What It Cost

Stomping Grounds

The boys arrived at Tasha's apartment, their presence filling the small space. The girls opened the door, and Noah's towering frame was the first to greet them. The girls stepped aside, letting the boys to file in. Tasha smiled and welcomed them, gesturing for them to make themselves comfortable.

"Want a tour?" Tasha offered, looking around at the boys. Nicholas, who hadn't taken his eyes off her since they arrived, nodded enthusiastically.

She grinned, amused. "There's not much to see, but follow me."

She led them through the kitchen first, where the front door immediately opened into. It was a typical college apartment setup, a small island, countertops lining one wall, a fridge covered in photos, and a small pantry immediately to the right of the entrance. Small decorative touches dotted the space, including a framed photo of Paris hanging next to the pantry door.

Nicholas pointed at the photo. "You wanna go to Paris someday?"

Tasha nodded and flipped her braids over her shoulder. "Dying to. Getting to be apart of Paris Fashion week is, like... Top of my bucket list."

Nicholas shoved his hands in his pockets and muttered 'cool' in response as he and the boys went back to looking the kitchen over.

Noah and Nicholas made their way to the fridge, their eyes scanning the array of photos. Different smiling faces scattered the surface, some photos taken at parties, club events, and concerts. Noahs eyes landed on one of Lilly, she was grinning and holding up two peace signs.

"Where was this at?" Noah pointed at the photo and turned his attention to Lilly.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she walked up to the fridge and looked at the photo. "Oh, that was, um..." She looked at the date on the photo. "I think it was my first 'gig' for photography." She looked to Tasha, "the schools fashion show, yeah?"

Tasha glanced at the photo and nodded, a quick smile spreading across her face. "Oh, my god. Yes! Probably the best shoot that this school had had in such a long time."

Next, the group moved into the living room, an open extension of the kitchen. A couch and matching loveseat framed a small coffee table, which was littered with fashion magazines, textbooks, and swatches of fabric. A small television sat against the wall, looking slightly out of place among the creative clutter.

Tasha then led them down the hallway to her bedroom. She opened the door and walked in, the boys filing in behind her. Her space was an explosion of color and creativity. Bright decorations, a swirling tapestry hanging behind her bed, and fairy lights wrapped around her headboard. A desk sat against one wall, completely covered in fabric, sketches of designs, and different sizes of scissors. A mannequin head rested on the corner of the desk, and in the room's opposite corner stood a torso mannequin dressed in an edgy costume she was in the process of finishing.

Nicholas took it all in, nodding appreciatively. "This is seriously cool. You make these designs?" His fingers grazed some of the sketches on the desk

Tasha turned to him with a proud smile. "Yeah... If you guys have time, we could go to campus and I can show you my finished pieces!" She leaned against the mannequin and looked between the boys.

"I think that would work." Jolly said, looking at his watch.

"Yeah, I think we got plenty of time." Noah nodded in agreement.

"Great!" Tasha then looked to Lilly. "Wanna show them your old room?"

Lilly shrugged and nodded, leading them to her old room. "I haven't been in here in months," she admitted. "No idea what kind of state I left it in."