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“Hi, this is Ever Knight, final year student. We’ve had a fire at our place off campus. Is there anything you can do?” My voice trembles, and I try not to cry. This isn’t my strength. I’m the book girl, not the one who solves real-life problems.
“One moment.” He disappears, and I wait, tapping my foot impatiently.
“I’m afraid there are no available first-year dorms,” the voice replies with zero sympathy or further help.
“Can you double check, please?”
“There’s nothing. Private landlords handle off-campus housing. You’ll have to make your own arrangements.” The finality in his tone slams into me hard. He doesn’t give a flying shit.
“Please, isn’t there anything?” I press, my words bordering on begging.
“Try calling back during office hours on Monday. Goodnight.” Click.
“Asshole!” I spit out the word as if it might rid me of the sour taste of rejection.
“Guess that’s a no?” Sasha asks, eyeing me warily.
“Big fat no.”
“Great,” Lila mutters. “Just great.”
“Ever!” Alex calls from the other side of the road. I don’t think twice and run to him, needing something, someonewho can tell me this is going to be okay.
“Alex!” My voice breaks on his name.
I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his broad frame. He holds me, but there’s no passion in his embrace, no tightening of his arms. It’s a friendly hug, and that’s all it is. It just makes me cry harder. Not that I’m in love with him or anything, it only drives home that I’m all alone.
“Shh, don’t worry,” he murmurs.
Tears sting my eyes, trailing down my cheeks.
“All right, ladies!” A firefighter’s voice cuts through the haze of my self-pity, and Alex lets me go,placing his hand on the small of my back as he crosses us back over the road. “You can head in to grab some things, but make it quick. We can’t have you staying in there.”
“Thanks,” Sasha says, tugging her jacket tighter around herself as we turn back toward the house that’s no longer a home.
“Keep it to one bag each,” another firefighter adds.
“God, what a mess,” Lila whispers as we step over the threshold.
Smoke clings to our clothes as we trudge up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. My mind races with where I’ll crash tonight, but it’s like running in a dream—slow, getting nowhere. One thing at a time. Pack and at least have some stuff to keep me warm if I have to sleep under a bush tonight.
We reach our rooms, and it’s a grab-and-dash job. I shove jeans, shirts, and anything I can into my bag—it all feels so trivial now.
“Grab my bookbag and shove whatever you can in, please,” I mutter to Alex who has followed me into my room. “Definitely anything that belongs to the Academy.”
“Sure,” he murmurs, distracted as he checks his phone. “Got somewhere you can crash,” he says, looking up with a reassuring smile. It’s like he’s offering me an umbrella in a hurricane. “A friend’s place.”
“Really?” A flicker of hope sparks, but it’s quick to fade as reality sets in. “And Lila? Sasha?”
“Room for one.” His gaze meets mine, and he shrugs.
“Right.” The word tastes bitter, like ashes. I nod, trying to stitch together a thank-you, but it gets lost somewhere between my lips and the lump in my throat.
“You okay?” Alex’s voice is low, close behind me.
“Sure,” I lie, my voice flat. “But what about them?”
Alex steps closer, his presence a towering certainty in the cramped space. “They’ve got other friends. They’ll figure something out.” His tone isn’t cold but practical, like he’s discussing a chess move and not our lives.
