Page 65 of Wrong Pucking Player

Two individuals who are neighbors and despise one another.

Yet we’ve been getting along well since meeting him again.

Why is that?

“You don’t need to change yourself for me,” he finally speaks, his words surprising to my ears. “Just be careful with other people outside our circle.”

“Our circle,” I whisper, then smirk. “Minus Jayce, right? We’re not the Heartbreaker Crew anymore, thanks to him.”

Seeing Kane and Diesel reminded me of how we actually were all pretty chill and close. It was because of Jayce we began to distance ourselves, to the point where Kane talked with Diesel the most, while Armani had no choice but to stick around Jayce so he wouldn’t feel “abandoned.”

That left me with Wyatt while Mikayla was still close with Maddox, Damien, Ace, and Wolfgang.

“He doesn’t want us to be back together, anyway,” Oscar admits.

“Why?” That seems odd to me.

“His prerogative,” Oscar sums. “I’m here because I’m wondering if you got the notice?”

“What notice?”

“They’re gonna be renovating the rest of the building.” He begins and points along my windows for added emphasis on his next words. “Your apartment is on the list.”

Shit.

Is it?

Where was the memo?

“They… didn’t post an announcement on the door.” The nervousness in my voice is loud and clear.

Change.

Of my personal environment.

I don’t like that one pucking bit. This apartment may be shitty to the world outside this building, but it’s the one place I still have control over.

The one place where I feel safe and comfortable without the world’s burden of judgment.

“You got the memo,” he emphasizes as he turns around to give me his full attention. “It was the day before you returned.”

“Fuck,” I whisper. “When are the renovations?”

“Next week.”

Meaning, I’m actually going to be homeless.

Just the thought makes my shoulder slump, and I worry I’ll have to find a place or hotel to stay in for who knows how long.

I may have my emergency savings that I haven’t touched for years, but the mere thought of using my saving grace frightens me. What if I start using it, get stuck staying in a motel for who knows how long with these renovations, and run out of money?

Government Housing Renovations are so unpredictable, and even if they’re “monitored” to ensure they don’t get more money than promised, anything can happen.

“Andrews.”

The soft touch to my shoulders forces me to snap out of the spiral vortex in my mind that’s doing everything in its power to fuck up my desire to go out tonight.

Heck. I want to stay home, curl up on the couch with Muffin, and write down all the savings and expenses I’d have in the next six months.

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