PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

L. To The P-House!

"Nah, we're just riding low in the water cause of uh..." Kenji cleared his throat and motioned towards Bumpy.

Ben patted her head and whispered, "Do not listen to him. You're perfect the way you are." He raised his voice then, and addressed the others, "Isn't there some non dino infested dock we can get to?"

"The closest one is on the other side of the island," Brooklynn frowned. "We'll never make it. We're doomed and gloomed."

"Ha! Hold up!" Kenji cheered. "There is another dock not far from here! A private dock that's not on any map. The dock near the P-house!"

Eva's eyes widened— she had completely forgotten about the P-house, seeing as she hadn't gone on a "spontaneous adventure" with Kenji there in a while.

"I went before we left," Ben said.

Eva snickered, "Not that kind of P-house."

Kenji and Eva made eye contact, and he smiled softly at her. Eva grinned back; maybe she was getting her best friend back.

"No, it's my dad's penthouse. There's a private pier and everything!"

"And you're just now telling us this?" Yaz questioned. "And why does Eva know about it?"

Brooklynn raised her hand. "I second the P-house!"

"Third!" Eva added.

"Okay, well, maybe I forgot, but now we have a magic keycard to get inside, so, meh."

Eva strolled over to Kenji's side and rested her elbow up on his shoulder. "A very special magic key card that has never been tested on the penthouse, to be clear." And then, she winked at him.

"That pent house could have everything we need!" Darius grinned.

"Will have everything we need. My dad loves boats. He's got all sorts of nautical junk."

"To the P-house!"

"To the P-house!" They all cheered.

"Giving up our hot tub spot to get us off the island. Brave," she teased Kenji.

Please respond like normal.

Kenji pushed her arm off his shoulder with a light shove. "If it meant I could get you back home safely, I'd take on Rexy all by myself, Angel."

Eva's jaw dropped at his response, and he gave her a soft smile before walking away, leaving her standing there like an idiot with her mouth open.

~~~

"Segways?"

Kenji pulled Eva onto the vehicle and hit the ON button. Immediately, she started spinning in a circle.

"Uh, K-k-k-k-kenji? Fuck, someone— ahh! Someone help!"

Instead of helping, everyone laughed at her.

"Why am I going in circles? Why am I going in circles?! Y'all, I'm getting dizzy!"

"Stop leaning," Kenji instructed. Eva could hear the smile in his voice. As much as she'd like to take credit for her not knowing how to operate a Segway in a means of making her best friend smile, she couldn't own up to it— because she was in fact still spinning, just now in the opposite direction. "Are you stupid?" he laughed. "Just, stand up straight."

"But I'm not straight, I'm bisexual!"

"Eva."

"Okay, I'm just going to hop off, and pray for the best."

"Angel, no."

There come the tingles.

Eva was so distracted by that stupid little nickname, she didn't realize she had stopped spinning— well, the nickname and her twirling vision teamed up to make her believe she was still going. She stepped off her Segway and sat down on the ground and closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing.