Each week at work felt easier than the last, and before long, Zoe had become the closest friend I had made in Alderidge. One weekend, we went to see a live band together. We spent nearly two hours on our feet, singing along so loudly that neither of us had much of a voice left by the time the show ended. Afterward, we stopped at the late-night noodle place we had started visiting regularly. The owner recognized us as soon as we walked up. "Extra spicy for both of you again?" I replied, "Yeah." It was nothing important. Someone simply remembered how we liked our food. Somehow, that tiny bit of familiarity made Alderidge feel less like a city I had escaped to and more like somewhere I was beginning to belong. While we waited for our order, Zoe studied me for a moment. "You know, when you first got here, you looked like a cat someone had left out in the rain." I laughed at the comparison. "What about now?" She motioned vaguely toward my face. "It's your eyes. When you fi
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