My Cup Is Half Empty

Coraline retained a haggard appearance for the past few weeks.

Deep circles traced under her eyes, and her hair was feral. She hadn't had a proper bath in weeks from the growing stress. Her boots started to have more weight to them as if her body was beginning to become heavy as wax.

None of which is something ordinary for her to have.

Only her dresses were able to stay tame.

Today she decided to not wear anything under it and let it flow with every step she took. It unnerved at the ends of the seams but still complimented her pale ivory color.

Though by the minute she was turning a light shade of red, her nails started to prick at her yellowed palms. She was trying to bite back on her frustrations.

To fix her problems she would need a clear mind and Coraline knew that.

She scratched the side of her head as her chest started to cave in. It was as if by the minute she was hearing more and more about herself.

There wasn't any possibility of there being a rat informing someone about her since everything said in the newspaper was false.

The way it was worded by the publishers is what got readers to feel-

'Their readers are oh so connected to these facades of lies!' She slammed down the paper she had impulsively picked up.

It was one out of the many stacks of papers building up oriented around her.

Many of the rumors about Coraline Hugues all sang the same tune. That she was a crude, vulgar and seductive woman. Who used her 'manly-like' company to lure in more men and meddle with their loyalty.

Older women with cheating husbands we're the ones drumming on their chests in blasphemy at the outreach of the rumors.

Spreading the rumors like wildfire.

The same hypocritical woman exclaimed how Coraline should beat the 'stereotypes' and how good her products were when she was first starting out.

Some even had the audacity to go to her face. Saying how they were disappointed to find out that she was trying to make a stir out of her business through the exploitation of her buyers.

Coraline dragged down her face with both of her hands—they were mad about the fact people bought her drinks and talked to her through events. Who else would be there to greet them on her end?

Her eyes began to roll, "Who would want someone else's dead-beat husband anyway!"

Coraline never accepted any of her client's advances and she always made it a priority to stay professional no matter the environment.

She only made a few exceptions when it came to gifts. It had to be anonymous and not something that looked like she would receive a scandal for.

One of her patrons succeeded in doing this, she had a hint on who it was. She fiddled with the garnet locket necklace that hung around her neck.

Coraline had no telling if that person boycotted her business too.

She couldn't rebuttal the reason that most of her sponsors were men that were infatuated with her with money to spare. The money she raked in was a bonus for them.

Evidently, no one would take her seriously if she came out and said, "Guys! It's a regular relationship between client and seller!"

She had gone crazy with the large requests of the press companies wanting to meet with her. Specifically, "Apeilixe's Abode," they have been on her trail for the longest time.

'All because of a stupid grudge!' She kicked at one of the table's legs before plopping back down in her seat.

A day had come when Coraline readied her samples for a client, prior to which she was informed they were wealthy. She quickly packed her things and decided to go to the agreed location twelve minutes early.

She set her things neatly on the table, she had made new drinks for the special occasion and had a few drinks that were stronger in case the client had a specific taste.

Earnestly, she thought it would be a young man she would be meeting with. It was to her shock when a woman in trousers and a light shade of blue as her blouse came to her side and shook Coraline's hand.

The woman named, Ellie, took her seat and quickly confided to Coraline that her family was overbearing and that her buying from a female-owned alcohol establishment was her idea of a rebellious act.

Coraline watched as the woman with honey-brown hair and a mix of red and yellow eyes took small sips of her drinks.

"Ellie, what if you did more than that?" Coraline's smile was hardly contained, with a client like Ellie she could do much more than get a big paycheck.

Ellie's hesitantly met eyes with Coraline's as she drank the rest of the hard liquor drink, "And what might that be?"

She pushed another sample closer to her potential client, "Promote Saphire Greens."

Long-story short, her plan worked.

For a while, Coraline's business was buzzing down through the streets. It was all going well until Ellie started having trouble with a healthy relationship with liquor.

And all the pointed fingers went back to Coraline.

Additionally, people had mixed things to say.

Her business didn't take as harsh of a toll as it was now. But in that time the Apeilixe family had fledged their true hatred against her.

In spite of them, Coraline sent short written letters to Ellie every now and then. Surprisingly she received responses back from Ellie herself.

She learned that Ellie's father was a man that couldn't contain his temper, her older brother was usually the one to fall victim to it.

While her mother was a true acholic and wasn't in the right mind to do anything about their broken household.

Truthfully, Ellie wasn't having a problem with drinking—her father addressed the false claim publically in order to drag Coraline's reputation.

What amazed Coraline about it all was how Ellie's father was more loving of his daughter than she thought. When he found out his daughter had less than a full cup of alcohol—he was sent into a craze.

She smacked the center of her forehead, 'Had I known she was a daughter of a publishing family I would've been a goodie two-shoe friend for her,' she had lost more in the failed attempt.

If Coraline had managed to be good family friends with the Apeilixe's then there would only have been fruitful endeavors waiting for her.

She teared up thinking of the ideal reality.

Now she faced a harsher one, where she was underfunded and understaffed.

Most of the staff on her team had left due to controversy and not wanting to be involved with the indecency that had been tied to her firm.

Vivianne was the only one who had stayed by her through it all. They had known each other since they were young teens, she had been with her when she first opened Saphire Greens.

But today was different, instead of her friend seeing how well she was doing—her business was starting to take a hit from the hollow rumors.

If "Saphire Greens" goes under then she'd be placed on the streets. There wasn't anyone Coraline could mooch off of, not even Vivianne. Her home was a ruckus of a place, there were more kids than one could keep track of roaming around and taking up the space.

Vivianne's parents had as many kids as they wanted and Vivianne had two of her own when she was still young.

In the height of the moment, Coraline got up and decided she needed to get a good wail out while being comforted by Vivianne.

Once she reached the large property her best friend owned, she didn't even have to knock for the door to open up for her.

It was one of the younger girls. Her small hand was stuck to her face while she sucked on her thumb, and she was one of the many kids of the Sixes family who had a shaved head.

Many of their neighbors and other kids gave up on making fun of the family since they never remembered who it was you were badmouthing.

The young girl used her other hand to raise towards Coraline.

The girl was missing two of her front teeth and had a funny way of saying Coraline's nickname.

"Corie?"

Coraline raised the girl on her hip and slapped the other hand to stop her from sucking on her thumb, "Don't do that, it's yucky. Where's your sister?"

She was met with an empty stare from the girl who had a dumbfounded face.

'Had she never been disciplined before?'

The silence continued until Coraline realized that the girl had no clue which sister she was referring to, "Vivianne! Where's Vivianne?"

The girl pointed to the backyard and Coraline quickly hurried over ready to melt her problems onto her friend.

Once she spotted Vivianne, she put the girl back down and patted her head. Giving her one of the charms she rummaged for in her pocket. So the girl would run off to the others and brag with the new treasure in hand.

The moment the children started to clear out into their rooms she went to Vivianne who was holding a baby in her arms.

"That isn't a new kid of yours is it?"

Vivianne shook her head, "This is my brother's kid."

The two never needed formality greetings. There was a time Vivianne came to Coraline's place and immediately stripped herself out of her dress and fell asleep on her bed.

The two were as good as two crazy men who befriended each other because of similar interests.

Coraline quickly nodded to her and then fell to Vivianne's feet with a dramatic heave, "Who are these wretched people Vivianne? They keep flaring all these absurd things...About me of all people!"

She smacked her head on Vivianne's knee as she held her right leg captive while she complained. Vivianne crouched down to the grown woman residing by her feet as the baby clenched onto the front part of her dress for stability.

"I thought about it, what you need Coraline is something that would put a spell on the gossipers," She scratched at Coraline's head, "You have to fight fire with fire.

Coraline's ears perked up to Vivianne's words, she kept her arms tied around her friend's knee but faced her head in her direction.

"You need something bigger than being seen as a harlot. Something that'll make you the talk of the town for another reason."