"When does Jared get back from Japan?" Olivia asked over lunch the next week.

Kate looked up from her salad. "After Thanksgiving. I'm going over there for the break and we're coming back together."

"Are you happy he's coming back?"

Kate shrugged. "I don't know. Its kind of weird for me. Like we had this close relationship and then he left, so I don't know what it'll be like when he's back."

"You'll be fine," Nathan said, sitting down next to her with his own lunch. He unpacked a smashed sandwich and little else.

"Is that all you're eating?" Kate asked, nodding to his meager lunch.

"Oh - yeah. I had to pack my own lunch this morning," Nathan explained, turning a bright pink.

"Here," Olivia said, plopping an unopened yogurt container in front of him. "I hate plum. You can have it."

He took it gratefully. Kate dumped a bag of chips out next to him with a smile.

"I'll have the chef make a lunch for you from now on," Olivia said.

"I can't -," Nathan protested.

"Stop. I'm doing it. It's useless to protest," Olivia insisted.

"Just shut up and take her food," Kate told him with a grin. "It's easier than fighting it." She looked at her phone. "Election Day is tomorrow," she remarked.

"Don't remind me," Olivia shuddered. "I have to vote."

"The joys of being an adult, huh?" Kate joked. "I know who I'd vote for."

"I know. I saw it on your Instagram page this morning," Nathan said. "Lesser of two evils, I suppose."

"Hillary Clinton is better than the other dumb fuck who has the vocabulary of a second grader," Olivia scoffed. "I swear to God, my great-grandmother is more lucid than that jackass and she's been dead for ten years."

Nathan laughed so hard he nearly choked on his sandwich. Kate had to thump him on the back to stop him coughing.

"You should check your post, though," Olivia said. "Some people are going a little crazy on you."

Kate sighed and took out her phone, opening her Instagram account. She bit her lip when she saw the number of notifications. She scrolled through them, seeing a lot of likes and comments of support. But there was one person who had left a not-so-supportive comment.

MAGA! Lock her up! Typical lib lies. Left wing lunatic. Trump for president! Such a stupid liberal whore.

"Well that's not exactly pleasant," she said, showing her friends the message.

Olivia scoffed. "What dick. What are you going to say back?"

Kate's mind reeled. "I think I'll just delete it. I don't need the drama," she said. She swiped the comment and deleted it.

Two hours later, when Kate checked her phone between classes, she saw that the same person had responded.

Stupid whore. Delete my comments because you can't handle the truth? I can say whatever the fuck I want snowflake. So much for the party of tolerance.

She froze in front of her locker, staring at her phone. If this asshole wanted a fight, she would give it to him.

I don't tolerate negativity and nasty comments. That's why I deleted your comment. If you want to say something constructive and polite, you are more than welcome to do so. Until then, keep your opinions to yourself, she typed.

"What are you up to today?" Nathan asked, coming up to her as she shut her locker.

"Oh, just fending off internet trolls," she sighed.

He smiled. "Fight the good fight."

"What about you?" she asked.

They walked down the hallway as people rushed by all around them, heading to team sports or rehearsals.

"My parents want me to go to this company event, so I get to act like we're one big happy family and I haven't brought extreme shame to them and all of my ancestors for eternity," he answered wryly.

"Ooo fun," she smiled sarcastically.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Headed to diving team?" she asked, nodding to his gym bag.

"Yeah. Practice?" he asked.

"Well no one has bitched about me not being on a team yet, so I figure I'll make it look like I'm doing something," Kate explained. "Mrs. Yates asked me to accompany the choir so, there I go."

"Anything fun planned for your birthday?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. Jared's gone until after Thanksgiving. I'll probably be spending it with Connie and Emma and Tom. I don't want a party or anything."

"Don't tell Olivia," he chuckled. 

Kate rolled her eyes. "If her theater career craps out, she'll have an excellent future in event planning." A long tone sounded on the school's PA system. "Better get going!" she said, picking up a jog to head across campus to the Music Rooms. 

Her phone vibrated just as she was walking into the rehearsal room. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked it. Another response from the troll. 

I can say whatever the fuck I want, little snowflake. It's a free country. It'll only stay free if Trump is elected. Hillary Clinton is a waste of time and space. I can post whatever I want on your picture...its public! If you don't like it, delete the comments or block me like the whiny little bitch you are!

Kate's cheeks flamed and she typed out a response. 

If you don't like what I post, why are you here? Take your trolling ass elsewhere then.

"Kate, ready?" Mrs. Yates asked, breezing past her on her way to the center of the room.

Kate jumped and put her phone on top of the upright piano, hitting a middle C for the choir to begin warm-ups. After fifteen minutes of oohs and aahs, the choir was singing, full blast, and Kate forgot about her phone. By the time practice was over, Kate's fingers were deliciously sore from playing and she was ready to head home for the day. 

No sooner had she pulled into the driveway than he phone started ringing. Jared was calling. 

"Hey. I thought we weren't supposed to talk until tonight," she asked, putting the car into park and getting out. "What's up?"

"'Take your trolling ass elsewhere then'? Really Kate?" he asked. She could hear the annoyance in his voice. 

"What are you talking about?" she asked, closing her car door. 

"Your post! You can't say shit like that!" he remarked with a heavy sigh. 

"Why not? Its my account. I can post whatever I want!" she countered, anger rising inside of her. 

"You can't insult people like that! Not when everyone is watching you because you're an extension of me! It looks terrible!" he lamented. 

"Oh? So to be clear, this isn't about how it reflects on me. It's about how it reflects on you? Charming," she bit back. 

He sighed and she heard him moving around on the other end of the call. "Look. I just...I don't want you to get involved in that shit, okay? If you want to act like that, make the account private or whatever."

"I'll do what I like," she retorted. "How did you see what I had posted, anyways?"

He paused. "I - I have someone watching your account."

"Jesus fucking Christ! You trust me to stay at the house by myself for months on end with very little supervision and you trust me to fly back to Los Angeles from Japan by myself, but you can't trust me to run my own damn Instagram account?!" she shouted as she opened the front door. 

Vedder galloped down the tile hallway, his feet slipping and sliding. 

"It's not that I don't trust you," Jared said hurriedly. "It's that I don't trust other people."

"Bullshit!" she shouted, walking down the hallway. "You just can't let go because you're afraid I'll post something about you that you don't want people to see! I mean, Jesus, Jared! Just be honest if nothing else!"

"Don't start on that, Kate!" he replied, tension growing. "Look, just do what I'm telling you to do, okay? Just delete your comment and don't do it again!" 

He ended the call before she got to respond. She growled heavily and slammed her phone down onto the kitchen counter. It was so much easier for him to make these rules when he didn't have to be here to deal with the results. At that point, she was glad he was on the other side of the planet.