You have a long afternoon ahead of you.”

Claire looked down at the cup.

The white lid had a dark drop of coffee drying along the rim.

“I don’t want the coffee,” Claire said.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Vanessa said, her voice dropping into a quiet, hard register.

“It’s just a four-dollar cup of coffee.

You don’t have to turn everything into a struggle.”

“I’m going back to the hallway,” Claire said.