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Diamond
Iwouldn’t say that I hate my job.
I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to hang out with dogs and get paid for it? But I still found my morning shift unbearably long. I couldn’t stop glancing at my shoes—well, Finn’s shoes—as I got dragged around the park by two hyper puppies.
Finn’s sneakers are old, and they’ll be good for the trash soon, which made me wonder about all the places they’ve seen in the past year. But mostly, it made me wonder why none of those places were close to me.
Seeing Finn sleeping in his car this morning led to a bunch of questions I wasn’t ready for. Questions like, where did he go after he left town? Why did he choose now to come back? And why does he sleep in his car when his dad is loaded? I didn’t let myself drum up theories, though, burying my curiosity deep into the back of my mind to ensure it wouldn’t resurface.
I make it back to Aveena and Xavier’s apartment at around 1:00 p.m. I promised Aveena I’d be back after lunch to support her while she takes a pregnancy test, and I intend to keep that promise.
Lacey and Aveena are already seated around the kitchen table when I come in, sipping on Starbucks iced coffees. The girls greet me with smiles, and I plop down on the chair next to Lacey, immediately noticing the pile of pregnancy tests dumped in the center of the table.
“How many did you get?” I chuckle.
The answer is six.
She bought six tests.
“What? I want to be extra sure.” Aveena sticks her hands up, and I laugh.
“Drink up, woman. You’re going to need like five million of these if you want to take all six tests.” Lacey points to Aveena’s half-full coffee.
“I’ve been drinking water all damn day, and I still don’t have to pee.” Aveena groans, nestling her face between her hands.
“Just relax. It’ll happen once you stop thinking about it,” I reassure her, propping one of my legs up on the kitchen chair and resting my arm on top of my knee.
“She’s right. It won’t work unless you stop obsessing. Let’s talk about something else,” Lacey chimes.
Aveena’s eyes light up at the suggestion, whisking her head toward me. “I almost forgot. I talked to Xavier, and he’s cool with you moving in for the summer.”
“He is?” I squeal.
Filthy Grace did such a number on me that the possibility of having hygienic, respectful roommates seems unfathomable to me. I expect Aveena to reciprocate my excitement, but she doesn’t, stressing her bottom lip.
I arch an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming…?”
She remains quiet for a few seconds, and then inhales a breath before saying, “Finn’s moving in, too.”
I’m confident my brain just malfunctioned because there’s no way in hell that my best friend just told me I have to choose between living with the world’s worst roommate and living with my ex.
“What?” I blurt out louder than anticipated.
She cringes. “Xavier found out Finn was sleeping in his car, and he said he won’t let his best friend be homeless.”
“Why doesn’t Finn just go back to his dad’s house?”
I know there’s more to the story when Aveena’s jaw goes slack.
“What am I missing?” I urge, glancing between Lacey and Aveena for a few seconds.
“You didn’t hear?” Aveena asks.
“Hear what?”
“His dad’s house burned down three months ago.”
I slouch back into the chair, trying and failing to process the news.
