Page 31 of Theirs

Chapter 10

As nice as my weekend getaway was, I’m so ready to be away from all that male testosterone for a little bit, and have some time to myself in my tiny apartment with my cat. Ben offers to walk me up, but I brush him off, telling him I’ll be fine. He presses a kiss to my lips, that almost has me begging for more. I know if I let Ben walk me to my door, I’ll be asking him to come inside with me. However, I need to give my body some rest. He kept me up for most of the night. I was so exhausted today that I slept on the plane the whole way home.

I climb the steps up to my apartment, my duffle hanging off my shoulder. When I get to my door, I stop and stare at the piece of paper taped to it.

Shit!

I stab the lock with my key, push open my door and rip off the orange paper.

My phone battery is almost dead, so I plug it in and call Kristen to vent. Mr. Snuffy scampers out from his hiding spot under the bed, and hops up to cuddle against me while I lie back on my bed. He’s purring in my arms; content as can be as our lives fall apart.

Kristen picks up on the third ring. “Well, hello, hussy!”

She laughs. I sent her a couple pictures from my weekend while we were getting ready to leave the airport, and I know she wants me to catch her up on what happened on my trip. I can’t though, all the happiness from the weekend has left my body, all thanks to the note left by my landlord.

“Kristen,” I say, on the verge of tears. “I’m being evicted! I’ve got less than a week to get out of here.”

“What?” she gasps. “How?”

I shake my head and stare up at my popcorn ceiling. Mr. Snuffy places his tiny paw on my chest, trying to soothe me. “It’s my own fault. My landlord said he was increasing the rent, and I told him that was bullshit because he never fixes any of the problems, so I refused to pay the additional fee. Fuck that guy!”

“Teagan,” she says sadly.

“I know,” I say through gritted teeth. “It’s my fault. I was a stubborn bitch. A brat. I should have just paid the money, but I didn’t have it. I’m hardly surviving, Kristen.”

“Maybe you should call your par—” she starts to say.

“Don’t!” I snarl. “I’m not calling them. Kristen, you don’t know what they—”

“Okay, okay,” she says softly. “I hope one day you can tell us, but I understand if you can’t. Let me talk to Kane, I’ll see if we can come get your stuff this week. You can come stay with us until you get your feet back under you.”

“No,” I shake my head. “I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.”

I can’t tell Kristen and Kane what monsters our parents really are. They never did anything to Kane, they never let Kane see what they allowed to happen to me. I want to confide in my best friend, but I just can’t. And I know if I let Kane bail me out of this issue, it’ll be with their money. I need to learn from my mistakes. Just like Mac said, I need to stop being a brat.

I hang up with Kristen, and look around my small apartment. I’ll have to go to my storage unit, and get my totes. I wonder if it’s possible to just live in my storage unit. It’s climate controlled, I could probably fit my twin sized bed in it. There’s no outlet plugs, but I can just charge my phone at a library or something. Where would I shower though? Okay, so I can’t live in a storage unit. Unless I want to shower at one of those huge gas stations with the shower stalls, or I could get a gym membership.

Ah, so this is rock bottom?I think to myself as I go over to my kitchen and reach into my fridge to grab my bottle of wine. I take a drink straight from the bottle. I hug the bottle to my chest as I go over and sit on my bed, drinking from it occasionally. Too bad I don’t have a car; I could sell most of my possessions and live in it for a little while. Mr. Snuffy though... he can’t live in a car. This apartment is tiny enough for his 3 a.m. zoomies, it wouldn’t be fair to him.

I’ve only got a sip of wine left when my phone rings. I don’t have the energy to go get it off the charger, so I just sit there, staring off into space. It rings again, I let it go. But then it rings again with another call.

“Fuck my life,” I say to the room, taking the final swig from the bottle and going over to answer my phone.

I look at the screen, and find Mac’s name on the screen. I press answer, but he’s speaking before I have the chance to say a word.

“Kitten,” he says sternly. “When I call, you answer.”

“I’m not in the mood, sir!” I say, tossing the empty bottle in the trash, I hear the glass break when it hits the bottom. “So you can drop the dom act.”

I think I hear a growl from the other end of the phone, followed by someone honking a horn. “We’re on our way, Kitten. I suggest you drop the attitude before we arrive or your ass will be red by the time I’m done with you.”

“I’m not really up for visitors right now, Mr. MacKenna,” I tell him, trying to hold the sobs back, so I can get off the phone. “Thanks for the offer though. I’ll see you Friday for our date.”

“Kitt—” he says, but I hang up the phone, and power it off. Just when I thought things in my life were getting interesting, and the universe was finally on my side, it laughs in my face and throws me for a loop.

I slide my feet into my sneakers, and head out of my apartment, not even bothering locking the door. I head down the steps, walking down to the convenience store down the street from me. Knowing I need to dumpster dive for some moving boxes. No way am I buying the new ones from the store. That’s an expense I can’t afford right now.

The lot is sketchy as hell, but that’s what you get for a convenience store at night in the ghetto of Chicago. Totally the type of place that the mafia would roll up on and cap someone. Some people are standing at the entrance watching me as I walk by, but I just keep going around the building, looking for the trash. That’s exactly what I feel like right now, trash. Luckily, I’m so drunk on wine and the mixed drinks Colin made for me on the jet right now, my fear receptors are shut off, so I don’t even flinch when someone catcalls me.

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