Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,66
lips.
“Of course.” She sounds surprised. “What’s up?”
“I need a place to live.” Shame strangles me. “I know you said that Luna might be moving out, and I thought maybe I could rent her room for a bit.”
She doesn’t answer right away, making my anxiety skyrocket.
“I really wish you would’ve called a few days ago.” Her tone conveys remorse. “I just leased out the room to someone else. I even had her sign a contract.”
My chest tightens, squeezing every ounce of oxygen out of me. “That’s okay.” I force a fake, even tone. “I’m sure I can find another place to rent.”
“What me to go apartment hunting with you?” she asks. “We can start by checking the places around campus.”
“That’s okay,” I lie, knowing all those places are full. “I think I’ll just go after class tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind going with you.”
“It’s fine.” I’m fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. The word is really starting to lose all meaning.
“Okay, well let me know if you change your mind.” She pauses. “Although, I might know someone who would rent a room to you for dirt cheap.”
A glint of hope sparkles inside the sea of despair I’m drowning in. “Really? Who?”
She hesitates. “Beck.”
The glint of hope simmers into a thin trail of smoke. “I think I’ll check around the apartments first and see how that goes.”
She sighs. “Okay, but just so you know, I doubt there will be many to rent during the middle of the year. It would be a lot easier if you just stayed with him. You could always move out at the end of the year when places start opening up.”
I want to explain to her why I can’t live with Beck, but I fear I’ll be opening Pandora’s box.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” She seems to relax. “Let me know what you decide.”
“I will.”
We say good-bye then hang up. I lie down in my bed and curl up into a ball, wishing life was easier, simple, less complicated.
Wishing I didn’t feel like I was drowning and about to be forced to take my final breath.
Chapter Eighteen
Beck
I’m working in my dad’s office, sorting files on his computer, trying not to worry that Willow hasn’t called me back, when my phone rings.
I lean back in the chair to retrieve it from my pocket, expecting the call to be from Willow since she told me she’d call me back. But Wynter flashes across the screen, and I hesitate, unsure if I want to answer. Yeah, Wynter’s my friend and everything, but she can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, at least to me. But ignoring her seems like kind of a douchey move, so I press talk and put the phone up to my ear.
“What?” I answer, balancing the phone between my shoulder and my ear so I can continue working and not prolong my time here.
“Wow, way to greet your friend,” she replies. “God, Beck, what did I ever do to piss you off?”
I click a few keys. “Do you really want me to answer that question?”
“Probably not,” she replies then sighs. “Hey, have you talked to Willow today?”
“Yeah, she called me this morning.” I pause as I stumble across a file labeled “Personal Business,” a file my dad mentioned I didn’t need to mess around with. Curious, I double-click and open the contents. Then my jaw drops. Holy shit. “She’s supposed to be calling me back later today. If she doesn’t, I’m going to call her back when I get off work.”
“Well, I think you should call her soon.” The urgency in her tone causes me to straighten in the chair.
I move my hands off the keyboard and slant back in the chair. “What happened?”
“I’m not really sure. She called me out of the blue about twenty minutes ago, sounding upset and asking if she could rent my spare room. When I told her I just leased it out to someone, she got even more upset, although she was trying to hide it. I don’t know why she always tries to pretend everything’s okay when it’s not. It’s why she ends up having nervous breakdowns.”
“Yeah, I know,” I mutter, thrumming my fingers against the desk. “She didn’t say why she was upset, though?”
“No, but I could tell it didn’t just have to do with me not being able to rent her a room. She was upset before that.”
“You should’ve told her she could crash on your couch. She hates asking for help, and if she went