Page 2 of Fragile Hearts

Don’t get attached to a job.

Don’t get attached to people.

The fact that I’ve let Alana and Daisy in is a huge deal for me. I don’t have friends because people leave even when they say they care. I’ve dealt with this over and over again in my life, and it’s because of shit like this.

I’m still sitting on the steps when Daisy pulls up, hopping out of the car with her perfect smile on display, unaware that we’re about to be homeless.

It’s obviously not the first time this has happened to me.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Daisy calls, her smile dropping when she gets close enough to see my face.

“This,” I reply, holding up the balled-up orange sticker.

“What’s that?”

I can see the confusion on Daisy’s face, and I’m glad she doesn’t have a clue what it means. I wouldn’t wish this feeling on my worst enemy, and it’s hard for me not to want to push Daisy away, to keep her from having to deal with this.

“We’re being evicted,” I tell her, the words coming out as a choked cry, and the tears spill over. Mochi lets out a whine, hating that I’m crying. His little pink tongue pokes out, trying to lick away the tears.

Fuck my life.

I’m tired of this shit.

“Evicted?” Daisy screeches, her brow furrowed, confusion blanketing her face. “How? We aren’t behind on rent.”

“Yeah, I know, but Mr. Lang sold the house, and the developer who bought it wants us out in thirty days.” It all comes out in a rush, the tears making it hard to understand.

“Thirty days?” Daisy echoes, and I nod. “That’s not so bad.”

This is where having family to fall back on helps. Thirty days to her isn’t a big deal. She’ll pack up her stuff and go live with her sister or her mother. She can’t comprehend what it feels like to be me, and again, I don’t ever want her to know what that feels like.

Daisy sits down next to me, slinging an arm around my shoulders, her head resting against mine. She lets out a hard sigh.

“I can ask my sister if you can move in too,” she says, sweetly. “That’s probably where I’m going to go.”

“That’s okay. She doesn’t have the room for both of us. I’ll figure something out.”

I don’t want to rely on anyone. I’m doing this myself, and it’s not out of stubbornness or selfishness, but because I’ve spent all my life relying on other people who just let me down.

“You sure?” Daisy asks, her words soft, and again I nod.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I lie, not wanting this to be something she has to carry too. It’s not Daisy’s job to take care of me or make sure I have a place to live.

I’m nineteen, and while most people my age are still figuring things out, I don’t have that luxury. I have to do it all myself. Between paying rent, working and going to school, it’s all on me.

And I keep telling myself it won’t always be this way. It’s the reason I’m going to college and working. One day, it will pay off.

It’s just that today is not that day.

I swipe at my eyes, shoving away the tears that want to keep falling. But I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I need to find a place to live, and I need to come up with money for a deposit, and once again, my life is back to living day by day.

“I’m gonna go see Alana,” I say, needing to get away from this place.

“Okay, I’ll be here when you get home.”

I cringe at the word “home.” I don’t know if there will ever be a place I call home when shit like this can happen.

I get back in my car, watching Daisy walk in the front door with Mochi, closing it behind her, and all it does is make me want to run.

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