"See, he needs an extra room for his office."
"There are a lot of nice co-working spaces in Santa Monica."
"No. He wants to work from home."
She stares at me blankly. She wants me to put the pieces together. Nadeen's boyfriend needs an extra room. There are two rooms in this apartment. She's not about to give up her bedroom.
Shit.
Nadeen sighs. "We need you to leave by the end of the month."
"That's five days away."
"You can have your security deposit back."
"Gee, thanks so much." I press my palm flat against the door. Nadeen is kicking me out of my own apartment. Where the hell does she get the nerve? My breath kicks up. My heart races. I try to will myself to object, but it's not happening.
I'll only start a fight.
Her mind is made up. I'm screwed.
"Alex will help you move. His brother has a truck." She looks around the main room like she's taking inventory. "It's not like you have much stuff. Everything was here when you moved in. It was supposed to be temporary."
No. It was supposed to be this year. I was doing Nadeen a favor when her roommate bailed on her the week before classes started. I gave up a single in the dorms to live here. It made sense. The apartment was cheaper. Bigger. It came with two parking spaces.
"You could have told me earlier," I say.
"I'm sorry." Nadeen frowns. "I really feel bad. We're friends and you... you deserved more notice. Forgive me?"
Hell no. I run my hand through my hair. I step away from the door. "Yeah. Of course."
"Hey. Why don't you live with your boyfriend?" She asks.
"I don't have a boyfriend."
"No? But that guy is always over here. Um... what's his name? Does he have a job?"
"Drew. And he's in a band."
She scoffs. "Yeah. I see why that could be an issue. Maybe Meg has room in her place."
No. Meg has a tiny, tiny studio. She stays up until three a.m. studying every night. And her whole bu
ilding smells like sushi.
Not that Nadeen cares. As long as she gets what she wants with as little friction as possible, she's happy.
As long as my wishes don't impose on hers, she's happy.
I fight the anger rising in my gut. "We agreed I would live her until school ended."
Nadeen frowns. "I'm so sorry, Kara. It was Alex's idea, but I really do want to live with him. And you'll be okay. I can help you find a new place."
"No thanks."
It's ten steps to my room and I'm away from Nadeen's desperate need to feel less guilty. I take them like it's no big deal. There really is no sense in starting a fight.
I step into my room and press the door closed. Finally, I can breathe properly.