I hear some others snickering too. My face feels like it’s on fire.
“So awesome,” Mitzy chortles, tossing her ringlets over her shoulder. “That’s going to end up on the Wall of Fame for sure.”
I look at her, horrified. “The what?”
“The Wall of Fame,” Addie explains. “It’s what we call the wall on the outside of the rec center. Our resident graffiti artist puts up anything someone does that’s really epic. And epically embarrassing seems to be the favorite.”
“Oh my God,” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Eh, just put it in the fuck it bucket and move on,” Mitzy tells me. “Besides, one day, you’ll look back at this and laugh.” Her mouth curves up. “See? I’m already laughing.”
I shoot her a bemused grin. “Thanks a lot.”
Despite my embarrassment, I feel...like I’m already fitting into this pack. I haven’t interacted with any of them as a human for very long, but I like them already. There’s this automatic, easy camaraderie with them. Like we’re skipping right over the tentative polite stage and going right into the we will tease you mercilessly but also make you laugh and make you feel comfortable here stage.
Addie claps once. “Okay, do you need some food or anything right now?”
“No, that’s okay. Luca gave me a banana.”
She grins. “I’ll just bet he did.”
“Addie!”
“Sorry, couldn’t help it,” she says, not looking sorry at all. “Okay, come on. Let’s get you set up in a room.”
I wave to Mitzy and follow behind the duck. “I forgot that I won’t be staying with you.”
“Is that okay?” Addie asks over her shoulder as she leads me toward the metal staircase. “I could see if Zoey would be open to switching...”
“No,” I quickly answer. “She’s your roomie. I can stay wherever.”
“As long as you’re sure,” she replies, as we start making our way up the steps. “I want you to be comfortable here. I know it’s a huge adjustment.”
It is, but they’ve already done so much for me, I don’t want to put anyone out more than I already have.
“It’s cool. Who will I be rooming with?”
“Well, we only have one open bed left in this warehouse. The girl you’ll be rooming with is also new. She just came here a few weeks ago.”
“Oh.”
Addie brings me into her room, where I see Zoey sitting on the floor with a hair mannequin in front of her, and she’s chopping away at it with a sharp pair of scissors, hacking each strand like the synthetic hair personally offended her. Blonde strands litter the floor around her. She nods at us as we walk in, but looks away and keeps working. She has headphones over her ears, and I can hear music blaring out of them as she continues to cut really aggressively.
Addie notices me watching her warily. “Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s a stylist. When she’s having a bad day, she does rage haircuts.”
“Ah.” I run a nervous hand over my own hair. Considering the mullet Zoey looks like she’s giving that mannequin, I don’t want her anywhere near me with those scissors right now.
Addie moves through the room and picks up my large cage, pushing it into my arms. Then she grabs a plastic bag from the floor. “Fair warning, your roommate is a bit...rough around the edges. She’s not overly friendly either, but don’t take it personally. That’s just who she is, and she’s been through some crazy shit in her life. But she’s strong, she doesn’t take any shit, and even if she’s not all smiles and sunshine, she has a good heart.”
I adjust my grip on my cage. “Good to know.”
“Alright,” Addie says, looking into the bag. “It’s not much, but it should hold you over until Hugo can get you some cash so you can go shopping for your own stuff.”
My eyebrows hike up as she hands me the bag. I look inside and see a few articles of clothing, a pair of shoes, and even some brand-new toiletries, like shampoo, razor, deodorant, and a toothbrush set.
“Wow, thank you.”
“Come on,” Addie says, leading me out to the hallway. “Your room is down this way.”
We head to the very end of the catwalk on the other side of the warehouse to the last door. It’s closed tight, and Addie raps her knuckles on it. “Jetta?” she calls. “Can we come in?”
The door opens, and I come face-to-face with the most striking looking female I’ve ever seen. She