Clarisse can't help it. "What the fuck kind of question is that?" She's only been trying for days to tell anybody who'll listen exactly who she is. Maybe that's the problem. Nobody is listening.

She takes a breath. No. Okay, this isn't fair. The whole situation's not fair to her, but at the same time this reaction isn't exactly fair to Abby, either, who's only reacting like any sane person would if a stranger broke into their room and started acting like they should know each other.

At least she warned Clarisse that she'd kick her ass first. Clarisse, if the roles had been reversed, probably would have opened the interaction by simply going for it.

"I'm a rifter," she says, trying again. "I'm from Arizona and I got here a little while after you did. And we've been roommates since a few weeks after that. We stayed together even after we couldn't use our old room anymore and we had to use a tent all summer. With Ellie. Think about it." Why would Abby have shared the space with Ellie for those last few weeks on her own? What would have made her decide to do that?

"I'm your friend." Like if she says it with enough sadness in her chest it's going to knock all the memories back into Abby's head.