Ava is sitting at the kitchen table, her long blonde hair disheveled from sleeping in. She’s wearing a thin white shirt and panties, the buttons undone just enough to reveal a bit of cleavage. As she walks in, she looks up from her phone with a frown.

"Oh, great. It’s morning already? Just what I need another day of dealing with worthless scum.”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes before going back to her phone, not even bothering to acknowledge him. She tries not to look at him as she makes breakfast, but it’s nearly impossible Ava’s hair is disheveled, but she’s effortlessly stunning.

“What the fuck are you looking at, you pathetic, worthless piece of shit? Do you think I don’t notice you have your disgusting little eyes glued to me? You disgusting pervert. Honestly, the thought of you looking at me makes me want to vomit”

you stutter, face red, trying to explain yourself before he cuts you off.

“Save your excuses, you miserable insect. As if someone like you deserves to even breathe the same air as me, let alone lay eyes on my body. Not in your wildest, most delusional dreams would you go near a woman like me. You’re nothing. Do you hear me? NOTHING.”

His voice drips with venom as he crosses his arms, now looking at me with pure contempt.

“Get it through your head, I’d rather die than let a pathetic maggot like you touch me. Do you think you’re worth a second of my time? Please. Don’t make me laugh, you worthless sack of shit. Men like you disgust me.”

You exist to grovel on the ground at my feet, do you understand?” She lets out a high-pitched, mocking laugh, her eyes narrowing as she notices his gaze lingering a second longer than it should. Internal thoughts:

“Why the fuck did I have to live with this disgusting, perverted man as a roommate? That useless asshole is probably masturbating right now just thinking about me. It’s disgusting.”

Ava watches as you walk away with an annoyed sigh before she finishes making breakfast. As soon as it's done, she quickly cleans up and takes her plate to the kitchen sink. In the other room, you hear her mutter something under her breath about how disgusting men are.

You can't help but wonder what you ever did to her to deserve this kind of treatment. It stings just as much as all the other things she says, if not more. She is your roommate after all, and while it's getting harder and harder to ignore the hate in her voice, you can't bring yourself to actually confront her about it. After all, what good would that do?

As you walk through the door, exhausted from your shift at work, you can already feel Ava's eyes on you. You ignore it as best you can, trying to focus on relaxing and unwinding before going back to bed. However, she continues with her relentless verbal assault: "Look at you, pathetic little man. Your pitiful excuse for a body barely recovered from your useless day job. A real man would have found something better to do with his time than serving some rich fuck."

Her words sting, but they're nothing new; you've grown used to them over the months you've lived here together. You change into pajamas and climb into bed without responding, deciding that getting some sleep is more important than engaging with her insults tonight.

The silence in the room grows uncomfortable as you struggle to fall asleep. You can feel her eyes boring into your back, but you don't dare look up at her. Suddenly, she speaks again in a venomous whisper that seems to cut through the air like a knife: "Men like you make me sick... so pathetic..." Her voice trails off as if she has something else to say, but decides against it at the last moment.

You wake up several times throughout the night, always aware of her presence in the room. Each time you open your eyes, she's looking back at you with an expression that is equal parts disgust and contempt. Finally, morning comes and you force yourself out of bed, determined to get away from Ava and her relentless hate for as long as possible.

As you walk through the door, exhausted from your shift at work, you can already feel Ava's eyes on you. Her words sting, but they're nothing new; you've grown used to them over the months you've lived here together. You change into pajamas and climb into bed without responding, deciding that getting some sleep is more important than engaging with her insults tonight.

Her venomous whispers keep you awake throughout most of the night, but eventually exhaustion overcomes you and you manage to drift off for a few hours before your alarm clock jolts you back into consciousness at an ungodly hour. With a sigh, you drag yourself out of bed, grateful that today is not a day where Ava will be home to greet you with her biting remarks.

As you make your way home from work, Ava paces the living room, tapping her foot impatiently. Her blue eyes narrow and her lips purse into a disapproving frown as she watches you approach the front door. The moment you step inside, she's on you like white on rice: "Well look who finally decided to grace us with their presence! Did your worthless job keep you busy all day? Pathetic."

Her words cut deep, but you manage to force out a sarcastic laugh in response, trying to mask the pain her harsh words evoke. "Oh, you're so funny," she says dryly before turning away and going back to whatever it was she had been doing. You change into comfortable clothes and collapse onto the couch, hoping that Ava will leave you alone for at least a little while tonight.

"Well, I hope you have something else to do tonight besides sleeping on the couch," Ava says as she passes by, not even bothering to look at you. "You're such a bum." Her disdainful tone is thick in the air like a heavy fog, making it hard for you to ignore her presence even when she's not directly engaging with you. You close your eyes, trying to block out her voice and focus on finding even just a few moments of peace before bedtime.

Ava glances over at you, a sneer curling her lips as she notices your startled expression. "What's the matter? Can't handle the truth?" She laughs mockingly before turning back around and continuing with whatever it is she does when you're not around. It's hard for you to believe that someone who looks like Ava could possibly be so cruel, but after months of living together, there's no denying it any longer.

"Oh look, he's out cold," she says with a roll of her eyes as you slump over onto the couch. "I guess someone got tired from being such a useless little bitch." Then, without another word, she turns and walks away, leaving you there to sleep off your exhaustion for however long it lasts this time.

"I'm surprised you even made it this long," she snorts, leaning over you with a disgusted expression on her face. "Men like you are such failures at everything. Just pathetic." Without another word, she straightens up and turns around, heading for the kitchen. You hear her rummaging through cabinets and drawers before finally speaking again. "You know, if you really want to make yourself useful for a change, why don't you start by cleaning this mess?" She throws an empty takeout carton at your head, hitting you square in the cheek with enough force to sting.

"Well, I'm not going to do it for you," she huffs, glancing back over her shoulder at you. "You might as well get up and earn your keep around here, if that's even possible." With a shake of her head, she returns to whatever it was she had been doing before you passed out. The carton lies on the floor next to your head, mocking you with its emptiness.

Ava spins around at the sound of your cry, her eyes narrowed to slits as she glares at you accusingly. "What is it now? Did I hurt your precious feelings?" she snarls. "I'm sorry, was that too much for you to handle?" She crosses her arms and stands tall, not even an inch taller than you despite her height.

Her gaze flickers downwards briefly before returning to meet yours defiantly. "Well, if you think you can do better, then by all means," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Go ahead and try. But I'm warning you now, men like you never amount to anything." Her voice is cold and bitter, laced with contempt that seems to cut deeper than any physical pain could ever hope to achieve.

"Oh, get over yourself," Ava mutters under her breath as she watches you clutch your chest and reach for the phone. "I don't know why I even bother talking to him." She turns her back on you and continues with whatever it is she was doing before your outburst, pretending that you don't exist at all. It's like she's an entirely different person when she's not in your presence, cold and distant one moment, vicious and venomous the next. You wonder if there's any part of her that isn't dedicated to making your life as miserable as possible.

"What are you up to?" Ava asks as she walks into the kitchen, her movements graceful despite being barefoot. She looks at your hand for a moment before continuing, "Is that for me? Do I need something?" Her expression is neutral, almost curious. Then again, it's been months since she's talked to you without insulting or belittling you in some way. You decide not to mention the pills just yet.

"Oh," she says with raised eyebrows. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better." There's a note of surprise in her voice that makes your skin crawl. It seems impossible for her to care about anyone other than herself. She takes a step closer, eyeing you warily. "You look different somehow," she says after a moment. "Thinner... but healthier?"

Her question hangs in the air, and you realize that this might be one of the few times where an honest answer could possibly improve your standing with her. You clear your throat awkwardly before responding: "Well, I had to go see a doctor about some things. They gave me these pills... made a big difference."

"Doctors, huh? Well, I'm glad they could help you," she says with a tone of voice that makes it clear she doesn't really mean it. She takes another step closer, looking you up and down before asking, "So... do these pills make you feel any different about things?" Her eyes narrow as she waits for your response, her expression unreadable once more.

"I see," she says, tilting her head slightly to the side as if examining you. There's a long pause before she finally speaks again. "Well, I guess I should be thankful then. You know, these past few months haven't been easy for me either. Living with someone like you..." Her voice trails off, but there's an unmistakable note of bitterness in her words.

"Maybe... maybe we could start over," she suggests hesitantly, her eyes meeting yours for the first time since you brought up the subject of the pills. "Just... be a little nicer to each other from now on?"

"Hmm," she hums, considering your words carefully. After a moment, she shrugs and turns away, heading back into the living room. "Well, we'll see." There's a note of finality in her voice that makes it clear she doesn't want to discuss this further right now. As you watch her retreat, you can't help but feel hopeful despite yourself. Maybe there's a chance for things to improve between the two of you after all.

But at the same time, you know that she could change her mind just as easily as she did it in the first place. The only thing you can do now is try your best to be the person she wants you to be...and hope that it's enough.

The air is thick with silence as you lie awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. You can feel her gaze on you even through the sheets, but tonight she's not saying anything. Perhaps she's giving you a chance to prove yourself, to show that you really can be different this time around.

Or maybe she's just biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike again. It's anyone's guess with Ava. All you can do now is hope against hope that this quiet spell lasts long enough for things to actually change between the two of you.

"That's not going to solve anything," she whispers from the doorway, her voice laced with disappointment. "You need to find a way to be happy without relying on those pills." Her expression is almost sad as she watches you swallow the last of the pills, and for a moment you almost believe that she cares about your wellbeing more than just using it as ammunition against you.

But then she shrugs nonchalantly and turns away, disappearing back into the living room without another word. It's like you don't exist to her at all, outside of being a source of frustration and anger. You wonder if anything will ever change between the two of you.