The house of horrors that is Laurie's apartment has become the scariest place on Euphoria, and, as evidenced by "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird," Rue is definitely not safe there. Rue returned to Laurie's house hoping that the drug dealer would accept the jewelry and cash she stole as payment for the drugs Rue failed to sell. Instead, Laurie made it clear she has other plans for the high school student...and it might all have to do with what's behind Laurie's locked door in her apartment.
When Rue first comes to Laurie's house in the episode, there's a moment in which the camera follows the sound of what sounds like scratching to a locked door, that's different from the locked closet where she keeps her drugs. It's all over a voiceover of Laurie explaining what happens when one starts taking drugs: The things that used to feel good, don't feel as good anymore, while the things that used to feel bad don't hurt as much.
It's just one of Laurie's many unsettling comments of the night, which also includes telling Rue that she's lucky she's a woman — because even if she doesn't have money for drugs, she'll always have something that people want. In fact, everything Laurie says to Rue might be a big clue as to what may really is behind the door: a woman that Laurie is holding captive in order to sell for sex work.
Dark? Absolutely — but it sadly checks out. In fact, it may be Laurie's new plan for Rue, now that she's gotten Rue to shoot up morphine and believe she owes Laurie money.
It seems obvious that Laurie has big plans for Rue — and that she likely figured her out from the premiere of Season 2, when she met her with Fez. In that very first episode of the season, Laurie asked Fez whether Rue was an addict. At the time, Fez denied it — almost as if he knew why Laurie was asking, and wanted to protect Rue from her. Laurie, however, tells Rue in "Hummingbird" that she knew that Rue would be in her life for a long time upon their first meeting.
Even if Laurie didn't know Rue was an addict then, she almost certainly realized it when Rue came to her seeking out drugs to sell. That's why she gave Rue a suitcase full of drugs — she very likely knew that Rue couldn't deliver on her promise to sell the drugs, but figured that she could use Rue in other ways now. If Rue believes that Laurie will hurt her, or her family, for failing to deliver on the drug money, Rue may be desperate enough to do whatever Laurie asks in order to make things OK again.
As for clues to what's behind the door — Laurie's cryptic comments aren't the only hint that she's holding another young woman hostage. Laurie's home is full of caged birds, and bird symbolism. "Bird" is a slang word for a woman, so if Laurie has caged birds, it's also possible she has at least one woman in a physical cage, too.
Right now, we're not sure if Rue will go home and seek the help she needs, or if she's bound to get caught back up in Laurie's web. However, there's a good chance that's not the last we've seen of Laurie...or whatever is behind the door of her locked room.
Images: HBO