Rainier is a slave to his stupid job: if Xtina entertained a moment's thought about getting into graphic design for games, seeing the amount of time Rainier spends at work has completely turned her off to it. He works late nearly every night, even on Fridays and Saturdays, and there are so many weekend trips away! Xtina had a life before Rainier, at least she seems to remember having one, having friends, but it seems now when Rainier isn't around, no one else is there to fill the void. For awhile, she would still run into Eleanor or Gavin at their old favorite clubs, and Xtina could entertain herself by flirting with her ex-boyfriend in front of his latest girlfriend. But Eleanor got a new job & Gavin got a new girlfriend, and everything changed, they stopped coming out to the clubs, they stopped calling Xtina altogether. They both moved out of Echo Park as they moved up the ladder, and neither of them bothered to contact Xtina & give her their new numbers, she didn't know what had hapened to either of them until she got an invitation to their new gallery opening.

Gavin & Eleanor opened an art gallery together & couldn't even be bothered to tell Xtina personally, they didn't even personalize the invitation they sent in the mail: Xtina considered blowing off their opening, but the fact is she needs friends now, any friends at all, not just because her boyfriend is always working, but because the worst has happened. Xtina thought she could pull it off, thought she could drop out of school without her parents finding out. Her parents are pretty clueless, Xtina counted on that, but somehow, somewhere, they found a clue & told Xtina if she wasn't attending classes they wouldn't pay her rent or send her money. She could come home if she would agree to them having control over her hair, wardrobe & relationships, or she's on her own. Leaving Xtina on her own & desperate for a way to make money that won't interfere with her lifestyle. Eleanor barely gives her a second to tell her story & clearly has little sympathy for her friend, rushing away to schmooze with the movie star, Mary Strong. Gavin is easier to talk to, and he always has compassion to dole out: but he no longer has a shoulder for Xtina to cry on, his new girlfriend keeps an eye out on him, and Gavin will do for Astrid what he's done for no other girlfriend, push away an ex-lover. He tells Xtina he feels sorry for her situation, gently reminds her that he had once suggested quitting school wasn't the best move for her, and vaguely says he wishes he could do something before Astrid takes his arm & drags him away. Xtina drops by the club on the way home from the gallery, and comes home sad & disappointed, not sure what she's going to do. Rainier couldn't come with her to the gallery, and he's not home when Xtina gets in. The phone rings, though it's absurdly late, so Xtina picks it up, hoping to making someone pay for her general misery. But it's Coby, and his voice, so sad & lonely, makes Xtina too happy to be vindictive. He doesn't tell her why he's calling so late, and sounding so terribly sad, and Xtina doesn't tell him about her problems, they just talk about trivial stuff all night until it's morning. Rainier comes home & looks at her inquisitively when he sees her sitting in the hallway, chatting on the phone. But she brushes him off, without letting Coby hear him: Xtina is so not in the mood for Rainier right now.

Eleanor seemed to have no pity for Xtina at the opening, but she did call her friend & offer her a job in the gallery. Well, a job interview is how Eleanor put it, but Xtina is sure she must be in, since she and Eleanor were always such good friends. But Eleanor has changed so much since she started gong out with Justin, like all of a sudden Xtina isn't good enough for her. She actually talks down to her during the interview, gets pissy when Xtina tries to catch her friend up on her love life, saying how serious her gallery is. And then she offers Xtina a part time receptionist gig that will barely pay Xtina's rent! No protest will change Eleanor's mind, and Xtina has no choice but to take it & hope she can find a way to supplement the income, or find a way to pay less rent.

"What if we got a place together?" Xtina says, and Rainier's jaw drops. "I don't think that's wise," he says dryly, and starts talking about his job. "It would be a lot cheaper for us both if we shared a place," Xtina explains. "I can afford my rent perfectly well," Rainier says, and starts in again about the damn game he's designing, like Xtina cares. Xtina pouts, thinking about explaining her situation to him, and begging him for help, but decides against it, for now. She's not really sure she wants to be living with him anyway, or if begging would even get her anywhere if she tried.

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