*Chapter 12*
Bottle Cap studied the girl who had turned away to talk quietly with Jake. Caps just couldn't stop staring at her. Why would she hate her so much already?
"An' I thought Spot was harsh." Hades suppressed a giggle. Bottle Cap glanced at Mush questioningly, her eyes getting glossy. She had only been here for a day and already someone hated her. The thing was, she didn't even know why!
"Don't worry 'bout Spin." Silver Fists shook her head.
"Maybe you should go tawk ta Spot 'bout 'er." Mush smiled. Then he pulled Hades down the stairs. "C'mon, let's go to da park."
"I am so confused!" Bottle Cap exclaimed quietly, punching the bed with frustration. "Spin isn't in my story, all these girls...it's not the way I imagined." She shook her head and it began to ache.
"Just calm down." Silver laughed, "It's gonna be fine, ya just gotta get used to it."
"Who's up for a game o' pokah?" Race came sauntering in with Dragonfly in tow. He nodded at Bottle Cap as he passed by and pulled up a chair, beginning to shuffle his worn deck of cards.
"I'm in." Chorused Jake, Skittery, Dutchy, Specs, and Bumlets. Dragonfly stopped at the bunk where the two girls sat.
"Heya." She beamed. "What a'e ya guys doin'?"
"I'm about to go back down to Tibby's and talk to Spot about..." Bottle Cap stood.
"No you ain't." Silver laughed, pulling her back down. "You leave now an' Klopp won't let ya back in."
"Let's go find ya a bunk in da goils room." Dragonfly suggested. The three crossed the hallway to find a similar room, only much tidier.
"Tipsy." Bottle Cap sighed in relief. Everything within her wanted to run up and squeezed her friend, the one thing that she knew was real. She knew better, though. Jessica didn't exist here, only Tipsy and Tipsy didn't know who she was.
"Hey Caps, which bunk ya want? Deahs two empty." Illusion announced when she saw the new girl enter.
"Yeah, deah's one ovah by Gypsy or deah's one between me an' True." Silver noted, looking around the room.
"I'll take the one by Silver, if that's okay." Bottle Cap smiled, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. It wasn't long before the last of the girls piled in and Kloppman hollered lights out. Bottle Cap lay still, though her mind did somersaults and pounded her forehead.
She had thought that this would be perfect, that if she was in a fanfic, all would be well. She had imagined that her pain, her tears, would be put to an end. She was wrong. She felt alone and out of place. She missed her dog, as silly and childish as it seemed. She was in the one place she had prayed to be, and all she could think of was home.
