The Do-Over (The Rooftop Crew #5) - Piper Rayne Page 0,6
I get it. Guilt still lives inside me over what caused her to run away in the first place, but I think she enjoys her life now. No strings, no complications.
We finish eating, me more picking while Leilani cleans her plate. I pay the check and her attitude does a one-eighty as she thanks me profusely. It isn’t until we’re outside my small studio apartment in the neighboring town of Peekskil that the real ramifications of Leilani coming back into my life hits me.
“You can’t just kick her out,” Leilani screams at my landlord as I stare at all my belongings sitting on the sidewalk outside my building. If it weren’t a furnished apartment I was renting, would my couch and mattress be out here too?
“Can and did. She violated the lease and the property owner doesn’t give second chances.” She crosses her arms over her large chest.
“A noise complaint?” Leilani asks. “Come on.”
Wade and Paul stand on the corner, smoking cigarettes and looking completely unfazed that they got me kicked out of my apartment.
According to Sally, my building manager—who I thought had my back—Paul and Wade had an afternoon party, and Paul and his other delinquent buddies decided to skateboard down the handrails of the stairway, one of them falling right through the glass-paned door.
I run my hand down my face. “Sally, you know it wasn’t me.”
“You’re just a spiteful bitch!” Leilani screams.
I put my hands on her shoulders and shove her toward Wade and Paul. She goes reluctantly, spitting out more names at Sally.
Sally’s a hard nut and it took me at least six months before she even gave me more than a nod when we ran into one another. Over the two years I’ve lived here, I thought we had established a mutual respect for one another.
“I’m sorry. They’re gone, and I won’t allow them to come back,” I say.
Sally looks down the sidewalk toward them and shakes her head. “I wish I could give you a second chance, but Mr. Henderson already wanted to call the police. This is a quiet building, Kamea, and I can’t afford to lose this managerial position. It’s out of my hands.”
She means the situation has already been addressed by the owner of the property, Dick Jagoff, otherwise known as Richard Geoff. The man is a complete narcissist with no empathy. I called once to say I would be late with the rent but that I’d have it in two days. He put an eviction sticker on my door. According to him, it was his way of embarrassing me into never being late with my rent again. He’s a bully in a velvet tracksuit. I could fight this, I’m sure he’s violated my lease himself not giving me any notice before evicting me but that all takes time and money—neither of which I have.
“If you want to keep your stuff at my place until you find somewhere permanent”—she looks around as though Dick will turn the corner any minute—“you can.”
I look at my television. I don’t have a ton of stuff, but enough that I can’t transport it by myself.
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ll stay with a friend, but as soon as I land a new place, I’ll grab everything.”
Glancing over my shoulder at Leilani and the guys, I see the corner where they were standing is now vacant. I sigh and collect everything but a suitcase that Sally packed for me with all my clothes, and my laptop bag. I’d pawn it for money if I didn’t need it for the T-shirt business.
After I load all of my belongings into Sally’s apartment, I say, “Thanks again.”
She nods and touches my upper arm. “That girl is bad news. You need to cut ties because she’s only gonna drag you down.”
I offer a smile because her heart is in the right place. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that about Leilani, but she’s my friend. And she saved me once. Maybe I’m trying to repay her by saving her in turn. I’m also aware that I’m the reason she ran to begin with. If it hadn’t been for that horrible night, she might not be who she is now.
“I’ll be in touch.”
Sally scowls and shakes her head as though I didn’t really hear her warning.
With my suitcase heavy in my hand and my laptop bag swung over my shoulder, I walk toward the corner where Leilani was. I need that money from Wade now more than I did an hour ago.