The apartment is quiet in that "everyone is awake but pretending they're not" way.
Ellie tiptoes into the kitchen wearing borrowed pajamas.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rufSf3ILJ
Pluto trots behind her like a tiny bodyguard.
She opens the fridge.
A single lemon rolls out.
Ellie catches it, confused.
"...oh no."
Ana enters, hair in a long bonnet, already holding a mug of tea like she's been awake for hours.
She sees Ellie staring into the fridge.
"What's wrong?"
Ellie steps aside.
Ana peers in.
Inside the fridge:
one lemon107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiUp79BPHg
half a bottle of soy sauce107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIkkHxLfOB
a suspicious Tupperware107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2JmT2JHN3
nothing else
Ana blinks.
"...where did all the food go?"
Zadie bursts in wearing sunglasses and holding a blanket like a cape.
"GOOD MORNING, MY LITTLE ROOMMATES!"
She stares inside the fridge, and gasps dramatically.
"Who robbed us?!"
"No one robbed us. We just... haven't gone grocery shopping."
Zadie looks betrayed.
"Ana. We live here. How did this happen under your watch?"
"I don't monitor the fridge twenty‑four hours a day."
"Well maybe you should."
Ellie tries not to laugh.
She opens the pantry.
It's worse.
Inside:
one can of chickpeas107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeq1BjGJADc
a box of pasta with three noodles left107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRNnptefha
a bag of flour that looks emotionally exhausted
"Um... guys?"
Ana and Zadie turn.
Ellie gestures helplessly at the pantry.
"I don't think we can make breakfast."
Zadie gasps again.
"We can't make anything. We're going to starve."
"We're not going to starve."
"Okay but we're going to be hungry, which is worse."
Ana pinches the bridge of her nose.
"We're going grocery shopping."
Zadie throws her blanket‑cape dramatically.
"To the battlefield we go!"
Ellie laughs — small, real, the kind that says she's starting to feel at home.
Pluto meows like he wants to come too.
"No, Pluto. You're staying here."
Pluto meows louder.
"He's protesting the food shortage."
Ana sighs.
"Everyone get your shoes. We're leaving in five."
Zadie salutes.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZK4MlXCLdu
Ellie smiles.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXeQmE7F3D
Pluto meows.
At the grocery store, the automatic doors whoosh open like they're welcoming chaos.
Zadie immediately grabs a cart and hops on, riding it like a scooter.
"WOOHOO—GROCERY DAY!"
Ana grabs the back of the cart before she can crash into a display.
"Stop. Stop. Stop. We are not getting banned from another store."
"It was one incident."
"You set off the lobsters."
"They needed to be freed!"
Ellie steps inside behind them, blinking under the fluorescent lights like she's just been dropped into a simulation. She clutches the grocery list on her phone like it's a survival manual.
Ana softens.
"Just stick with us."
Ellie nods, trying to look normal.
From the next aisle, a basket swings into view.
Then Ruth.
She turns the corner like a mom who has already seen too much today.
"Of course you're here. I could feel the chaos from aisle three."
Zadie beams.
"Ruthie! Grocery twins!"
"I'm here to shop. Not supervise."
She says this while already supervising.
Ana pulls the cart away from Zadie before she can ride it again.
Ruth adjusts Ellie's grip on the basket like she's correcting a child's posture.
Zadie is already wandering toward the bakery.
Ellie stands in the middle of all of it, overwhelmed but... weirdly comforted.
"...okay. I can do this. I'm 23. I'm an adult."
Ana hears her.
"You're doing great."
Ellie blushes.
Zadie yells from across the store:
"CAN WE GET DONUTS?"
"No!"
"THAT WAS A QUESTION, NOT A REQUEST!"
Ruth sighs.
"Lord give me strength."
Ellie giggles — small, real, the kind that says she's starting to feel at home.
The four of them stand at the edge of the produce section like they're about to enter a battlefield.
Ana is already scanning the aisles with military precision.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4thOgqTQn
Zadie is vibrating with snack‑based excitement.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LdF8ZvJTX
Ruth is holding her basket like a seasoned general.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxNGwv9PKT
Ellie is gripping the cart handle too tight.
Ana nods. "Okay. We'll divide and conquer."
Ruth raises an eyebrow.
"That's a terrible idea."
Zadie clasps her hands together. "I love it."
Ana ignores both of them. She turns to Ellie.
Ellie's doing that tiny half‑smile she uses when she's trying to look fine.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAGMpiTvPK
Her shoulders are a little too high.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NPS5qOiMW
Her fingers are white‑knuckled on the cart.
Ana notices instantly.
She steps closer, voice softening.
"Hey. You're okay. Just grab the frozen stuff. I'll meet you in five."
Ellie nods like she's totally fine.
She is absolutely not fine.
Zadie is already halfway down the snack aisle.
Ruth sighs.
"Lord help us."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3xMRYZOpW
and then Add to home screen.