Page 70 of Resist Me

“Everyone in this house has now taken a dick,” Sen chortled.

“I’m done here,” I announced, dumping my cup into the sink. Kai called after me, but I ignored him.

Slamming the front door behind me, I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my sweats and walked toward the street. It was raining and I hadn’t grabbed a jacket, but I was a Washingtonian now. I could handle some sky water.

I ended up walking to the coffee shop instead of campus. Sure, I’d just guzzled half a pot at home, but there was never enough caffeine. I stepped up to the counter and smiled at the woman there. She had pretty copper hair and a really bright smile. Definitely my type.

“Hey,” I greeted, looking down at her name tag. “Brandy.”

Her face pinked. “Hi. How are you today?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “If I say I’m living the dream, is that cliché?”

“A bit,” she laughed.

That made sense. I was living a nightmare, actually, and I didn’t know how to navigate this labyrinth I’d found myself in. Was it possible to have a midlife crisis at eighteen? A quarter life crisis maybe, but that would mean I only had until I was seventy-two to live. That sounded fair. The years ahead were looking bleak anyway.

“What are you getting today?”

I blinked and wondered how long I’d been spacing out. “White chocolate mocha. As big as they come. Iced.”

“Got it. And your name?”

“West.”

After I paid, she leaned on the counter. The way she positioned her arms made her breasts spill out of her top.

“Do you go to the college?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You?”

“I’m a history major.”

“That’s cool.”

“I just work here on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I don’t have class.”

“Sounds like a good schedule.”

Someone called my name and I offered Brandy a smile before I moved to the pickup counter. After I grabbed the coffee, I paused. She’d been flirting. I looked back at her and she smiled. Pulling my lip between my teeth, I contemplated going back, but I just really didn’t feel interested.

Shaking my head, I walked out of the shop.

*****

“God damn motherfucking roaches!” I roared, flinging open the bathroom door. In just my towel, I stomped into the kitchen and grabbed the worthless spray I’d bought. It clearly wasn’t doing any good, but I’d be damned if I didn’t try.

It wasn’t just scurrying and face bombing now. I’d been having a nice shower when some ninja roach darted out from behind my shampoo bottle. It got caught by the water and surfed its way down the drain. I couldn’t have peace in my own home. Every day, I was stuck in a war zone. Every goddamn day.

“Relax,” Willow drawled from the couch. “It’ll get taken care of.”

“Oh, will it? That’s good to know. Where’s the exterminator, huh? Where’sgod, Willow? Because he’s obviously abandoned us.”

She tried to smother her laughter as she typed furiously on her phone. I leaned over the couch to peer at her screen.

“Rick?” I scoffed. “Really? You could do better.”

“You’re my brother and you’ll always think that.”

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