“What?” Ade paced the floor of her tiny studio, relieved to have Sylvie as company but wanting to crawl out of her skin with worry.
“I wouldn’t joke about such a thing.” Sylvie pursed her lips and rolled up her sleeves. “They prey on foreigners. They assume you have an apartment full of gadgets, cash, and booze. He probably thought you’d left for the day.”
“I usually would have, but I had a free period.”
“Exactly.” Sylvie stroked Ade’s arm. “That’s why we need to go and report it.”
Ade couldn’t move. The rhythm of the touch soothed and overstimulated her all at once. But she couldn’t move out of Sylvie’s reach.
“Ade?”
Sylvie’s soft words pulled her from the trance. “Sure,” Ade said, finally accepting that she couldn’t stay frozen in her apartment forever.
By the time they’d walked across town, the fresh air and motion had helped to stabilize her nerves. Ade wore her earbuds to block out the crowds, and they took the quieter streets, away from the crowded, noisy squares. Outside the station, Ade looked to Sylvie for desperate reassurance. She had no idea what to do.
“I’ve got you.” Sylvie smiled and handled the whole painful interaction.
Ade couldn’t make out much of the spoken communication, but there was a lot of shrugging and blowing out of cheeks from the police officer at the front desk. She kept her focus on the lines between the floor tiles, looking for anomalies in the grout. They were everywhere. Thin lines and thicker lines in no particular order. It calmed her down, and she zoned out, grateful to have Sylvie by her side.
“Ade?” Sylvie gently nudged her arm.
“Huh?” As requested, she contributed a few details and a signature on a triplicate form before they were dismissed.
“They said there’s a gang going around pulling similar stunts with other students,” said Sylvie. “They look for the apartments which have been let to internationals and play their silly games.”
Ade nodded.
“You have classes this afternoon?” Sylvie asked.
“Yeah. I’ve already missed two counselling sessions.”
“Let’s get to campus.” Sylvie drew alongside as they walked to the tram stop, her shoulder nudging against Ade’s. “Don’t feel too awful. This sort of thing happens, especially in the city.”
Ade couldn’t shake the fear hardening inside her chest when she worried that someone might intrude on her space. It dawned on her that she’d never lived alone. Steph and her dads had always been around. The last few weeks had been a novelty, and she’d enjoyed the quiet freedom to do her own thing without really processing it.
The rest of the day passed with the minor troubles of her students. Madison was in tears over a lost credit card, and Scott was grumpier than usual due to a failed assignment. Ade tried her best to help them navigate their challenges, while pushing her own worries to the very back of her mind.
By around six, the skies had grayed, and exhaustion weighed on her body, while the fear of walking home alone took up residencein her thoughts. She looked up from her notes over the rows of empty desks after the last of her students had left for the day.
“Knock, knock.” Sylvie leaned against the open door frame. “I imagined you might be hanging around.”
“Why?”
She tilted her head and stepped into the room. “You don’t want to rush home, do you?”
Ade dropped her gaze, drumming her fingers on the underside of the desk. “It’s ridiculous to say this, but no. I feel kinda weird about it.”
“It would be weird if you didn’t.” Sylvie pulled up a chair and sat next to her. “You stopped someone from coming inside your apartment earlier. That’s a big deal.”
“That’s not helping,” said Ade.
Sylvie smiled, and everything lightened for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Would you like me to come home with you and check everything’s okay?”
“Yes. Definitely.” Ade stood to collect her things, relief washing over her. She might have stayed at her desk all night if Sylvie hadn’t come back for her.
They strolled from the campus building and took the next tram back into the city. By the time they reached the old town, night had fallen, and they walked the familiar streets by lamp light until they reached Ade’s building.
