Page 170 of Rock Me All Night
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Irunthrough a mental checklist of things that may have upset her, but nothing clicks. The bathroom is clean. There are no dishes in the sink. I haven't hogged the common area in weeks. I've mostly been in my room alone.
She watches me lock the door. I suppose I should ask her what it is that's wrong, but it's probably some minor thing from Nadeen's Big Book of Unacceptable Roommate Behavior.
She looks at the ground with a nervous expression. "Alex is moving in."
"There's no room for Alex here."
"I'm glad you agree." Her expression shifts. Not quite so nervous.
"Okay." I press my back against the door. I'm not sure where this is going, but I don't like it. "Well, as long as he's out of the way, it's fine with me."
"It's been fun living together and all, but Alex and I need to take our relationship to the next level."
"I'll wear headphones when I'm home." It's not like I'll be the first college student to contend with her roommate having loud sex.
"See, he needs an extra room for his office."
"There are a lot of nice co-working spaces in Santa Monica."
"No. He wants to work from home."
She stares at me blankly. She wants me to put the pieces together. Nadeen's boyfriend needs an extra room. There are two rooms in this apartment. She's not about to give up her bedroom.
Shit.
Nadeen sighs. "We need you to leave by the end of the month."
"That's five days away."
"You can have your security deposit back."
"Gee, thanks so much." I press my palm flat against the door. Nadeen is kicking me out of my own apartment. Where the hell does she get the nerve? My breath kicks up. My heart races. I try to will myself to object, but it's not happening.
I'll only start a fight.
Her mind is made up. I'm screwed.
"Alex will help you move. His brother has a truck." She looks around the main room like she's taking inventory. "It's not like you have much stuff. Everything was here when you moved in. It was supposed to be temporary."
No. It was supposed to be this year. I was doing Nadeen a favor when her roommate bailed on her the week before classes started. I gave up a single in the dorms to live here. It made sense. The apartment was cheaper. Bigger. It came with two parking spaces.
"You could have told me earlier," I say.
"I'm sorry." Nadeen frowns. "I really feel bad. We're friends and you... you deserved more notice. Forgive me?"
Hell no. I run my hand through my hair. I step away from the door. "Yeah. Of course."
"Hey. Why don't you live with your boyfriend?" She asks.
"I don't have a boyfriend."
"No? But that guy is always over here. Um... what's his name? Does he have a job?"
"Drew. And he's in a band."
She scoffs. "Yeah. I see why that could be an issue. Maybe Meg has room in her place."
