She turned, and I almost crashed into her back when she stopped.
I peered over her shoulder as she looked toward the kids near the sofas. “Diego. Kai. Say hello to Corey. He’ll be a fixture around here this summer. And if we’re lucky, I’ll be able to convince him to never leave us.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. This was always going to be a temporary position, one that would look good on my résumé. It was important work, sure, but I also had my future to worry about. The cost of living in Tucson was relatively cheap compared to other cities of the same size, but that didn’t mean I could afford to live off next to nothing, especially if I ever wanted to move out of Sandy’s house.
Diego looked up at me, arching an eyebrow. He grunted. It sounded like he said “S’up,” but since I didn’t speak teenager, I couldn’t be sure. If I was being honest, teenagers scared the holy hell out of me.
The other one—Kai—didn’t raise their head from their phone.
Marina sighed. “I’m afraid that’s as good as it’s probably going to get.” She raised her voice and said, “Because some people still need to learn their manners.” She shook her head and started walking farther into Phoenix House.
“They’re here early,” I said as I followed her.
She glanced back at me. “Usually are. They don’t really have any other place to go. Kai’s in foster care. The foster parents get the checks from the state and put a roof over their head, but that’s about as far as the parenting goes. Diego is….” She seemed to catch herself. “Well. He’s got his mom. They both just finished their junior year, and while I’m trying to convince them to get jobs, no dice so far.”
“Oh” was all I could say to that.
“But it’s all right!” she said as she led me toward an old door near the back of Phoenix House. “I love having them all here, especially now that school is out. Teenagers with nothing to do can sometimes find themselves in unruly situations. I give them breakfast and the code to the Wi-Fi, and they help me around here. They painted the rainbow mural on the wall last week to help us in our celebration of Pride Month.”
“It’s nice,” I replied dutifully.
She beamed at me as she opened the door. “I think so too. You’ll get to know them, I’m sure. They can be a little… well. They’re seventeen years old. I’m sure you remember what that’s like better than I can.”
I could. Seventeen-year-olds were assholes. I had been a seventeen-year-old asshole. And though I’d gotten over it quicker than I expected, the thought still terrified me. But it wasn’t enough to make me doubt why I was here, why I’d wanted to work at Phoenix House in the first place.
The room she’d led me to was small. It was made even smaller by the fact that three desks were placed against three different walls. It would be crowded with three people sharing the same space. Two of the desks were empty, chipped old things that looked as if they’d seen better days. The third desk belonged to Marina. There was a framed picture on the desk showing her and her partner of a few decades smiling widely while wearing mouse ears at Disneyland.
“This is us,” she said as if it were the greatest reveal in the world.
“It’s nice,” I said.
She laughed. “You liar. But that’s okay. You probably won’t spend a whole lot of time in here, if I’m being honest. Aside from all the paperwork I can’t wait to have you do for me, we usually are out and about. I mostly find myself in here when I need a break from all the noise. And now that it’s summer, I expect to use it a little more for that. Not that it’s a complete escape. It’s an old building, after all.” She pointed up toward a large vent near the ceiling. “If people are in the director’s office having a meeting, you can hear everything they’re saying. Just ignore it if you can. You brought your laptop?”
I nodded as I set my backpack on one of the empty desks. “I downloaded the programs you emailed to me too, so I should be ready to go. And I filled out all the paperwork.”
“That’s good,” she said, leaning against her desk. “We won’t worry about that right away. Few things you need to do first.”
Adulting was hard. “Like…?”
She glanced down at her watch before looking at her clipboard. “You’re going to meet with our interim director this morning just so you can introduce yourself and get to know each other. He’s a great guy, and we’re very lucky to have him on loan. If I had my way, I’d steal him and keep him here forever, but I don’t think that’ll happen. Like you, we have him for the summer, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure both of you see how great this place is so you won’t ever want to leave.”
I looked at her. “That sounds almost threatening.”
“It is,” she said, eyes crinkling. “I find threats of happiness work better than anything else. And he’s excited to meet you. I don’t think he’s had a chance to review your file yet since he’s been trying to get himself situated, but you two can go over that together. I’m sure if he has any questions, you can—”
She was interrupted when my phone beeped annoyingly from my bag. “Shit,” I muttered as I unzipped the front pocket. “Sorry. Sorry, didn’t put it on vibrate. This morning was… I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“It’s fine,” she said, waving a hand dismissively. “Our phones are extensions of ourselves these days. My wife thinks we’re going to evolve with longer necks that are always curved downward. She’s funny like that.”
I glanced down at the screen to see the family thread lighting up. I tapped the box and pulled up the messages.
PaulyShore: You’re going to nail it. And if you don’t, I will buy the Ben & Jerry’s and we can eat and cry together.
SoVainDarrenMayne: Sandy said I had to tell you good luck.
IDreamOfVince: I luv u! U got dis!
NanaBanana: SIUCSAS (See If U Can Steal A Stapler) LMAO