[Charlotte Lewis]

tell me how you reach the moon

A little over a week ago, Charlotte had posted an ad for a new roommate. Matthias was moving out, and she was honestly very happy about that. The guy never cleaned up after himself and he was just a pain in the ass in general. Luckily he wasn't around much, because he spent most of his time at his girlfriend's apartment. They had now - finally - taken the next step in their relationship and were moving in together. 

The relief had soon worn off though when Charlotte had realised that it meant she would have to cover the whole rent until she found a new roommate. She truly didn't make enough money to pay for it all, so she had quickly put together an ad. There had soon been some replies, and today a young woman named Katie was coming to see the room and the house. 

The blonde had cleaned up her own room to the best of her abilities and had taken out the trash. A little panic came over her when she took notice of her bong in the sink. She quickly hid it in her closet and put a blanket in top of it, although it was unlikely that Katie would need to look in her closet. 

During the meeting, she would lock Jack in her room. She had written in the ad that she had a dog and that animals were welcome, but better safe than sorry, right? 

Until Katie arrived, she would wait in the common living room with a cup of tea. She didn't exactly know what someone was supposed to do to make people feel at home, but she had put some cookies on the coffee table and a kettle was boiling some water, in case her potential new roomie would like some coffee or tea.

When the bell rang, she jumped up and walked towards it. Charlotte took a deep breath and opened the door, a wide smile plastered on her face. "Hey! Good afternoon. You must be Katie?"

FOR Katie Graushuper  ― I don't know what the style of architecture is called but Charlotte's room looks like this, so Matthias' would look similar, and it would be the first floor of a building like this.

by sixsmith.

[Katie Graushuper]

Katie glanced down at the phone in her hand every few seconds, checking the address again and again as she passed the buildings. She walked her bike next to her, one hand guiding the handle bars. Honestly, Katie had no idea how she’d managed to find something so fast. She had left the institution only three days ago, and she might have a place tonight. Katie pushed back against the thoughts that reminded her she was really and actually homeless. As in, she slept on a park bench for two nights homeless. Katie did have some money, but she had saved most of it for food and other things. It was just too expensive to stay in a hotel for her. If one thing could be said about the psychiatric ward it would be it provided stability, something Katie was desperately lacking now.

Somewhere she knew it was unlikely this would work out; she didn’t have a job yet. Key word being yet. She glanced once more at the phone in her hand, and thought again about her luck. She’d been riding through the street, searching for ‘now hiring’ signs, and happened to spot an abandoned newspaper. The back had an ad in it for Walgreens, they were hiring. Katie had almost rushed over, but it occurred to her they’d ask for her address. So, she had to take care of the whole homeless thing first. This was what had led her to be standing in front of a small apartment building, re-reading the address Ms. Lewis had given her. She quickly noted the old looking car as she leaned her bike against the railing. She walked up the stairs, glancing at her phone every few seconds. She’d responded quickly to the ad and thankfully the woman had responded in kind. Her name was Charlotte Lewis, according to the ad. Katie took a deep breath and shoved her phone into the side pocket on her backpack. She raised her hand to ring the doorbell, but flinched a little as a sharp pain split her skull.

Great. A headache. Just what Katie needed. In all honesty, Katie wasn’t actually that surprised. She’d had an episode on her way here, and headaches usually followed. She considered taking some aspirin, but there really wasn’t time. She was already a little late. She ran her hands through her hair one more time and rang the doorbell. What if she was mean? What if she turned Katie away? What if Katie had an episode in front of her? What if-

“Hey! Good afternoon. You must be Katie?”

Oh. Okay. No time to turn back now. The first thing Katie noticed was that Ms. Lewis had hair so blonde it was almost white. She dressed like she grew up in the 90s, though the ad said she was only 26. She shrugged internally. She could dress like the queen of England for all Katie cared. She did suddenly feel a little self conscious of her old gray jacket, though. Katie hadn’t washed it or the Yellowcard t-shirt she was wearing in a while. She really hoped it wasn’t noticeable. Her head throbbed a bit.

”Yup,” Katie said, popping the ‘p’, “That’s me! You’re Ms. Lewis right?”

Katie smiled in what she hoped was a genuine way. She really did want to make a good impression on this woman. Maybe they could be friends. She moved to enter the house, but let out a small ‘wah’ as she tripped over the door frame. Katie recovered her balance before she toppled into Ms. Lewis, but still stumbled into what she assumed was the living room. Katie looked at the other woman with a sheepish expression, muttering a small apology as she surveyed the room. Her eyes immediately found the plate of cookies that had been set out on the table. They looked really good. Katie hadn’t had lunch. She was so excited about the Walgreens ad and the apartment she simply forgot. Which was probably for the better since she was low on funds. She turned her full attention towards Ms. Lewis, the bits of her curiosity and excitement leaking into her expression.

For Charlotte Lewis

[Charlotte Lewis]

tell me how you reach the moon

The breath she had taken turned out to not have mattered at all, because she had messed up right away. Katie addressed her as Ms. Lewis, and she realised she should have done the same. Ms. Graushuper. Not just Katie. It was impolite.

"The one and only, but feel free to just call me Charlotte", she responded with a smile before stepping aside so the woman could enter. Which she did, but she tripped. Charlotte's hands moved towards Katie, so she could catch her if need be, but she seemed to have found her balance again. "Shit, I should have warned you. The door frame is a little dangerous." The house wasn't in bad shape, but it could definitely use some improvements. The door frame had lifted a bit in the corner, which made it easy to get your shoe stuck behind it.

"It's nice to meet you. Not a lot of people responded to my ad." She stood with her hands behind her back and allowed Katie to look around the living room. "Would you like some coffee or tea before I show you around? I've put some cookies on the table, too, if you want one. I don't know what you're supposed to offer at house viewings, I haven't had to find a new roommate before." She chuckled softly, and if she was able to feel embarrassed, she would maybe have felt a bit embarrassed about seeming so unprofessional. But she was not a real estate agent, she was just someone looking for someone else who couldn't afford to live by themselves.

FOR Katie Graushuper  - A bit of a short one, sorry!    

by sixsmith.

[Katie Graushuper]

All things considered, this was going pretty well. Ms. Lewis–sorry, Charlotte–seemed almost as nervous as herself. Katie thought it was a really nice apartment, but she didn’t really have a frame of reference. The place could be a dump for all she knew. Whatever, she just needed an address in order to get a job. Katie tried to refrain from letting out a sharp gasp when Charlotte swore. Julie had done so occasionally, but Katie truly wasn’t used to it. It was something Julie had only ever used sparingly. Her parents… Well Katie had no way of knowing if they used that kind of language. Katie nodded along with what Charlotte was saying, letting her excitement show a little at the prospect of a nice roommate and generally a place to stay. She fiddled a little with the zipper on her backpack, idly wondering if Charlotte liked any bands Katie knew. Katie genuinely liked Charlotte, there was something in the way she moved and talked that reminded Katie of Julie. Charlotte seemed to be a good person. Maybe Katie was just desperate, but it was kind of comforting to just trust it would be okay.

”No worries! I haven’t had to find an apartment before. We’re kinda in the same boat,” as Katie finished her sentence she nearly choked on her words.

Crap. Crap, crap, crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. No self-respecting, not insane 29 year old would ever not have had to go apartment hunting before. Oh man. Charlotte was going to notice something was up. Then she’d realize Katie was absolutely crazy and not cool and would definitely not want to be friends with her. Charlotte would ask all the questions that she really didn’t want to answer. Stuff about where she’s been and why she hasn’t ever had to find an apartment and what her mental issue is and why her parents don’t talk to her and why Katie didn’t visit Avery. Well, maybe not all of that. Then Katie would lose this one chance at being normal. At having a fri–-

Okay she needed to cover for this.

”I..uh,” she started glancing around desperately, ”I love cookies! Thanks for putting these out. Your hair is really cool.”

’Your hair is really cool’, Seriously? Oh dear, Katie could not lie for her life. And that wasn’t even a lie. She couldn’t direct the conversation correctly. Breathe. She needed to calm down and get this back on track. She reached for a cookie taking it up in one hand biting into it. Ow. Oh right. Headache. Katie chewed slower, trying to keep her jaw in check. She swallowed the bite of cookie. Focus. No one had to know about her disorder. It was just a minor slip up. Charlotte wouldn’t notice and it would be fine. Right?

”So, uh, are we looking around and stuff?” Katie said, nervously trying to return to the subject of the visit and nibbling a little on the cookie.

For Charlotte Lewis

[Charlotte Lewis]

tell me how you reach the moon — my thoughts err away tonight

❝

Charlotte was suddenly very aware of every speck of dust and hair that Jack had lost that she had missed when she had done a quick clean earlier that day. If she wanted a roommate, she should have put more effort into cleaning the appartement, but like usual she had slept in late and sjoozed her alarm one too many times. She didn't even remember it going off in the first place. Maybe she had forgotten to charge her phone again. Her memory wasn't the greatest, so she really couldn't recall what had been the reason of her missing her alarm.

Katie seemed kind. She was a little nervous, but that wasn't something that bothered Charlotte. She didn't even notice, or care about it, because her APD kind of prevented her from being able to associate the woman's fidgety behaviour with the possibility of her being nervous. Overall, Katie seemed like a nice person, and a pleasant person to live with. Charlotte knew better than to judge by looks, but even if she did, there wasn't anything about Katie that was off-putting or concerning. She herself tended to wear certain clothes for a little too long before she threw them in the wash, so she had gotten blind to somewhat 'dirty' clothes. If anything, she really liked Katie's jacket.

She gave Katie a reassuring and kind smile. "Great! I mean, not great, for either of us, but at least we're both doing this for the same time." Them both being unfamiliar with the process of finding a roommate made it less likely that they would judge each other, which sounded good to Charlotte. Maybe it would even mean that they were willing to overlook the little things. People who were familiar with the process would probably pick the place apart for minor inconveniences.

She smiled again when Katie mentioned she loved cookies, and luckily for the young woman the remark about her hair was something Charlotte would also do. She had never been good at timing things she wanted to say and just blurted at anything. "Thank you", she responded, lifting one of her braids to look at the split ends. "My hair itself doesn't think it's very cool." She chuckled, hoping Katie would understand that her hair wasn't her natural colour and that the bleach had damaged it over time.
Looking around. Right. "Yeah! I'll show you Matthias' old room first, and then I'll show you the kitchen. Just this way." She gestured at the little corridor that connected the living room to the rest of the house. "So this is me here on the left", Charlotte explained as they passed by her door. Jack scratched at it and whined a bit. "And you're hearing Jack. I put in the ad that I have a dog, right? I hope that's alright with you?" She waited a second for a response before continuing. "The door across from mine is the bathroom. We'll get to it on the way back." They would continue just a little further down the hall, where there was a third and final door. "This is it", she said after swinging the door to Matthias' room open. "Matthias is willing to leave his bed and closet, by the way. If you'd move in, you can have it. Otherwise we'd just throw it away."

Katie Graushuper

MADE BY MIZO

[Katie Graushuper]

Katie nibbled her cookie in satisfaction; crisis averted. She felt an odd sense of pride at that. She was smoother than she thought. She had the impression she was a bad liar, but maybe that wasn’t so true after all. Alternatively Charlotte just didn’t pick up on stuff like that. Either way, Katie would take the win. She followed Charlotte through the house, chuckling appreciatively at the hair comment. Her tensed shoulders relaxed a little as Charlotte did the talking. Katie let her mind wander as Charlotte continued to giver her a tour. This would be the first room she’d ever gotten on her own. She’d had a room with her parents and one at the institution, but this room would actually be hers. Katie suppressed a giggle at the thought. Sure, she’d still only be renting the place, and splitting the rent at that, but it would be something that was definitely hers. A dull throb coursed through Katie’s skull. Ow. Charlotte finished talking, and Katie realized it was her cue to respond.

“Hm? Oh, that’s actually really perfect. I don’t have a lot of stuff anyway,” truthfully, she only had what was in her bag, but Charlotte didn’t need to know that, ”So, uh, this is really great. Do you have anything that I need to know or, like, tell you or something? I’m kinda winging it to be honest, but this seems like an awesome deal.”

Nice. That didn’t feel awkward. For the most part. Maybe she really was getting the hang of talking to adults. Nope, she doubted that. Charlotte barely qualified as an adult. (Katie had no idea what led her to that thought.) Charlotte was just… Charlotte. Similar to how Julie was Julie. Katie didn’t think too hard about what she said to Julie, and it was starting to feel that way with Charlotte. She didn’t want to say there was something off about Charlotte, because there wasn’t, but there was something that just reminded Katie of the way Julie was. Though, Julie had always sounded full of cynical emotion. Charlotte was kind of empty. But not in a bad way. In a Charlotte way. In a way that said ‘I’m not making too many connections about the comments you make and don’t really care either way’. It was comforting. It occurred to Katie that maybe that should be more disconcerting but she found she didn’t have the strength to care. Besides, who wanted to be homeless another night?

For Charlotte Lewis

[Charlotte Lewis]

tell me how you reach the moon — my thoughts err away tonight

❝

Katie was very different from the people she normally hung out with, but Charlotte liked that. Although her recovery wasn't linear and she didn't want to actively think about it, having someone like Katie around might be good for her. She seemed calm, not exactly collected but that was fine. The way she was nibbling on the cookie reminded Charlotte of a little mouse. Just peaceful. But somewhat desperate for whatever she could get. The blonde tries not to make too many assumptions, but she did wonder what Katie's life story was. Anyway, it wasn't something you'd ask during a first meeting, right?

So Charlotte showed Katie around, talking a bit about this and that, but nothing really important because in all honesty, there wasn't a lot of important things to go over. The ad had mentioned that Charlotte was simply looking for someone to split the rent and the water- and electric bill. The place wasn't all too expensive either. Charlotte then told Katie that Matthias was willing to leave stuff behind, free of charge.

"Not really", she responded. "We would just share the rent and the bills. I mean, I assume you can pay for that?" It wasn't meant as a rude remark, simply a question to make sure she wasn't just signing a contract with a freeloader. She could barely afford the rent for herself, but if the electricity and water bill went up because there were two people living in the house, and she had to cover all of it, she wouldn't be able to do that. "I have a job, but I'm not making too much. I try to do little things here and there for another couple bucks, so just having someone to split the rent with would really help. And if anything happens or comes up, I'm sure we would be able to make it work." If she really had to, she could ask her brother for money, although he would give her a long speech about being responsible and being an adult. "If I'm missing something, or you have a question, shoot." Charlotte chuckled. "I don't know if we're just getting along well, or if it's really that simple to find a roommate, or if I'm forgetting important things I should mention but can't think of right now. In any case, I'm not a difficult roommate. If you like to be left alone, I leave you alone. If you like to spend time together, eat together, maybe go for a walk with Jack together, I'm also down. I'm ... Adaptable."

Katie Graushuper

MADE BY MIZO

[Katie Graushuper]

Katie tried to keep her eyes on Charlotte as she talked. Katie listened intently to what Charlotte was saying, and she forced herself to focus on Charlotte’s face. Idly, Katie wondered if the other girl wore makeup. She had always been ridiculously bad at telling these sorts of things. Sometimes her mother would ask Katie if her blush looked right and she would just say ‘yes’. Honestly, Katie had never noticed the difference. Charlotte was saying something about missing things and questions when a splitting pain shot through Katie’s head. Headaches were fun. Her hand moved up to rub the side of her head as she felt herself flinch. Ow. Well, she would definitely be taking more painkillers tonight. She shook herself out of it and she moved back to hold the cookie with two hands. It was almost gone…

Katie mulled over Charlotte’s words for another moment as she talked. Obviously Katie didn’t quite have a steady income at the moment, which was the prime reason she was even looking for a roommate. However, she did still have a good amount of cash in her backpack, which should help if she didn’t have enough by the first month’s due. She didn’t think Charlotte would be mad exactly if she found Katie didn’t have a job, but there was probably a good chance she wouldn’t allow Katie to room with her. Regardless, Katie was pretty determined to make this work. If she was one thing, it was stubborn. There was no way she was letting this opportunity go easy. She nodded and smiled as Charlotte talked about hanging out a little. She’d like to get to know her better. Katie was absolutely going to get an address, and she was going to get a job. She would not allow for anything less. Well, maybe life had other plans, but Katie wasn’t going to fall down that rabbit hole.

”I don’t really have a lot of questions. I am not super sure on how these things are settled, or if there’s something either of us is missing. I just really hope this works out. As for you’re, uh, other question; I will do my share, I promise,” Katie gained confidence as she spoke, explicitly leaving out the fact she was jobless, ”Plus, even if I’m ever not going to make it, my old roommate can pitch in a little. She actually got me my bike when I left! She’s really cool, and I guess she must’ve heard me talk about how much I missed riding. She is very cool and a big softie even if she is 'ms. cynical depression patient'... Oh, whoops. I sorta rambled there didn’t I? But don’t worry, I am a very responsible person.”

She said the last part with a smile that felt like the ‘:3’ emoji. She really didn’t know how else to describe that. Julie had always told her she was absurdly expressive. They’d even played a stupid game where one person would make faces and the other would have to guess the emoji. It was just as hard as Katie had expected. She felt a little pang of sadness at the thought of those memories. She wouldn’t be playing silly face games with Julie again. She pulled at a loose thread on her jacket, almost dropping her cookie in the process. She tried to ignore the dull throb of her headache as she waited for Charlotte’s response.

For Charlotte Lewis

[Charlotte Lewis]

tell me how you reach the moon — my thoughts err away tonight

❝

it was only now that Charlotte realised that Katie seemed to be having trouble with her head. A headache? Or was she dizzy? Because if her mental condition, she didn't realise that the polite thing to do would be to ask about it, and maybe offer a painkiller. Charlotte just disregarded it and continued the tour before she dove into her little monologue about bills and eating together. It didn't occur to her that Katie hadn't talked about a job or her previous home yet, but again, she simply didn't think of asking about it. She wasn't genuinely interested in it, so her brain didn't give her the dialogue option 'ask about X'. She hadn't even asked all that many questions in general either. The one about dogs hadn't been acknowledged by Katie, so Charlotte had given up on asking small-talk questions.

To any normal, functioning adult, the promise of making it work wouldn't be enough to sign a contract and trust the other was indeed capable of providing, but Charlotte really didn't care. She simply nodded a few times and clicked her tongue in her mouth. "Great!"

Katie then started talking about the bike, and that was the first time Charlotte noticed something odd about her. She frowned a bit, wondering where this whole story had come from
"Why did you move out from that house, again?" she asked, not even sure if Katie had already told her (she hadn't). "You and your roommate seemed to be good friends. Apart from her, uhm, ms. cynical depression patient, then." The face Katie made had saved the story for Charlotte. It put her at ease again. Not that she had been uncomfortable before, but it just made her think that Katie was a bit of an odd one. And who wasn't a little odd? She had told Katie why Matthias was moving out, right? She gently rubbed her forehead to think. Why was she so... Why was she forgetting so much? Withdrawals, maybe?

"If you don't mind, I'll show you the little garden real quick. I'm in need of a smoke. We can talk some more there." She had already grabbed her rolling papers from the table in the living room and would head towards the backdoor, unless Katie stopped her.

Katie Graushuper

MADE BY MIZO

[Katie Graushuper]

Katie nibbled again on her cookie. Her thoughts were drawn back to how lucky she was. It was likely that she’d have an apartment barely 3 days after she was released. She still worried that Charlotte would find out where she'd been. It was kind of exciting but at the same time scary. She always sort of knew that one day she’d find an apartment and live on her own. But Katie was 29 and realizing she never bought a car with her parents or even drank alcohol. Damn, she was 29 and never drank. It hit her like a brick all of a sudden. Her parents weren’t with her to find her first apartment. They wouldn’t be there when she got a job. They wouldn’t gently guide her along. They wouldn’t be there for any of it. Katie had known that, known it for a long time. But for some reason, here with Charlotte, it finally meant something. Katie felt her throat tighten. A longing for something she couldn’t have struck her with a vengeance. She blinked hard. Not now. (Not ever.)

Katie grounded herself enough to say, ”Yeah, sure, I like plants.”

Wait, Charlotte smoked??? To Katie, smoking was something from movies and TV shows. It was kind of jarring to finally realize that yes, people she knew and would meet might smoke. Well, Katie wasn’t going to say anything. Charlotte was going to do what she was going to do. Though, in Katie’s not professional opinion, smoking was extremely detrimental to an individual's health. Smoking could cause inflammation and negatively impact the immune system. This can make one more susceptible to infections and illnesses. Smoking is also an environmental risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, though the mechanical connection between the two is not clear as of yet. Katie could go on about smoking’s connection to cancer and the effects on the nervous system. Katie had spent a few weeks when Julie was really depressed just watching all of the smoking healthcare videos she could. It had gotten to the point where she’d watched PSAs of her own volition. Either way, Katie was never going to smoke. Charlotte was just, uh. Okay, Katie had absolutely no idea why anyone would ever smoke but she was not going to pursue that right now. Ow. Headaches are crap. She used to not get them as often when she didn't take force herself away from episodes. That probably wasn't good for her health, but Katie would ignore that in favor of keeping anyone from knowing about the institution. She felt dangerously close to her thoughts returning to… She returned to Charlotte’s question determined to keep herself occupied.

”Oh, yeah, I left around three days ago. Julie and I are good friends. You’re very perceptive, huh? It wasn’t Julie’s fault at all that I left, don’t get the wrong idea! She actually convinced me to go, I was kinda against the idea at first. But I just sorta felt trapped, y’know? I just didn’t really feel like anything was actually mine. There were lots of people so it felt kinda, uh, crowded?” She finished awkwardly; it ended up sounding more like a question than any sure statement. "Anyway, do you garden or something? I know that some people have hobbies like that, my dad used to home brew coffee. He wasn't very fun in the mornings until he had some. Speaking of, are you a night person or a morning person? Some people are all 'bLaH' really early, so should I like stay away around then or something?"

Wow. Katie had somehow managed to explain less. At least she hadn't said a word about the actual mental institution. That was the important part. It would probably be fine. Yeah. 

For Charlotte Lewis  OOC: Whoops, player totally missed the question about the dog, my bad.

[Charlotte Lewis]

tell me how you reach the moon — my thoughts err away tonight

❝

If Katie liked plants, she would surely like the garden, Charlotte thought. Charlotte didn't spend a lot of time maintaining it, none, actually. The grass hadn't been mowed in a long time and she let the plants grow however they wanted to. It was better for the environment anyway. And it meant less chores for her. She lifted the tobacco from the kitchen table on the way to the backdoor and opened it, letting Katie go first as a good host. Charlotte then followed behind her and let the door fall shut.

While Katie responded to her earlier question, Charlotte put a bit of tobacco on one of the rolling papers, after which she put a filter on the right side and started rolling. She looked up every now and then to show interest in the woman's story, and eventually licked the paper to tape it shut. The blonde lit the cigarette and put the rolling papers, filters and tobacco on the garden table. There where two plastic chairs next to the table, and Charlotte sat down. She inhaled the smoke and thought for a moment. She wouldn't call herself perceptive. Katie simply didn't stop talking about Julie, and it made her wonder what had happened between the two. Crowded, trapped, ... Charlotte's fantasy ran wild. Maybe Katie had been in love with her best friend Julie, but Julie didn't feel the same way and had turned Katie down. Katie now felt trapped in the house, becau- oh it was her turn to speak. "I can imagine", she said sympathetically. She really couldn't, but Katie didn't need to know that. She took another drag of the cigarette and blew the smoke away from Katie. She chuckled a bit and looked at the garden. "I wouldn't say I garden, no. And I'm not really a fan of coffee, so don't worry, I won't remind you of your dad." She forced herself to smile a bit. She didn't like talking about parents, not even those of someone else. "I play the guitar, that's one of my hobbies, but don't worry, it won't be loud. And, uh- I'm not really a morning person, no." A typical morning for Charlotte meant that she woke up maybe 35 minutes before her shift at the record store, and that she'd have to hurry to get there on time. "What about you? Any morning rituals I should be aware of?"

Katie Graushuper ● that's alright!

MADE BY MIZO

[Katie Graushuper]

Well, that went over really well. Katie sat down in one of the chairs watching in interest as Charlotte smoked. Huh, it really was a strange activity. It looked like it would take some time to learn how to do, so what would possess people to start? Katie shook the thought off and looked around the garden. Well, it wasn’t really a garden. More of a glorified pit of weeds. Katie made the decision to clean it up later. Maybe she could even get some of those pretty pink flowers that she always saw in her old neighbor’s lawn. She mulled over the idea for a second before focusing back on Charlotte. There was something stiff about the way Charlotte talked about Katie’s dad. Katie wondered idly if her parents were mean. She couldn’t imagine what that would be like. (She most certainly could; tension is one step away from anger.) Katie brightened as Charlotte spoke about the guitar. Instruments were fun. Katie had tried to start a band in highschool, but everyone kept flaking out and nothing actually got done. Whatever.

Katie grinned, “You do guitar? That’s so awesome! I used to play drums when I was in highschool, but I haven’t had the chance since.”

Katie would admit that she was nervous about this whole roommate situation, but it actually seemed to be going pretty smoothly. Katie was much better at deflecting than she had thought. She felt an odd sensation of pride. It was kind of exciting to live with someone new, but Katie was also nervous. There wasn’t a way to guarantee she didn’t have an episode when Charlotte was around. Almost on cue her head throbbed. She covered her grimace with a small cough. Everything was fine.

“I don’t really do anything special in the morning. Besides, I’m trying to get the night shift for my job and I have no idea how that’s going to screw with my sleep cycle,” she shrugged, “So, uh, what do… Does this sound like it’s gonna, um, work out? Is there something I, uh, need to do or, like, am I good?”

For Charlotte Lewis