We made good progress back to my room, chatting about Supernatural and COPE. When we walked through the door, Jared looked up from where he had been reading on the top bunk to greet me. He quickly saw that Ashley was with me, a smile crept over his face.

"Hey, guys. I see you brought a friend, Reese. That's great. Next time, just text me first, okay?" I nodded. Jared turned to Ashley and asked, "Does Harper know you're here?"

"Yeah, we ran into him in the hallway. Which reminds me, I'm supposed to call him." She took her phone and hit the one on her speed dial.

While Ashley was calling Harper, I took out my own phone and popped up to Jared's book, where he had resumed reading.

When he noticed me, he put the book aside, and said, "What's up, kid?" I handed him my phone.

"You never gave me your number."

"Oh, okay." He typed it in and I gave him mine.

By that time, Ashley was finished talking to Harper. We moved to the floor and sat across from one another. "20 questions?" I asked. She nodded in agreement. "We also both have to answer the question," I said, informing her on my rule of twenty questions.

"Okay."

"You first," I said. She smiled and obliged.

"What's your favorite color?" I rolled my eyes.

"That's such a typical question. It's sky blue."

"Red," she answered quietly, a look coming over her eyes. I made a small, noncommittal sound in response.

"Okay, favorite food?" I asked.

"Cupcakes," Ashley said seriously.

I burst out laughing. "Cupcakes? Really?"

"What's wrong with cupcakes?" Ashley said, defensively.

I smiled, shaking my head. "Nothing, nothing. Just...nothing." I laughed again. "You just don't seem the type."

Ashley smiled and said, "Yeah, well, what's yours?"

"Rice," I said. "Seriously, I can eat bowls of the stuff."

"Okay, so, favorite TV show? Besides Supernatural, of course."

I thought about it for a minute. "Probably Sherlock, the BBC version."

Ashley squealed. "Oh my god, I love Sherlock!" We high-fived again.

"Yours?" I asked her. "Blue Bloods," she said confidently.

"I also love Blue Bloods!" I laughed at the odd coincidence that we had so much in common.

"Favorite movie?"

"Probably either the non-animated version of Beauty and the Beast or Annabelle 2." I smiled at the two completely different choices.

"Mine's Reviving Ophelia."

We went back and forth like that for the better part of an hour, learning new things about each other, before the question that sparked our very first deep conversation was asked.

"When did you get here?" I asked Ashley.

"Two weeks ago."

"Can I ask you something personal?" I blurted out. She nodded silently, staring at her lap and fiddling with her nails, avoiding my gaze. "What...happened to you?" Ashley took a deep breath and began to tell her story.

"Misty found me outside of the building, sitting in some bushes. I ran away from home when I was thirteen and found refuge with a friend." She brushed her long blonde hair to the side, clearly intending to show me something. I leaned closer and saw a thin, white scar running the length of her face.

"My father was abusive. My mom told me every day that I needed to get out and never come back. She was in my father's clutches but insisted that I didn't have to be. I couldn't leave her alone, though. I knew he beat her, too, when I wasn't around. So I stayed, taking most of the abuse for her. Then, when I was thirteen, she told me she loved me and overdosed. That same day, I packed my bags and I haven't stopped running since."

I felt my heart break for her as tears rose in her eyes. I hesitantly moved closer slowly, so she'd have time to back away if she didn't want to be touched. When she didn't seem to mind, I wrapped my arms around her.

"Ash, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's okay," she replied, drawing back and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "So, what about you? What's your story?"

Before I had time to think about the risks of opening up, I told her everything that had happened to me the day before.

"Wow," Ashley said, surprise written all over her face. "That's a lot. I'm really sorry, Reese. You know, if you ever need to talk or rant about anything, I'm here."

"Thanks, Ash. The same goes for you."

Ashley left shortly after that, saying something about wanting to spend time with Harper. Jared smirked down at me from his bunk, and it took a lot of willpower to let him know that I knew exactly why he was being so smug about Ashley and I's friendship.

Eventually, I climbed into Jared's bunk bed with him. He put his book aside and said, "So, Reese. It's your first day. What do you want to do?"

"Can we go shopping?"

He smiled. "Sure, kid. Give me five minutes to get ready, and then we'll go."

I nodded eagerly and ducked into our small bathroom, which was decorated with ocean scenes and painted a cheery light blue. After rummaging through the drawers for a few minutes, I came up with a hairbrush, a straightener, hairspray, and some makeup. I quickly ran the brush through my light brown locks, which had gone frizzy from the chaos of the day before. After that, I plugged in the straightener in and tamed the beast completely. For the finishing touch, I sprayed a bit of hairspray to keep my hair intact while we shopped and did my makeup natural.

I grabbed my phone and slid it into the pocket of my sweatpants before returning to our room, where Jared was waiting with his wallet. We linked arms, just like that morning, and walked outside, ready to begin shopping.