"Mama, are you sure you can't come with me?" A soft voice asked to the phone that squeezed in between her shoulder and ear.

"Andi, we talked about this. You have to do this on your own." Her mother sighed.

"You could've at least helped me move in." Andi clenched the large brown box closer to her body as she worriedly stared at the front door of the brick building.

"If I went with you, you would've found a way to get me to stay."

"No! I–"

"You better think before you speak." Her mother laughed loudly into the phone.

Andi's bottom lip found its way in between her teeth as her tongue searched for a dry piece of skin for her teeth to pull at.

She watched an older couple walk up to the glass and metal front door. The older man rushed in front of the woman, took off his plaid fedora, held it to his chest, and opened the door as he slightly bowed. The woman smiled and walked into the building, holding her cheeks with her wrinkled hands and exposing the gold ring on her finger that seemed to be one with her umber skin. The man followed her in, letting the door close behind them as they walked toward the elevator at the end of the hall.

"Hello?" Her mother repeated, snapping Andi out of her trance.

"Lo siento," she quickly responded. "Can you at least stay on the phone with me while I get the key from the office?"

Her mother thought to herself for a while before answering. "Fine, put the phone in your pocket and I'll stay on the line."

"I can–"

"You'll talk to me instead of the building manager and then I'll end up talking for you. Now, phone in your pocket."

Andi closed her eyes and took a deep breath before following orders. Afterwards, she gulped harshly and took a step closer.

Once she neared the door, her body harshly moved forward. She tightened her grip on the box as she caught herself from falling. She quickly looked around and saw a person in a dirty, ripped black hoodie and sweatpants stomp away as they fixed themselves.

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath.

Andi grabbed onto the cold handle with her well manicured hand as she struggled to open the door. 

"I got it! I got it!" A froggy voice yelled.

The door swung open to show a small, old woman with blue eyeshadow and pink lipstick on the other side. 

The woman fixed her red cat-eyed glasses as the corner of her lip curled, showing her yellow spotted teeth. "You must be the new resident!" Her voice croaked. "I saw you standing outside from the office window a couple hours ago in that same spot, holding the same box. I thought you already made it inside and got lost, most people get lost finding the office, but I guess I was wrong. Come with me." She waved to Andi as she went through the first open door in the gray hall. 

Andi hesitantly followed through the slim doorway. The small room held a large tan desk that occupied most of the space. The remaining space held healthy plants, cluttering together near the large window that showed the front of the building. The woman went behind the desk with ease, somehow not knocking into anything.

"Sit, sit." She gestured to the child-like chair in front of the desk. 

Andi placed her box in the space she stood, near the door, and maneuvered through the leaves uncomfortably as the woman searched the many documents that laid across the desk.

"Let's have you sign the last of your papers before I hand over the key." The woman said as she straightened a stack of papers.

"I already completed the forms online though?" Andi questioned quietly.

"Yes you did, but I withheld some papers at the request of your mom. This last page" -She flipped to a yellow page with a pink page attached to the back of it- "is the key release form that I require of all new residents, so that one is because of me and not your mom." 

Andi's eyes grew at the stack of papers placed in front of her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and held it to her ear.

"Mama!" She seethed through clenched teeth.

"You need to learn to handle things face to face on your own, mija. I'll let you go so you can start signing. Mrs. Peterson is very sweet, don't be nervous. Call me when you're in your new apartment!" 

"Wai–" 

The phone clicked as her mother hung up. Andi sighed and placed the phone onto the desk. She shyly smiled at Mrs. Peterson, taking the fuzzy, purple pen she was handed and began reading the pages in the stack.

After she finished reading and signing all the necessary papers, she moved the rest of the boxes from her car into the empty apartment. 

She threw herself onto the ground, next to the pile of boxes, and let her exhausted body melt into the cold, wooden tiled floor. She stared at the cream colored ceiling and smiled softly to herself.

"I did it," she whispered. "I did it!" 

Her voice echoed through her new apartment. She quickly sat up, picked up the phone that laid on top of one of the boxes, and called her mother. 

"You're finally done?" Her mother immediately questioned.

"Yes!" 

"It's late, you took all day. Go lay down in your room."

Andi smacked the side of her face and dragged it down, stretching her face. "I forgot my bed at home! I'm gonna have to sleep on the blankets."

Her mother began to laugh hysterically. "I knew you wouldn't have noticed! It worked! I already delivered and set up a bed in your new room last week. There's no way I'd let you sleep on an old mattress while everything else is new."

Andi brought her knees to her chest and chuckled. "Te amo, mama."

"Te amo, baby. Go to rest now, you had a long day."

"I miss you already."

"I know you do. I miss you too."

"I can't wait until I can visit when this semester is over!" 

"No, no, you aren't coming over for any reason. I'll go over there during your breaks."

"What! Why can't I go back?!"

"Because you'll find a way to stay here! Live college life over there, not here."

"Aren't you afraid you'll get empty nest syndrome?"

"I'll deal with that myself. Birds have to leave the nest at some point. I never thought I'd have to force mine out," she muttered the last statement that her daughter still heard and rolled her eyes at. "Go relax so you can fix your apartment in the morning. Good night!"

"Night."

As the apartment filled with silence, Andi glanced around the bare apartment. The large living room had a window that stretched across half of the wall and looked out toward the busy streets of Seattle. Where the window stopped, there was an island opening to the kitchen and a swing door to get in. 

She walked the opposite way, down a hall with three doors. Opening the door on the left, the room had nothing to offer but a small window and closet. The next door led to the bathroom with a glass shower that connected to a white, porcelain tub and a matching toilet and sink on the opposite end. Finally, the last door led to what she assumed was her room. It had a perfectly made bed pushed up against the wall next to the window, and across from the closet.

Andi went to the bathroom, removed her clothes and changed into an oversized shirt. As she took her blonde hair out of its small half-bun, she noticed her hair clip was missing. She frantically searched around the apartment for the diamond studded gold clip she received as a going away present from her Economics teacher.

Defeated, she threw herself onto the bed as soon as she entered her new room.

A single tear released her fear and excitement for her future that night as she cuddled a nearby pillow. 

Worries and anxiousness awaited for her the next coming days as she adjusted to her new life without her mother by her side. As promised, they spoke on the phone often and her mother visited during her scheduled "breaks" from college. 

Andi became comfortable. She didn't have to question or worry about anything. She fell into a easy routine with the people, places, and things around her.

At least, she thought she was comfortable living in her bubble.