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IT GIRL

26/12/2025

The chocolates and flowers have been put in a beat-up rubbish bin on the street. Michelle sits on the curb with her head in her arms, when someone says 'Hey.' Michelle looks up and sees her friend Carl. Carl says 'Hey Mich. I wanted to stop by and see how things are going?' and Michelle, a bandage now on her face, replies 'It's all fine.' Carl asks 'What happened to your cheek?' Michelle replies 'Oh! You know. Kinky Mary.' while grinning wide. Carl isn't convinced. He can't meet Michelle's eyes. He says 'I know you Mich. Something is wrong.' Michelle also looks away. Carl looks up at the nearby building and asks 'Is she up there?' Michelle says 'Yeah.' 'Come on then.' says Carl, 'We'll all talk this out...' Michelle again says 'Yeah...' Michelle's front door creeks open and Michelle calls out 'Mary! We're back. Carl is stopping by.' Marilyn sits on the couch and doesn't move. Carl says 'I'll say hello.' Carl approaches Marilyn nervously and says 'Uh... Hi...' but he stops and his eyes widen in shock. Michelle asks 'Carl... What's wrong?' and he turns and looks back at her in concern. Marilyn sits blank-faced on the couch. Carl says 'Mich, this is just a mannequin. Is this a joke? Where's Mary?' Michelle looks more and more distressed as Carl goes on, but she doesn't answer. 'Mich?' Carl calls her name one more time, and Michelle snaps. Michelle shouts 'She's real!' She lowers her voice and begins to shake. 'I'm serious Carl. She talks. Yells. Insults.' Carl looks aside and says 'Mich... This is a lot.' Michelle is becoming more and more frantic. She cries 'It's true. Look at my cheek. Please...' Carl keeps looking down. He says 'Mich. I'm just trying to help.' Mich explodes and screams at him. 'Then why are you calling me a liar!?' The two stand in silence, before Carl comes to his decision. 'Fine. I'll leave you alone then.' Michelle stands and stares into space, blank experssion. She stands with her hand on her face, before ripping off the band-aid on her face. Everything fades to black. Marilyn's line from earlier echoes: 'You better have learned your lesson...' The line echoes endlessly in Michelle's mind, filling the entire page. 'You better have learned your lesson. You better have learned your lesson. You better have learned your lesson.' Marilyn's line continues to echo in red. 'You better have learned your lesson. You better have learned your lesson. You better have learned your lesson. You better have learned your lesson. You better have learned your lesson.''
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Credits

Story and art: Rosa