A.J. and Jonny soon arrived at the warehouse/loft Jonny lived in.
"'Bout time you got home. I was startin' to worry about you, dog," said Jonny's roommate, skinny, spiky-haired Random.
"Nice to see you too. Listen, we're gonna have company tonight"
Random cut him off. "Uh-uh, no way, dog. This ain't a hotel or a rehab center; it's our crib."
"Random, please. She's only fifteen, and she's got nowhere else to go," Jonny said, his voice quiet but tense.
"All right, she can stay, but just for tonight," Random consented. "Don't say I never did you no favors."
"You don't have to hide behind me," Jonny said to the teen. "Go ahead and make yourself at home."
Uneasily, A.J. lowered herself onto the dirty, floral-patterned couch. She couldn't imagine living in this place full-time. Getting a closer look at Random caused her to blush. Random was pretty cute. He probably wasn't much older than her either... Jonny's voice broke into her thoughts.
"If you wanna get cleaned up, the bathroom's right down the hall."
"And you can borrow some of Velvet's clothes," Random added, going to fetch the laundry.
"Speaking of Velvet, how come she's not home?" Jonny asked. After her stepfather had been killed, Jonny had become sort of an unofficial guardian to the seventeen-year-old exotic dancer.
Random just shrugged. A.J. began to look through the laundry basket. She found an assortment of low-rise jeans, too-short shorts, and skimpy tops. She shook her head to signal there was nothing she liked.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Random's stuff would fit you," said Jonny.
Random opened his mouth in protest, but the older man looked daggers at him. After fishing through the cardboard box most of Random's things were in, the teen selected a pair of jeans, a plain green T-shirt, and a neon orange hoodie with "Zoo York" printed across the front.
A.J. padded towards the bathroom. Working out had left her drained and sweaty. She could hardly wait to relax in a hot shower. She stepped inside the bathroom, locking the door behind her. The teen's eyes roved over the cracked, dirty floor, mildew-coated shower, and tattered shower curtain. The glass in the top part of the door is what did it for her.
"That is the most disgusting bathroom I have ever seen!" she yelled, walking back into the living room area.
"I gotta go to work, Random." Jonny was saying."Can I trust you to keep an eye on her?"
Random jumped off the couch as though he'd been electrified. "Wait, wait, you know I ain't good with kids. Remember what happened the time you left me with that stolen baby?"
"I thought we agreed not to bring that up again," said Jonny, adjusting the earpiece he wore on the job. "Look, it's not like you have to change diapers..."
"How do you know she's housebroken?" Random asked.
Not wanting to hear any more of the argument, A.J. went back into the bathroom. The least she could do was put on some deodorant and change into the set of borrowed clothes.