“I don’t understand why you’re getting so emotional, Jillian. Nothing has changed. Nothing in our agreement has changed.”

“But don’t you care at all?”

“This isn’t about whether or not I care. I wish you wouldn’t make this about that. I wish you wouldn’t attack me in this way, it’s not fun. I called you back because I thought you were trying to be friends with me, and I was interested in that.”

“You know, I am interested in that. I would like for us to get along, but right now I just . . . ”

“I really don’t think you’re ready for friendship. Every time you talk to me, it’s some demand. Don’t you see why I wouldn’t want to be around that? We don’t know each other well enough for me to put up with that.”

Jillian wanted to start crying or screaming, but unfortunately she couldn’t do either.

“I just thought you would like an opportunity to help out your son,” said Jillian.

“No, that’s not what’s going on here. You want me to pay to fix your car.”

Megan couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but she knew Jillian was talking to her ex and therefore she knew (by the nature of their conversation) that Jillian did not in fact have a child support court date next week.

“Which I believe proves, not that you care,” she said later that night to Randy, “that she is a hysterical, pathological liar.”

“Ok,” said Randy. “But I still don’t see why you care so much.”

“I care so much, Randy, because the way this woman behaves is completely disgusting.”

“Yeah, well, so she lied. So what? She’s embarrassed. She doesn’t want her employers and coworkers to think she’s a criminal. I get that. I understand it.”

“Yeah, ok. But I guess what I haven’t been able to communicate is, I mean, I get why she wouldn’t want to be thought of as a criminal, but I think she does want to get caught. Either that or she’s just a total moron. Why would she wait until after telling everyone that she had a child support court date to call her ex and ask him for money? And loudly. There’s a lot at stake. She lied to get codeine, too, and she’s been taking it at work.”

“I don’t understand why you care,” said Randy.

“It’s disturbing, that’s why! Because she does these elaborate performances, like chewing her ex out and asking for painkillers, but on the other hand she acts like no one is watching. That’s it. Everything with her is an act, but she behaves like her acts are invisible to everyone.”

“Ah, if only she knew,” said Randy. He cleaned some crap from underneath his toenail.

“She’s practically shitting on the floor,” said Megan.