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Tomorrow was Friday, and that meant Erika would soon be going home for the weekend. She had been quiet and well-behaved, had done all her chores, and even the homework for her summer classes. There wouldn't be a thing between Erika and the short walk to her brother's apartment in East Heights, and that was brilliant. It was two and a half days of spending time with her very favorite person in the world. Shep would make pancakes and they would read books and play games. It always seemed to be too good to be true.

She just wished her roommate could come with her.

Still, it wasn't exactly something they talked about. Classwork, yes. The terrible fate what should await the girl who cut Erika's hair, yes. A small bit of life before St. Mags, also yes. But beyond that, not too much of Erika's life at her home.

Today, she was staring in delight at a present she'd gotten for her good grades: A key to the apartment. Normally, she had to go talk to the lady in the apartment next door to Shep's if she got home when Shep wasn't there. This meant she could stay at the library a little longer and not get locked out. No, it meant more than that: It meant she couldn't get locked out. It was such a little thing, small and bronze-colored, but it made her smile, and it was an expression that didn't go away when she heard the door open.

"Hi," she said to Darryl, her smile brightening. "Welcome back!"

Darryl seemed a little tired, but Erika missed the three-wheeled skateboard. She knew there was a lot of exertion in skateboarding, so it was probably just that. (She thought.) So, she decided, just this once her news could go first. "I got a key," she said, holding it up so Darryl could see. It hung on a small aluminum keyring. The circle of metal was just big enough for Erika to loop it over her fingers, and the little bronze key glittered against her pale palm. "Because of my grades," she explained, smiling again as she pressed it to her chest.

Meticulously, she put her key in her backpack, and zipped it up. "How was your day? Did you have fun and meet any friends?" The question was a little childish, and Erika realized that moments after she asked it. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she quickly slanted her gray-eyed gaze back to her desk. "I mean, if you wanted to meet friends. And not meet monsters." Now she was wringing her fingers together, daring to glance up at Darryl.

Sometimes she really thought she was not cool enough to be Darryl's friend.

She nodded, feeling quite possessive over her new key. It was a pretty boring house key, she guessed. She'd seen a million like it before, except this was her key, not anyone else's. Just Erika's, and it was for her place with Shep. They'd even started talking about her living at home soon, and just traveling to St. Magdelena's. Or even transferring to Meadowview! Erika didn't know how she felt about leaving St. Mag's, though; it kind of felt a little weird, to know she wouldn't have proctors or the Sisters to rely on. Shep worked a lot, after all, and she wouldn't like to be alone by herself all the time.

"Yeah, no more! He said it's something I should've had ever since he moved in, though, but I guess there just wasn't enough money for it yet." How much did it cost to get a duplicate key made? No one ever told her, precisely. Shep didn't tell her a lot of things about finances, except to get very irritated when she tried to return her allowance to him.

He'd actually been really insulted by that. She sighed, thinking about it.

At the news of Darryl's monster encounter, her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, Darryl! Like... one of the monsters from the news, or just someone who was mean?"

It seemed like a story! She crossed her legs under her Indian style, and put her elbows down on her knees; then she settled her chin in her hands. Her gray eyes were wide as she looked up at Darryl. "I'm really glad you're safe," she said, "I'm sorry you were scared." That's how you were supposed to do that, right? You said how happy you were to see them again and then apologized for their emotional distress? She didn't think it was her fault that Darryl had been attacked… but she thought that it would be a nice thing to say. That she cared, right? That's how you showed it?

"But it sounds like you were really brave, too! I wish that I was brave like you," she said, admiringly. Being like Darryl was something she wished for a lot. No one messed with Darryl without getting messed with in return. Erika just hid in the closet and refused to come out.

Erika smiled at Darryl, and giggled; the idea that Darryl wouldn't be looking out for her, ever, was ludicrous. Hadn't her roommate shoved that bully into a locker? And left her there, too! Erika still thought that made Darryl one of the coolest people to traverse the hallway of St. Magdelena's Seminary, even if they'd both gotten punished for it. "I believe in you," she said, once her giggles had died down. Her solemn tone came out very level, even if she couldn't make eye contact with Darryl. She was working on it, but sometimes it just made her stomach jump to even look at another person's face. Darryl and Shep were the only people she trusted enough to even smile around, much less look at them with any regularity.

"I did my homework," she said, which really was just about all she'd been doing. "And… my CD player's busted again, do you think you can help me fix it? I think it just needs to get taped up better. Um… please?"

Erika leaned over to her bed and tugged the CD player out from its hiding place in the mattress. It was a pathetic little thing; a 1997 model, more than a decade old and years past its prime, held together with duct tape and a prayer. She'd picked it up for two dollars at a garage sale before the start of her freshman year, and now trusted only her roommate with the secret. (Although Shep knew; Erika just didn't know that.) The only reason it'd lasted this long was Darryl's unfailing assistance, and she gave her roommate a grateful smile as she passed it over.

"It won't play with I hit the button," she said, gesturing to point at the play button. "My headphones work on the library computers, so it's not them."