Somewhere Else

Chapter 26: It's Not The End

Despite her reputation as a party animal, Zuzi's apartment has always been a mystery to the rest of us. She likes going to house parties, I've realised – but never hosts one of her own. As such, none of us have ever set foot into her apartment.

This has built up an air of anticipation for the day Zuzi will host us for her turn in our international movie night.

"It'll be colourful," Priscilla declared, the day before we were scheduled to visit Zuzi for the first time. She turned to Zuzi, explaining her claim. "To match your personality." She paused, then leans in, eyes wide. "Am I right?"

Zuzi only smiled.

After Priscilla's prediction, none of us are expecting the all-white, minimalistic look that greeted us when we stepped through her door on Thursday night.

"You live here?" Priscilla asks, spinning around in a circle, eyes wide as she scans the four walls. They are almost empty – only two paintings hang on the walls, so understated that they might as well have not been there.

"It looks like a hotel room," Ludo says.

Zuzi shrugs. "The landlord decorated it. I just left everything as it is."

I peek at Frederik to see his reaction. Out of all of us, he's the only one most likely to have been here, but the expression on his face as he studies the unit tells me that it is all as new to him as it is to us.

"It's very..." I struggle for a moment to find a suitable word, then settle on, "white."

Zuzi laughs. "I know, right? It doesn't suit me at all."

We all nod. That is the crux of the thing. Someone with an explosive personality like Zuzi doesn't belong within these colourless, pristine walls.

As if reading all our minds, Zuzi shrugs again and says, "I'm rarely home anyway. It's just a place to sleep. What does it matter?"

"Fair enough," Priscilla says, even though I know she wouldn't be able to relate to this sentiment. She takes the decor in her apartment very seriously. In the time we roomed together, I've seen bits of her personality splashed all over the apartment.

I find myself wondering, with an anxious pang, what impression my apartment would give them. Not much has changed since the time Priscilla, Zuzi, and Ludo helped me move in – I haven't put as much of a personal touch as Priscilla has on her place of residence. The only stamp I've put on the apartment since moving in is the messy piles of personal belongings strewn all over the place.

I make a mental note to clean up before my turn for movie night arrives next week. I'm a slob, yes, but my friends don't have to know it.

Zuzi wanders into another room. "Snacks?" We hear her call out, rustling through what sounds like the largest stack of plastic in the world.

"What do you have?" Ludo asks.

"I brought some popcorn," Priscilla says, turning to rummage in her own bag.

We all stare at her.

"What?" Priscilla asks, a touch indignantly. "I had a craving!"

I grin. "Popcorn sounds good."

Priscilla leans over and throws an arm around me. "Emi gets more popcorn," she announces to the room.

Ludo rolls his eyes.

Zuzi re-emerges, tossing a bag at Frederik, who is standing closest to the door. Frederik turns the bag over in his hands, then holds it up with a look of bemusement.

"Baby carrots?" Ludo scoffs, the disgust palpable in his voice. "That's your idea of a snack?"

Zuzi shrugs. "It's all I have."