Page 3 of Plaything

She pressed her lips together. “I called my mom, and she worked her magic. So, as of about two hours ago, no, you don’t.”

What? Stupid rich people and their connections. How was this legal? “Where am I going to live?” I asked, more to myself than her.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. But hey, if you need help carrying your stuff, I’m sure Caiden can help you,” she gave him a pointed look.

I parted my lips and looked at the two in disbelief. One phone call was all it took for me to be kicked out of my dorm. I wished Jade would have at least given me a warning. Now, it was almost evening, and I didn’t know where I would stay tonight. Usually, people were given weeks or months to plan for something like this.

Grabbing a box, I began walking to my car. “No, thank you,” I whispered. The last thing I wanted was to be around them—I definitely won’t accept their help. They were the ones who were throwing me out for no good reason.

I tried not to cry out of frustration as I carried all my boxes to my car. I didn’t deserve this, but clearly, I could do nothing to stop it.

Once at the admissions office across campus, I hoped they’d have a dorm available. It was halfway through the quarter, and every single class was full; my hopes weren’t high. Maybe I could just get an apartment?

I walked in, standing a foot from the admissions desk, not wanting to rudely interrupt the woman typing on her computer. I bit my lip, watching the seconds turn into minutes. “Excuse me...” I said gently. Nothing. “Ma’am?” I tried again.

“Name?” She said in a monotone voice, not looking up from her computer.

My eyes got teary, and I blinked them away. What was happening today? First, I got kicked out by my roommate (probably not legally). Now, I was getting treated like dirt for no reason. I took a breath, trying to calm myself down before I had a mental breakdown. “Odette Whitlock,” I answered.

She typed something and looked at her screen for a few minutes. “What’s the problem?” She asked.

I’d always had help dealing with situations like this in the past, and I felt incredibly overwhelmed. “I got kicked out of my dorm. Are there any available rooms?” I asked.

She looked up at me. “What’d you do? It says here that your roommate requested to change roommates. We typically don’t take such drastic measures unless necessary,” she gave me an accusing scowl.

I widened my eyes. “Nothing,” I answered. “She wanted to live with her boyfriend, so—” I started.

She put her hand up, stopping me, before looking back down at her screen.

I wrapped my arm around my torso, feeling incredibly small under her rude gaze.

“All dorms are full,” she informed.

My chest felt like a cannonball was dropped on it. What do I do?

Just as my thoughts started spiraling, my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller ID, seeing my father’s name at the top of the screen.

I left the room, standing on the sidewalk, shivering from the cold. I took a second to prepare myself before I answered.

“Odette,” my father’s assertive voice came through the speaker. “I got a call earlier that you were evicted from your dorm. What do you have to say for yourself? Is this how I raised you?” He accused.

I started walking to my car. “My roommate wanted to live with her boyfriend. She called her mom, who has connections, and somehow got me kicked out,” I explained quickly so he wouldn’t get the chance to interrupt. “I’ll figure it out—”

“Connections?” He snapped. “Jesus, Odette, what would you do without me?” He said. “I’m calling a friend who’s on the board of directors. If they can’t find you a place to stay, I’ll threaten to stop donating to the school,” he informed.

I sucked in a breath. “That’s okay, I’ll figure something out. You don’t have to call anyone,” I pleaded.

He hung up the phone, and I sighed. Today could not be any worse. He always had to one-up everyone, even a stranger who had her own connections.

Sitting in my car, I tried to keep it together as I looked at apartments online. I had summer jobs at a local library, where I made some money. But it was all my personal savings that I planned to use once I finished college. Every apartment in the area was expensive, and I’d have to use my father’s money to afford it.

My phone went off with a text from my father.

I found you a place to stay until graduation. You’re welcome.

I clicked on the attached address, seeing that wherever it was, it was fifteen minutes away. Since I had no other option, I started my drive.

As I drove, I let the weight of the situation and my emotions crash. How did a typical day turn into one of the worst in a matter of minutes? I got unexpectedly kicked out and talked to like garbage by a woman who was totally un-empathetic; then my father found out, and not only did I have to speak to him, but he assumed the worst of me.

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