Page 15 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
Me
I’ll get my things once I sell the house.
Cooter
Does she know you moved?
Me
Keep those loose lips shut.
He sent a picture of himself holding his lips together.
Cooter
Maybe I should get in on that huge multi-team trade. I think Jersey needs a goalie. Then we can find the best honky-tonk in New York together.
A multi-team trade seemed like a nightmare, and I hoped he was kidding. It would be nice to be close to him, but the Sasquatches wanted to lose him even less than me. Not to mention Jersey seemed to go through a lot of goalies.
I ordered a car to take me to my new place. It was a sleek and modern building with a door-attendant and concierge. My floor even had a private elevator.
The one-bedroom was spacious and furnished. Devon had told me I could trade everything out through the furniture rental company. I took a bunch of pictures and measurements, so I could look at the website when I returned to the hotel.
The kitchen was pleasant, but definitely needed a few things. Not that I was much of a cook. The living room and dining room were open concept. I could fit an alpha-sized bed in the bedroom. Oh, and the view of the city wasspectacular.
Morgan
Are you at Cooter’s? We should talk.
Me
There’s nothing to talk about. I wish you a happy life.
Not really. But after weeks of soul-searching, I knew I didn’t want to reconcile. I didn’t want to join her new pack. She’d torn my heart into a million little pieces, then ground them into the floor with her high heels.
I was ready to start over. This time, when my contract was up, I’d have more to show for it than an empty house and a broken heart.
Chapter Five
Gwen
Isat on the subway, drowning in hopelessness. On Friday, Clark, Carlos, and Dimitri had spent the day feeding me, watching movies, and letting me cry. I’d spent most of Dimitri’s party playing video games, getting too drunk, and had woken up on Clark’s couch.
Yesterday, we’d cleaned my apartment, sorting through everything to see what was salvageable. They’d also bought me some basics, which had been sweet. Today, Clark had flown home, Dimitri was getting ready to leave on vacation, and Carlos had family things.
Leaving me on my own.
While I still had so much to do–like figuring out my life–I needed to get out of the apartment.
Austin’s social media accounts had disappeared and his phone was disconnected. Did I even try to find him? At least to get the money he owed me? I’d spotted him quite a bit the past few months, as hockey finals, university finals, graduation, and everything else impacted his work schedule.
I’d been working overtime to make ends meet.
At least most of my tuition was paid for. Figuring out how to pay the rest of it would be enough.
Maybe? I didn’t want to deal with him alone. If I was staying in the apartment for long, I’d change the locks.
Getting off the subway, I walked to the zoo. I hadn’t been in a few days.
