The Liability (2023 - COMPLETE)

XVIII - New Friends

Her new home, the place that Melissa had called the dorms, was clearly decorated by teen girls getting to express themselves for the first time. There is a stark juxtaposition between what was the dorm's original furniture and the style Anna and Rosalie, are interested in. The original furniture was dark and outdated, but the decor was young and trendy. Juno felt like crying just looking at the living room.  

She had never had the chance for a place to feel like home to her, and yet this place felt so welcoming.

The other girls were not there when Juno first arrived, giving her the chance to become acclimated to the space. The dorm was smaller than any house she had been in before, but the place still felt massive compared to the tiny cabin that she had spent her whole life in.

The living space was in the center of the apartment: the kitchen, dining, and living room were all in one large room, and the furniture had been skillfully arranged in an attempt to make sense of the large square. There are two identical hallways on either side of the living space, with three doors each. There were two bedrooms with their doors directly across from one another and the third door led to a bathroom shared between the two rooms.

On the left side of the dorm, one of the bedroom doors was left open, revealing a very decorated space. There were pictures and posters almost completely covering the wall, several stuffed animals decorating the bed, and knickknacks on nearly every open surface. Juno only looked in from the doorway, not wanting to intrude on one of her new roommate's personal space. As she turned to leave, she noticed a piece of decor on the door. A wooden letter A that was painted a pale blue, the name Anna written in a pretty script. The other bedroom door on the left side of the dorm was closed, but there was another wooden letter. The R was painted a pale purple, the script spelling out 'Rosie.'

On the other side of the apartment there were two more doors, both of them closed. But attached to one of them was a little wooden J painted a pale green, Juno's name written on it.

Juno felt like crying. She had never been immediately welcomed like that before.

The room she had been assigned was mostly bare, but all of the essentials were there. She had a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a mirror in the corner. Everything she needed to start over. Imogen had suggested that in between all of the appointments coming up, they could go shopping to bring some personality into the room and also expand her wardrobe.

Most of all, she had more than 70 square feet to exist. 

~

The first three weeks of being a part of the Kingston Association have been incredibly rewarding if not even more draining. 

It felt as if every day she had three major appointments to do as well as becoming comfortable with her new roommates, and settling into her room. She struggled to find a moment to just catch her breath.

She had been to the general physician, dentist, nutritionist, allergist, a therapist, and a whole host of other specialists. All in an attempt to start undoing the inherent damage caused by her old pack. Being in a small town, there were some specialists that were harder to get into, like the gynecologist and endocrinologist. The specialist that Juno hated to see the most was the  lykologist, the doctor who specialized in wolf health. With Monosomy 44, she would end up seeing a lykologist more often than the average werewolf.

In the evenings, Juno and her new roommates would spend time together, just hanging out. It was now the beginning of January and Rosalie and Anna's classes had already started. Juno had originally been wrong about the two of them, back in Melissa's office.

"Can you set the table?" Anna calls to Juno, the younger girl in the midst of cooking dinner for them. Anna was a few months younger than Juno, but it was clear that she was incredibly mature for her age. Juno had seen the signs in her roommate, another girl who had been forced to grow up too soon because of a stupid medical diagnosis. Another girl forced to live through unspeakable trauma and putting on a brave face everyday.