Tenants of the World, Unite

(8)

Zoe woke me up early in the morning as the weekend arrived and said, “The battle we’ve been waiting for has started!”

Zoe also invited our male coworker Brian Mandla to join us, and we bought a lot of snacks and beer. She brought two small speakers and told me we would have a home party today.

We got there, and Zoe turned on the music and started playing “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” I couldn’t help but move to the beat.

We enjoyed a meal and some drinks together while the sweet music led to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I laughed so hard that I felt relaxed for the first time in this room.

Lucas knocked on the door soon after. He was shocked to see Brian, a muscular man who stood at 6 feet and weighed almost 200 pounds. He gave off a threatening and challenging vibe.

Irene emerged and spewed curses. Zoe hurled them back, unleashing all the profanities she had stored up. I watched Zoe’s eyes sparkle as she swore, inventing all sorts of witty slurs.