“Ok, you wanna tell me what’s going on? Or shall we wait for it to appear out of your cup?” Alice’s sarcasm failed to get a reaction from her, so she moved the cup towards the centre of the table forcing Helena to look at her.

“It’s nothing.” Helena dismissed the problem, but failed to convey what she was saying with her facial expressions.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. Talk to me.” Concern was evident in Alice’s tone. There was a time when Alice strongly disliked Helena for what she did to Bette and Tina. But the past few months had changed things. They had started talking more, and hanging out occasionally and now Alice was genuinely concerned for her friend. Something was on her mind and she was more determined than ever to find out what.

“Mother cut me off.”

“Cut you off?” Her forehead wrinkled slightly. “Cut you off from what?”

Helena sighed and sat back in her chair. “From everything. My money, the studio, my house in Beverly Hills, the Penthouse suite in New York, my car. Everything that I had she’s taken away from me.” Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Alice.

“I’m so sorry.”

“What am I supposed to do Alice. I’m poor!”

“You can’t exactly call yourself poor Helena while you’re sat there wearing Ralph Lauren.” Alice smiled and was relieved to see a small smile creep onto Helena’s face too.

She took a sip of her coffee before continuing. “Look, she’s done this to teach you a lesson Hel, and to be honest this could be one of the best things that ever happens to you.”

Helena knew that what Alice was saying could make sense, but right now her mind was on everything that she had lost.

“You need to realise that you are much more than all of this.” She ruffled the collar of Helena’s jacket to prove her point. “You are so much more than money and wealth. You are a lovely person Helena; you don’t need to be rich for people to love you. There are other things to love about you other than your bank account.” This brought another small smile to Helena’s face, and Alice saw her face slowly beginning to light up again.

“That may be true Al, but what I am supposed to do with my life? I have no job, no money, no place to live.” Her smile was quickly fading again.

“Wait, where are you living now?”

Their conversation was momentarily interrupted by Jenny’s return. Both girls kept the seriousness of their conversation hidden whilst Jenny grabbed her laptop and purse. She mentioned something about meeting with an editor before running off and leaving the two women to return to their previous conversation.

Alice remained silent, her eyes focused on Helena silently willing her to talk. She didn’t have to wait long for her answer. “I’ve been staying at a motel for the past few days while I try and figure out what to do.”

Alice sighed and shook her head. “Helena. Why didn’t you say something to one of us?”

Her head fell to her chest as her cheeks reddened. Thankfully her hair fell to frame her face and hid her embarrassment but Alice could tell by her body language that she was uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. “I was embarrassed.”

“We’re your friends Hel, we care about you.”

“I know you do, but it’s a big step going from one of the wealthiest women in LA to practically a pauper!”

Alice couldn’t help but laugh which she received a glare in return for. “Let me tell you, you’re far from being a pauper. But you’re gonna come and stay with me…”

“What?!” Helena cut her off before she had time to finish her sentence.

“I’m not letting you spend another night in a motel! And besides it’ll be kinda fun to have a roommate! This could be a really good thing, and I’ll help you get used to living a poor lifestyle.” Alice winked and Helena couldn’t help but laugh. To say she was touched by her friend’s generosity was an understatement.

“Thank you Alice. This means a lot to me.”

“Don’t mention it roomy!”