017 The Third Apartment

The last apartment was a mix of both old and new. The exterior was a faded white colour that reminded Eden of eggshells.

It was a little farther out of town than Eden wanted but if it had a nice interior that could possibly make up for the long drives she would have to take.

"Here we are, this is the Zenith. It's also the tallest building we've been to, if you noticed," Mr. Green said.

Now that he mentioned it Eden looked up to see the apartment block was more than five stories tall, almost reaching into the heavens.

"A lot of people you age love this one and it sits comfortably in the middle of your budget at 2200KRV per month,"

Eden frowned at the mention of people her age, she didn't have any friend and if the people that lived here were the same as the ones she met though out her school years then that could potentially mean running into one of Lily's friends or even a former bully.

"Hmm, you don't seem to like the mention of your peers being within the building," Mr. Green said noticing her downcast expression.

"It's just tough memories," Eden explained, "I wasn't popular in school,"

"Well neither was I," Mr. Green said.

"Same here my darling, you should have seen me. Mouthy and opinionated. I was something," Rose said with pride. "They could never silence me,"

"I can tell," Mr. Green said.

The three of them walked towards the entrance of the building and unlike the other two, there was no door man to greet them.

The doors automatically slid open after Mr. Green presented them with identification.

"It's a pretty high tech building, if you go with it an ID will be issued to you and you'll also get a token on your phone so you can simply scan that in," he said.

Eden nodded but knew she might not like this one as much despite the cool features.

The moment they step into the apartment lobby they're greeted by youthful faces and chatter as tons of people walk in and around the building.

"So within the building you have access to WiFi, a swimming pool, a gym and other thing kids these days seem to find super interesting,"

Eden had already made up her mind to steer clear of any pools or pool areas.

Imaged flashed in her mind, reminding her of the taunts and jeers she received from her peers about her bigger body in a swimsuit.

"The unit is actually on the highest floor but that's not a problem because of the high speed elevators," Mr. Green explained.

Eden, Rose and Mr. Green walked toward one of the three available elevators in the apartment building. One of them opened, releasing a mass of young adults to the lobby's floor. The swarm was so thick, that Rose and Mr. Green didn't know when they had been separated from Eden.

The blonde was pushed back by the crowd, who wouldn't let her make her way to the elevator.

"Hey watch where you're going biggie," A girl said with a glare. Her friends laughed, making Eden feel all the more self conscious.

Her size would always be her worst trigger, she only wished people could stop pointing it out.

"It's probably better for you to take the stairs, just some friendly advice," the girl said again at the sight of Eden's distressed face.

Beside her, some people laughed while others continued to mind their business. Eden was about to say something when a new voice chimed in.

"Do you think you're funny or something," A bored voice said, "Making fun of someone's weight? You don't see me calling you a twig bi-"

"Hey!"

The guy who had spoken was what Eden would have described as a punk, he wore a leather jacket adorned with cute buttons and the tightest pants she had ever seen on a guy. His eyebrows and ears were pierced with studs and various pieces of jewelry hung off his lobes.

The man's dark brown hair was tousled stylishly as if he had just rolled out of bed that morning and bored dark green eyes regarded the forming crowd with boredom.

"Mind your business shithead, fattie doesn't have a problem with it. It's all in good fun anyway," the girl said.

"That's not my name and I don't even know you," Eden said lifting an eyebrow. "And I'm really beginning to hate that phrase," The initial hesitation had worn off once she realized Rose and Mr. Green were probably waiting for her.

"Huh? You've got a mouth on you," the girl said.

"I just don't like people who are rude to strangers, or their neighbors," Eden said pushing the elevator button.

The elevator doors opened and luckily Eden remembered the number for the floor she was supposed to be heading to.

"I'm Ty by the way," the man with piercings said as the doors closed.

"I'm Eden," Eden replied just in time. "Shoot, I should have asked if he was interested in a teddy bear but with piercings,"

----------

"Oh Eden thank goodness, we thought you had gotten lost," Rose said the moment Eden walked out of the elevator.

"No but I did run into some trouble on the ground floor with a girl and her clique," Eden said.

"I know how those can be," Mr Green said pushing his glasses up his nose. "Now as you can tell this unit is on the seventh floor and the only available unit is a studio,"

"Alright let's see the unit and then I'll make my mind up for the one I pick," Eden said in excitement. She hoped she wouldn't have to see that girl again but meeting the guy who spoke up for her would be cool.

Downtown Meadowlark was pretty small, there was probably a high chance she would bump into him again.

The studio apartment was a large room the size of a big living room. There was a kitchenette to the side which would allow Eden to cook very limited types of meals and a washer and dryer combo close to the entrance.

The bathroom was spacious enough but the shower cubicle was quite tiny even for an average sized person, luckily it had a tub inside as well.

"So what do you think?" Mr. Green asked.