I sat at a table near the edge of the food court and watched the crowds walk by. There were mostly families, along with the occasional group of teenagers and dolled up twenty-somethings. I glanced down at my cell phone. 5 minutes late. I looked around, hoping he would be able to spot me. I wore a red t-shirt as I had told him I would. Maybe he wouldn’t show.

I let out a sigh and began to wonder why I had agreed to do this. My mother’s friend had just moved here from California with her son. He’s new to town and very nervous, My mother had told me. He just needs someone to be nice and show him around.

I still didn’t understand why anyone would leave California for a shitty suburb of Michigan. Just then, I noticed a young girl, around twenty, walking towards the food court. She wore tight, white jeans and a sequined pink shirt with pink heels and purse to match. Her bleached white hair almost reached her hips. She looked far better than anyone else, but there was something not quite right about her.