Page 13 of Catching Feeling

A throaty sniffle echoes through the speaker, and she clears her throat. “Hi, sweetie. I just… uh, I wanted to call and let you know that Ron stopped by after you left earlier.”

My stomach plummets at the mention of her slimy landlord. “What’s going on? What did he say? Sorry if it’s loud—I just got to my friend’s house for the New Year’s party.” I walk to the en suite bathroom and step inside, trying to drown out some of the outside noise.

“Oh, it’s not that important. He was just stopping by to remind me that if I don’t have the rent payment for him tomorrow, the eviction process will be starting. He can’t allow me any more time. I’m sorry, sweetie. I hate that I even have to ask you to do this for me…”

I’m going to throw up in this bathroom. Shit, I was hoping for a few more days to try and figure out a way to keep the money I saved for my dorm, some type of Hail Mary, but it looks like that’s not happening.

“Okay, I know. I’m going to work on it, Mama.”

She sniffles, and the sound sends another fissure into my heart. I felt so much guilt for leaving early, and now I feel even worse.

“Thank you, honey. I just feel so terrible, Viv. Like I can’t do anything right, and no matter how hard I try, I just keep letting you down. I hate letting you down.” More sniffles.

“Mama, it’s okay. Please don’t worry about the rent, okay? I’ll get it handled. Should I leave and come back home? I can be there in a couple of hours tops. I hate that you’re there alone.”

“No, no,” she stops me. “I’m okay. I want you to enjoy your party. I just got a little worried when he stopped by, so I figured I would call you.”

It’s just a kick right to the gut. I thought I had a little more time to try and make it work, to try to find a way to get some money. But now, I’m definitely fucked.

“I might be coming back home this week. I don’t have a dorm this semester, and I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do just yet. So, don’t give away my room.” I laugh humorously, like it will help lighten the mood at all. It’s not funny, but if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry.

“I’m sorry, honey. I promise this year will be better. I’ll try harder, and it’s going to get better for us, okay? I’ll try and find a new job and start saving money.”

I let out a soft sigh. “I know, Mama. I’ll talk to you soon, okay? Love you.”

We say a quick goodbye after she reassures me yet again that I don’t need to head home for the night, and I end the call, resting my forehead against the bathroom door and taking a few deep breaths.

“Viv?”

The voice startles me, and I nearly jump out of my skin, my hand flying to my heart to stop its erratic beating. My phone clatters to the tile floor and makes a sound that I’m honestly now scared to see. My luck, it’ll be broken after the week I’ve had.

Reese is standing near the desk in the corner of the room, the most serious look I’ve ever seen on his face.

“Fuck, Reese, you are entirely too quiet for somebody that’s your size and ego. Jesus!”

He walks closer, bending down to pick my phone up off the ground, and hands it back to me. The top part of the screen is shattered, but it seems to still work, and that’s all that matters. I shove it into my back pocket. “Great. Love this for me.”

“What happened to your housing?” he says, not letting me brush past him.

“You were eavesdropping on my conversation?” I scoff. “Of course, you were.”

His shoulder dips. “You’re in my room, Viv. I came back to grab a shirt for a girl who fell in the pool.”

“Everyone’s knight in shining armor, that’s you.” I gag dramatically just to send my sarcasm home.

He bites his lip to suppress a smirk, and my eyes roll. Every time I insult him, it’s as if I’m complimenting him. I do not understand what’s going on in that tiny little brain of his. “I know you can’t stop thinking about the night you rode my face, but stop deflecting the question, Brentwood. What happened to your housing?”

For a second, I’m silent as I try to figure out the right way to handle this situation. He’s got the loudest mouth of anyone I know, and all I need is for him to go straight to Lane, trying to figure out what happened. Because Lane will immediately go to Hallie, and then everything will go up in flames.

I would rather no one know what happened. Part of me is ashamed and embarrassed that we’re in this situation, and the other part of me feels guilty for feeling that way in the first place. “It’s really none of your business, Reese. Now, if you'll excuse me, I’d like to try and spend the rest of my night attempting to have fun.”

I go to step around him, and he mirrors my step, causing me to run straight into his chest. Ignoring the delicious smell of his cologne, I tilt my chin up to stare at him. “Move.”

“Make me.”

That’s the thing about Reese. He has the ability to push my buttons, to push me to the point of insanity with little to nothing, and it’s completely nerve-racking.

“Tell me, Viv. Are you dropping out? Does Hallie know about this?”

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