In Between

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE HIGH-PITCHED BUZZINGof my phone atop the nightstand woke me, and I groggily reached over to check it. Who would be calling me on a Saturday morning? It was a number I didn’t recognize, but it looked vaguely familiar. I decided to answer. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Serena?” A voice chirped from the other end.

“Yes. May I ask who’s calling?” I noticed that Damien wasn’t in bed anymore and figured he must be downstairs or out somewhere.

“This is Katherine. I know we’ve talked through email about your job starting in June, and I just wanted to discuss some details with you.”

“Oh, hi!” I instantly brightened my voice. “Yes, I would love to discuss any details with you.” I glanced at the clock on my phone screen, seeing that it was already 11a.m. Damn, I slept in late today. Damien had probably already been awake for hours. I threw on some pants and decided to head downstairs to find myself some breakfast.

“Great! So, you’re still sure you will be moving here and able to take the job by June 15th, correct?”

“Absolutely. I plan on driving and leaving here right after I graduate at the end of May. It should only take me a few days at most to get there.”

“Wonderful. So, I believe our company will be a great fit for you—” She prattled on about the benefits of working for the company and the sort of things I could expect in the first month of working there as I made some toast and spread butter on it, holding my phone between my shoulder and ear. “Do you have any questions?” she asked at the end of her spiel.

“I’m sure I will when the time gets closer, but right now everything seems clear,” I replied, forcing myself to sound perky and excited. I was excited, but it was hard for me to have any energy within the first hour of waking up.

Katherine gave another short speech about how, since we would be coworkers soon, she was available at any time for me if I had questions. I thanked her, and we said our goodbyes. I took a bite of my toast.

“Who was that?” The rough voice behind me startled me, making me jump.

“Oh, it was the woman who hired me for the job I’m taking when I graduate.”

“Where?” Shit. I didn’t want to tell Alex I was leaving yet.

“Oh, just a small company. Nothing major.”

“Where?” he repeated, his eyes smoldering. He must have overheard. No point in lying now.

“California,” I admitted. Guilt gnawed at my chest, even though I didn’t necessarily need to feel guilty. It’s not like I had lied to him about anything; I just hadn’t mentioned it. Alex nodded in response and brushed past me to the fridge. His shoulders were stiff as he rummaged around. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.” Why did I feel so guilty?

“It’s fine.” He turned, meeting me with a cold, stoic look. “You weren’t anything more than a temporary fuck toy for Damien and I. We can find pussy anywhere. You’re not special.” He turned on his heel and began to descend the stairs to the basement, then turned to face me again. “By the way, Damien told me what an annoying little child you were last night, trying to do some lame relationship bullshit. He’s getting sick of you too, so you should probably leave.” He went down the stairs without another look, the venom in his words hitting me hard.

Tears welled in my eyes as the silence of the empty kitchen seemed to echo what he had just said to me, confirming my biggest insecurity. You’re not special, he had said. He was right. How many other girls would they have easily taken to bed, ones probably more interesting than me, even just last night when we played truth or dare? They both probably would have had someone else if I hadn’t been there. How stupid could I have been to think that they might like me in more than just a sexual way? Hell, we had only known each other for a week. I shouldn’t even have had feelings for them, at least not yet.

I needed to leave. Spending the weekends with not one, but two guys who both wanted to fuck me and nothing more was impossible. Anyone in their right mind would have known that it wouldn’t last longer than a short-term fling. I had foolishly thought that maybe they were developing feelings, or at least that Damien was, but I should have known better. Apparently they were both sick of me. I should have known this illusion I had myself under wouldn’t last.

Silent tears spilled down my face as I went upstairs, changed, and collected my things from the bedroom and bathroom. At least I would be gone from this town in a couple of months. They wouldn’t have to worry about me, and I wouldn’t have to worry about them. Easy.

I swung my backpack around my shoulder, went downstairs as silently as possible, threw on my coat, and stepped into the cold air outside.

DAMIEN’S CAR WASnot in the driveway when I left, so I at least knew I wouldn’t have to worry about facing him again. When he got back, I would be long gone. I walked for a few blocks, using the map feature on my phone until I found a gas station. I sat on the curb and pulled up the Uber app, then waited to get picked up. I tried not to think about what Alex had said to me, what he told me Damien had said. He’s sick of you too. How could I ever have been so stupid to think they could actually like me? I didn’t even want them to like me at first, since I had been planning on moving in May. I sent a quick text to Leah to let her know that I was heading home.

The Uber picked me up after 30 minutes of me sitting on the curb and rubbing my hands together to keep warm. The drive back to my apartment felt like an eternity. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and cry, but there was no way I would let myself cry in the car with a stranger. So I wiped away the stray tears that I couldn’t hold back and stared out the window until the car pulled up to my apartment.

“Thanks,” I mumbled as I stepped out of the car, glad that the driver hadn’t tried to start any conversations with me. As I walked to my apartment door, I hoped that Leah was either asleep or at Angie’s place. I couldn’t face her right now.

But when I stepped through the door and into the living room, the first thing I noticed was the empty space where the furniture had been. Almost everything was gone.

What the actual hell? Did we get robbed? I walked into the room, stunned, examining how empty it looked with only one armchair, the coffee table, and my bookshelf. No couch, no TV, no decorations aside from the figurines on my bookshelf. As I pulled out my phone to call Leah to make sure she was alright and to tell her what had happened, I noticed a note taped to the wall.

Serena,

I guess I’m not sure how to say this, but I moved in with Angie. She has an extra room, and she and I just get along better as roommates than you and I do. I know this is probably a dick move, but there’s a couple hundred dollars to help with this month’s rent under your door. Good luck in Cali.

—Leah