Adult

After having to exchange a fair amount of their money for Yen, the sisters had finally made it past the front desk of their chosen rest stop once Frankie had worked up the courage to help Katie communicate with the staff- she thought their English was great, but Katie could be inpatient at times.

The halls were more akin to a teenage boy’s bedroom than a hotel- posters covered every surface, cartoon girls watched you from every angle- it was more unnerving than comforting, but Frankie figured that was how they liked it here.

“Which did he say was our room…?”

“It’s right up here.” Frankie turned just to roll her eyes at her sister. “Just stop and listen for once, you’re making us look ba-“

Phooomf.

Frankie froze. She was staring at nothing but blackness. Oh god, she thought. Did I slip through reality?

The angry young salaryman pulled the girl’s sticky face out of his suit jacket.

“G- Gomen?” Frankie whimpered.

“What are you two doing here? How old are you?” He set her aside, immediately questioning them in their native tongue.

“Katie Pop, I’m nineteen years old, and I’m on my way to visit every park in the world!” She took the opportunity to pose, misreading the situation.

“I-I’m… Frankie Pop- uh, I didn’t mean to- um. Run into you like that, I… don’t always pay attention, um… I’m a… high school dropout, I guess…” she remembered, for some reason hoping personal information would make him go away.

“Every park?” He echoed the madwoman.

“Thaaaat’s right!” She confirmed, more than a little proud of herself.

“You two don’t have jobs, do you?”

Frankie blinked.

“I thought life was awful enough in high school. I didn’t know how good I had it until it was gone.”

“We don’t need jobs.” Katie confronted. “Not right now. We’ve worked! We’ve worked really hard to catch our dreams, and now we’re-“

“Worked? I knew you two were idiots.” He stepped past them to get to the lobby.

“I’m sorry?” Frankie caught her nerve once it struck her how rude the man was being to her sister.

“You don’t stop working unless you want to die. Though, I guess that wouldn’t be out of the question for a girl like you. Go sleep on the streets. This place is for people who need it.”

Then the asshole just walked off, back to whatever job it was he was working.

Frankie was more than hurt, but Katie was fine as she wrapped her arm around her.

“Don’t listen to him! Come on, what room are we staying in?”

“I… forgot.”