The office has finally quieted down on the Friday afternoon. Only a few ADA’s stay to finish up paperwork before heading out to their friends and families for the weekend. By nine o’clock, only two are left, Jessica and Christina.

            Jessica stays because she doesn’t want to go home. She doesn’t want to be alone. She’s never sure what she’ll do when she’s alone. Usually she ends up at Jim’s, they have sex, and she leaves a little more satisfied than when she came. But now that she broke it off with Jim, she has no one to turn to for the satisfaction she craves. The one thing she knows, though, is that she doesn’t want to turn into her father, drunk all the time, irresponsible, always letting everyone down. Maybe that’s why she works so hard to prove herself to everyone else.

            Christina stays because she, like Jessica, wants to prove herself. She knows everyone thinks she won’t make it in this world. That she’s too naïve, too innocent, too plain. So she stays to change their opinion of her. Maybe if she toughens up, she’ll win their respect, but for now, she works after hours, ignoring her friends calls pleading her to come have some fun, just so she can prove herself.

            “What are you still doing here?” asks Jessica as she passes Christina’s office on her way out.

            “I could ask you the same thing,” replies Christina. “Just finishing up some stuff.”

            “Me too. So how are you doing? I haven’t really gotten the chance to talk to you in a while,” says Jessica.

            “I’m, um, I’m okay. Just kind of bogged down by the case load. What about you?” asks Christina

            “Same. Ever since Jim and I kind of split, he’s been loading my ass with case after case,” says Jessica.

            “Revenge for kicking his cute ass to the curb?” asks Christina with a smile.

            Jessica laughs, “I don’t know. Luckily the cases have been preventing me from seeing my dysfunctional family, so that’s good I suppose.”

            “Yep. Listen, I’m about done, why don’t we go out for drinks or something?” asks Christina.

            “Actually, I am starving. How about we pick up Chinese and go to my place and watch chick flicks?” asks Jessica.