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Silence. Another thing to be grateful for.
In the bathroom, a hot shower washed everything away. The sex, the sweat, the swipes of money, the smell of beer and the subtler scent of Patrick’s cologne. Steam filled the bathroom.
Last night had been a one-time fling. I shouldn’t even talk to Patrick again. Too dangerous.
I grabbed the body wash to clean his phone number off my palm, but the inky numbers mocked me. Tossing the gel aside, I kept my hand out of the water and turned off the shower.
The clock said ten-thirty.
At my desk, wrapped in a towel, I texted Amelia.Heat is back, yay! You can just pay next month’s bill, cool?
K,was her only response.
It’s safe to say that given the choice, Amelia and I would never have lived together. This year, I’d planned to room with Sydney, Ashley, and Maria. A month before fall semester started, my parents decided to lay down the law.
You’re not living with Sydney. That girl is trouble.
You barely know her.
We saw enough when we visited. And what about spring break? You think we don’t know what went on? You post online, we see it. We were so ashamed.
I’m an adult.My temper stretched, about to snap.
You’ll be an adult when you pay tuition and rent.
That was the end of the argument. I couldn’t pay my own tuition. I’d have to work my ass off to pay rent. Money was power, and my parents held the cards.
So I entered the lottery for an off-campus apartment — the only kind left — and crossed my fingers for a fun roommate. Instead, I got Amelia.
A black head poked through my open door. Petal, Amelia’s cat, wandered in. Like her owner, Petal was uninterested in making nice, but was occasionally curious. A few days ago, I’d caught Amelia in the kitchen, rifling through my side of the cupboards.
“If you need food, take it,” I said. “Just ask first.”
She’d shut the cupboard quickly. “No, I’m just astounded by the sheer volume of your stuff. Eleven kinds of cereal? I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”
She had a point, I thought as I petted Petal, who tolerated the attention. I bought too much. Things I justified stocking up on, like cereal and conditioner. Or things for other people, like I’d told Patrick. A round of shots here, pizza for a friend’s birthday there. Because everyone loved the girl who bought pizza.
I unzipped my purse and touched the bills.
“I’m going to stop spending,” I announced to Petal. “I’ll get a decent job and pay all my own rent next year. Last night didn’t happen.”
Petal gave me a baleful look and began to lick her paw.
“I should get rid of his number, right? And burn his napkin. He was scary, I’m not kidding. If I say yes… God, I can’t believe I’m evenconsideringsaying yes. That would make me a…” I trailed off. “You don’t think I should see him again, do you?”
Petal turned, tail held high, and stalked out of my bedroom.
I had resolutions to stop spending, but when Syd, Ashley, and Maria called me to go out for dinner that night, I caved.
At the restaurant, Sydney talked nonstop about Brayden Bronson, a hot basketball transfer who’d come here fall semester. When she paused for breath, Ashley cocked her head at me, pushing back her light brown bangs.
“Where wereyoulast night? You sent some weird text about doing your own thing. Since when does that happen on a Friday night?”
I stirred my water with a straw. “I needed a little me time. Sometimes you have to look out for yourself.”I glanced at Sydney, who shrugged.
“Oh please, it all worked out.” She adjusted her off-the-shoulder black sweater. “You found a warm bed. The guy was boring, so you got some sleep. It’s all good.”
“Christina found a boy?” Maria smacked Sydney’s shoulder, her dark curls bouncing. “Syd, you’ve been holding out on us! But what about Dexter?”
