Paradise Wrecked - Chasing Normal, Arc 3

Scene 18: A New Friend

After a weekend at her grandparents', Travis expected to walk into work Monday morning feeling relaxed. But as she walked up to the lobby door, she felt a growing sense of dread. People felt compelled to say something to her after her parents' parties. What would would they say to her after a party the police broke up?

She kept her eyes to the floor and moved through the lobby at a good clip. Not quickly enough to escape Lorraine's overly cheerful, "Mornin', sugar!", but enough to not be caught up in a conversation with the woman. Inside the studio's workspace, she started for the elevator, and then realized she was less likely to run into anyone if she just ran up the stairs. But no sooner had she shut the stairwell door behind her than she heard the dull thud of steps on the carpeted steps. She sighed, slipped back into the hallway and hoped for the best on the elevator.

Her luck didn't hold out. As the doors closed, she heard a high-pitched voice, "Hold the door?" Travis stuck her bag in the door to foil the sensors, and an older teen ran in. "Thank you," she said breathlessly. She took a moment to catch her breath. "I'm Melinda."

"Travis." She wished the doors would close already.

"Oh, right. The new apprentice. How are you liking this place so far?" Melinda straightened her bag on her shoulder and gathered her hair into a low ponytail.

How am I liking this place so far? I get to work for a bit, and then I have to be Shiri Ando's daughter. How do you think I'm liking this place so far? "It's a nice studio."

Melinda smiled knowingly. "I'm an animator. And for three years, I was stuck being the little sister of the genius lighting apprentice. Really, how's it going?"

Travis' eyes widened, and then she gathered her composure. "About as well as can be expected."

Melinda laughed. "Now that I believe." The doors opened, and Melinda walked out. "You know there's a group of us that gets together on the weekends when we aren't in a production crunch. You should come hang out with us." She looked over her shoulder to make sure Travis was still following her. "It's kind of lame. We just chill, draw, play games, whatever. But it's nice to just unwind with people who know your pain, you know?"

Travis didn't know, but she liked the idea. "Sure."

As they walked into the animator workspace, Melinda squeezed her hand. "Great! I'll find you at lunch and we'll trade contacts."

"Okay." Travis stepped toward her station. ""Oh. Wait. I usually sit-"

"With that cute crew guy. I know." Melinda winked. "We can all have lunch together, can't we?"

Travis blinked. "Of course we can."

"Great. I'll see you later. Send me more good props this morning. Your work is really clean for a first-year apprentice." And just like that, Melinda vanished into a row of workstations.

Travis shook her head. Did that just happen? She logged into her station and found the first of many unpromising emails of the morning:Can we expect your mother this morning, or is she still in jail

==

Melinda found Will before Travis had a chance to warn him. She had seated herself across and down from him, leaving Travis her usual spot across from him. 

As Travis sat down, Will shot her a look. She wanted to ask, but he shook his head. Maybe I shouldn't have invited Melinda to sit with us.

"Hey, Travis. Will and I were just chatting about the rumor that the studio is going to upgrade crew operations."

Travis noticed Will squirm in his seat. "Upgrades are good, right? Won't they make it easier to do your job?"

Will laid his arms along the sides of his tray. "She thinks they'll replace us."

"You guys are kind of irreplaceable," Travis responded. "I've been in a lot of studios with my mom. I've never seen one without people working as the crew."

Melinda shrugged at Will, a smug smile on her face; he responded with a dark look. Unaffected, Melinda looked at her watch, "I better get back. I still have a lot of work to do. Sorry we didn't get to chat, Travis, but I'll see you later?"

"Sure."

As soon as she was beyond the cafeteria door, Will growled, "You've been making new friends."

"I, um... Yeah. I met her this morning. She wants me to hang out with the animator apprentices some time."

"I'll bet." Will stood. "See you around." As he stormed off, Travis sank in her seat. What just happened here?