Paradise Wrecked - Chasing Normal, Arc 3

Scene 15: Making Her Debut

"Oh my goodness! Shiri Ando!" Lorraine squealed as she ran around her desk. Travis had anticipated the receptionist's reaction and hung back as they entered, hoping to avoid notice on way into the production area. Lorraine was faster than Travis expected and grabbed her arm as she tried to slip past. "Well, you just must be bursting to have your parents here, pumpkin!"

Travis forced a smile, "Yes. But I have to get to work, or Brice-"

Lorraine pushed her right next to her mother. "You two could be twins." Every word the woman spoke was more shrill than the one before it, and the sound reverberated off the lightly upholstered walls of the lobby.

Shiri smiled, a look Travis might have described as pride, but definitely not motherly. It didn't matter. Lorraine looked like she might claim to be pleased as punch at Shiri's gesture.

In the lull, Travis seized her opportunity. "Mom, I have to get to my station. I have a lot of work to do."

"Of course, sweetheart. I'll see you later. We'll eat lunch together."

Sorry. I have a lunch buddy. Travis thought as she took carefully controlled stomps toward the door.

Behind her, she could hear the receptionist fawning over her mother between attempts to get her card key.

==

Travis had to give her mother credit. Once Shiri made it into the arena, the scenes started flowing quickly and regularly through the engineering pods to the animators. Requests for backgrounds, set pieces, edits, and clean-ups flooded Travis' inbox. It was nice to finally feel useful, even if she didn't want to be in the same building as the reason why she was suddenly so busy.

By mid-afternoon, the production was well on its way to being caught up, and rumors were circulating about a "Get to Know You" party at the Andos' that evening.

Travis shook her head when she heard a handful of animators talking about it. She really can find any excuse to party, can't she?

==

Because it was a company party, Shiri insisted Travis attend. She rummaged through Travis' closet. "Honey, where are your party clothes?"

"I'm fifteen. I don't have party clothes." It wasn't entirely true. Travis had some outfits tucked away in the hopes she'd eventually be invited to somewhere nice. But those were not the kind of party clothes her mother was tearing through her closet for.

"We can go shopping this weekend. For now, why don't I just loan you something?" She glided out of the room.

Yes. Why don't you?, she thought bitterly as she started cleaning up her mother's mess. She'd hung up nearly everything by the time her mother walked in with a sparkly pink tank top that would definitely clash with Travis' hair and jeans she would never fit into in a million years. Well...it could be worse....probably.

==

It was worse. While news had spread that the Ando family was working at Sai Anto Productions, Travis' age hadn't. After the fifth drunken crew member slapped her butt as she was making her way across the apartment in hopes of finding a less crowded area, Travis excused herself.

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror for several minutes, trying to figure out why her mother suddenly decided Travis should attend one of the family debaucheries. But the why didn't matter. She was stuck for the time being. An insistent knock on the door reminded her she couldn't hide forever, and she ran the faucet for a couple of seconds, counted to three and opened the door.

Across the hall, she saw her answer. But if she tried to just hide in her bedroom, her mother would certainly drag her out. It was better than nothing and might buy her a few minutes' peace, but it would be better if she could just ditch the party altogether. If I could just figure out where to go.

And then inspiration hit. She threw some clothes and her tablet into her duffel bag and slipped back through the partiers and out the front door. Everyone was too drunk to notice.

Several minutes later, she took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, and rang the doorbell. Her grandfather, completely bedraggled except for his housecoat, answered the door. "Travis?"

"Sorry it's so late, Opa, but things are crazy at home tonight. Is it all right if I stay here?" She knew his answer before he ever said it. Her grandparents had made it clear she was welcome to come visit them any time she liked.

"Of course. I think your grandmother has kept your room."

Oma had in fact kept the guest room that had served as Travis' room only a couple of weeks earlier. She peeled off the constricting clothes, pulled on her pajamas, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.