Picture This: Book 2 [GirlxGirl]

Chapter 3

"Woah."

Rose let out a low whistle as she stepped out of the car and took in the view before her. Suddenly, it became very clear to her exactly why this place was so expensive. The building itself, while only two storeys high, still seemed pretty magnificent from where she was standing. It was built of white stone, and each window appeared to have been uniquely and elaborately painted on - on some there were a variety of cartoon-style animals (a grim reminder of their trip to the zoo), while the others consisted of things such as a colourful depiction of the solar system and all the letters of the alphabet, personified and given arms, legs, and eyes.

Surrounding the building was a stretch of freshly mowed, bright green grass, on top of which sat several randomly placed picnic tables. Through the gate at the side of the building, Rose was able to see part of the play area, including a set of swings and a small slide. Alex climbed out of the driver's side door, grumbling something about the awful traffic and how they managed to hit every red light on the way.

"I swear to God the next time somebody swerves out in front of me like that-"

"Alex, I'm pretty sure you were the one who swerved." This earned Rose a deadly glare, which she obliviously ignored as she let Amy out of the back. Amy looked as excited as ever, wide eyes taking in the sight before her with wonder. In her right hand she was clutching a stuffed penguin she had cleverly named 'Ping.' One of its eyes were missing, and there were several stitches in the body of the toy, but she was attached to that thing as any one toddler could be to an inanimate object. "Are you excited, Amy?"

Amy nodded eagerly and pointed to the swings beyond the gate. "I wanna play!" Alex smiled down at Amy, all lingering bitterness gone.

"You can play soon, alright? Let's just get you inside." Alex squeezed Amy's hand then looked across at Rose. "You know, it isn't too late to turn around and go grab an ice cream or something."

Rose rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine, just relax. Come on." She lead them inside, through the front entrance and into the lobby, where a middle aged woman manned the reception desk.

"Under 6's or over?" She asked, without even looking up at Rose and Alex. Rose frowned.

"Um..."

"Is your child under 6 or over?" The receptionist parroted, tone bordering on aggressive. However, as soon as she looked up, her whole demeanour transformed and suddenly she had a somewhat out of place smile on her face as she stood to shake both their hands. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't told that you'd be joining us today. It's so nice to meet both of you! Please, follow me."

The receptionist wasted no time in rounding the desk and leading them down the hall towards Amy's play group. Neither woman commented on the special treatment they were evidently being granted due to their status, though Rose could tell that Alex was dying to make some sly, offhand comment about how this is exactly what she had expected. At the end of the hallway there was a set of double doors labelled "Under 6's." The receptionist pushed the door open and headed inside, with Rose, Alex, and Amy all close behind.

Once again, Rose found herself pleasantly surprised at the design of the playgroup's interior. The entire floor was covered in soft, pea green carpeting, and every inch of the walls were decorated to match the theme of the room - which appeared to be jungle based. Children's drawings were plastered up across the far left side of the room, directly above a small table where a pair of twins were doodling something in crayon. In the centre of the room there was a young woman, probably in her early twenties, who was reading from a children's book to a few very attentive children. In one corner, several children were using their imagination to bring teddies and action figures alive.