullied in middle school by a maladjusted older child who was held back by multiple grades. Tori had confided in Molly that she didn't want to walk to the cafeteria at lunch alone because that was when her bully tended to strike. Molly at the time, walked with her every day after that even though it meant she had less time to eat her homemade lunch. They would sit together and laugh while they shared their meal, it was one of Tori's favorite memories. Tori lamented losing Molly as a friend to circumstances, but she knew that she would be more harmful to Molly if she stayed in her life. Molly had shown her that she thought Tori was an "undo" button for all of her actions. Tori could use her money to save her in any situation, but no amount of money could ever undo what had already been done. Molly would forever have to fight her addiction. Tori could only be a possibility for relapse if she were to try to help Molly. There were so many things Tori wished she had back. Tori wanted to smile on the bus ride home from school with Molly again and to help her mom put away dishes before bed at night. Thinking about them caused hurt to well up within Tori which was rawer than any wound a body could sustain. Tori felt as if she were poison to those she loved. It was unbearable to her.
Despite her emotional state she wiped the tears from her eyes, cleared her throat, and called the security company telling them that Kal was no longer with her in a professional capacity and to send a replacement immediately. When she put down her phone she walked to the hallway to see if Kal had done any of his security checks. From her view of him from the top of the stairs, Tori took in the image of a man she now loathed. He was still on the couch with his headphones on as he sat playing the same game console, completely unmoved. He was her problem now, she had to figure out how to avoid any lasting ills of her mistake of involving herself with him. Tori then walked back into her room and scheduled a meeting with Mr. Peeters. He was calculated, cruel, and unfeeling toward her in a humane sense, but Tori trusted him more than any person on the planet at that point. He was the single person who knew her money put a target on her back. Tori finally began to understand that Mr. Peeters feared becoming her more than he wanted to be her. As Tori sat down on the bed alone again, she felt she was changed, she felt she was no longer the same child who walked into this world confused. She was starting to see exactly herself and how she was going to handle her status. Kal, on the other hand, was a stepping stone to learning the ropes of no longer being an innocent fool. Her naive days were now the past. Tori was moving full speed toward the future. Now Kal would have to fend for himself in the world as she pushed him out the door.
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