Page 38 of The Bluffing Game

I bite down on my lower lip as I shrug nonchalantly. Acting like I don’t care. Like I want to share a studio apartment with my sister in this horrible place. Like the sticky floor doesn’t bother me. Like I’m not thinking about what made them sticky—honey, snot, or cum. I shudder as I start to gross myself out.

You have to live here, Sage. Get it together.

“It’s a studio,” I say. “It’s all we can afford, but once we save more money, we’ll be able to move someplace better and bigger.”

“That’s why we’re looking for husbands,” Rosie says, stepping forward. Then she looks at me, her mouth going into an O shape when she realizes that maybe she said something she shouldn’t have. She knows as well as I do that we may come across as gold diggers if we tell people we moved here for rich husbands.

Izzy leans forward with a conspiratorial smile and laughs. “I get it. Trust me.” Her voice is warm.

I’m so grateful we met her. She’s the least judgmental person I’ve ever met.

“Sorry, Sage. I didn’t mean to say that in front of everyone.” Rosie looks around to see if the others heard her.

Luckily for us, Lucia, Roman, and Brett are still standing by the front door, whispering furtively about something. I frown when I notice Dalton is not there. I wonder if he had a call about Toby. I hope everything is okay.

“It’s not that bad, sis,” Rosie says at my frown and interprets it to mean something else. “Once we start to decorate and—oh my gosh! Arrghhhh, a cockroach!”

She runs quickly toward the front door with a little scream, almost tripping as she reaches the others.

“Sorry.” She stops as Brett, Roman, and Lucia look at her in concern. “I saw a cockroach.”

She whines loudly and shivers, and Brett shifts closer to her in concern.

I look around, hoping what she saw was a piece of dirt, but right by the oven, sitting there like it owns the place, is a huge cockroach. I want to cry as it walks slowly toward me. Izzy and I jump back and head to the front of the apartment.

“I guess I’ll put cockroach spray and traps on the list,” I try to joke as I look over at everyone.

I catch Izzy’s eye, and she nods. But what can she say? Your place is a dump, and a few traps won’t change that.

“I don’t think that …” Lucia starts, but then she pauses. She lowers her eyes and starts playing with her phone.

It’s awkward, and I don’t know what to say. We all know the place is far from the Ritz. I’m surprised when Roman heads over to me and stops by my side. His eyes are kind, and there’s a wry smile on his face.

“You’ve got your own place, and that’s a good thing. We all start somewhere.”

“Yeah.” I don’t know what else to say because, obviously, he’s super rich, and I’m super poor. I’m sure when he goes home tonight, he’ll be thanking God that he doesn’t have to live in a place like this. Or he’ll stare at his Rolex watch. Or count his money. Or clean his Mercedes.

“So, what’s the plan?” Lucia says finally. “What do we do first? Let us help you make this your home.”

“I think maybe I can get cleaning supplies and some furniture. I did speak to someone on Facebook Marketplace about a free sofa, but I can see if I can go tomorrow and …”

“What’s going on?” Dalton walks into the apartment, looking tall and muscular.

I wonder why he was so far behind the rest of us, but I don’t ask. His eyes sweep across the room, and he presses his lips together as his nose sniffs the horrid smell. He looks at me, and his eyes narrow. My heart thuds as he walks over to me.

“So, this is your new home?”

“Yes,” I say, tilting my chin upward in defiance, staring into his eyes, daring him to tell me that my home is not acceptable.

“This is where you want to live?”

I can tell he wants to say something else, but he doesn’t. Maybe because he knows it’s not his place to tell me off or convince me to leave. He’s acting like he has power over my actions, and it’s just not true.

“Mom and Dad wanted me to FaceTime them when we got here,” Rosie says softly as she pulls out her phone. “I guess I can do it now and introduce them to everyone.”

“No,” I say quickly, giving her a look.

Our parents would be horrified to see where we were.