of fair stubble growing on his jaw and chin. It looks rough encircling his soft mouth. “You get this one pass. I’ll leave the roommate alone. But you owe me later.”
I sigh in relief. I don’t know why the idea of Kent with Camden bothers me. Maybe because now I know what’s going to happen if he wants her. Kent’s going to open her legs wide and punish her. He’s not allowed to punish her because the idea makes me ill. I don’t have to understand everything my body does to know that it doesn’t like something.
“Thank you. Ignore her and help me get my stuff.”
“Well, well, look who’s here to get her Ikea furniture.”
Kent raises his eyebrows at her but does what I say.
“I hope you don’t mind. I turned the sprinklers on last night to water the lawn. It looked thirsty.”
Oh no. My mattress is a soggy mess and my wooden bedframe already smells of mold. The paint on my dresser is peeling and all of my clothes are drenched in mud.
“Damn,” Kent mutters. “None of this is salvageable.”
I fall to my knees in the grass and bite back a sob. I don’t have money for this. I have three hundred and something left after I give Kent my rent money. That’s all I have to live on until I get paid in two weeks. This overwhelming pressure of always being a step behind, that is more common in my life than anything else, begins to take over. When Becca and I were young she took most of the responsibilities, but she couldn’t take away my feelings. The times we scrounged our menial resources together just to buy a meal to share, or to pay rent, or just to have a roof over our heads for one night—these were feelings that had no problem resurfacing anytime I felt it might happen again.
“Raina,” Kent soothes softly, “we’ll get you some new furniture. Don’t cry.”
I sniff. “How? I’m broke.”
“This is how. Stay here and don’t get in the way. It’s punishment time.” He gets up, waves at Camden, and then makes a run for the front door.
She chases after him and together they go into the house. I leave my waterlogged furniture and risk stepping inside after them. She’s already gotten rid of my presence in the house. There’s no sign of me anywhere.
Her screams can be heard from the living room.
“You are not taking my stuff!”
“What did Raina do to you?” Kent demands. “Tell me and if I sympathize, then I’ll leave your things here. Otherwise I’m replacing everything you destroyed with your stuff.”
“She’s a stuck-up bitch. You know the kind.”
“I do. Raina’s not one of them. She’s actually really cool. You lose.” Kent comes walking out with Camden’s expensive memory foam mattress.
My jaw drops.
Camden chases after him but it’s no use. Kent is on a mission to punish and he does it well. He moves out her dresser, flinging her clothes on the wet lawn. He takes her large flat-screen and TV stand. She screams at him from the front lawn as he shoves her stuff in the back of James’s truck.
“Get in the car, Raina,” he orders once he’s satisfied.
He’s grinning from ear to ear as he speeds away.
“You’re my hero.”
“Some would disagree, but I’m not one of them.”
The drive back to the apartment is quiet. When we get there Kent and I struggle with the furniture, bringing it upstairs, and then he leaves me to set it up. I feel slightly guilty when I test out her bed, but better when I think about my soggy mattress. The new one is so comfortable. I fix it up with my sheets and pillows, fill her beautiful white dresser with my clothes, and set her television up. I’ll have to talk to Kent about cable. If he’s going to keep bagging girls on the couch I’d rather not be anywhere near it. Now I know why James has his own living space in his room.
After I’m content with everything I lie down on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. There’s a knock on my door and a second later Kent comes in.
He smiles. “Nice bed. Mind if I test it out?” He sets his backpack down, and then jumps on my bed. He rolls onto his side, finding my eyes. “It’s even more comfortable than my bed.”
“Thank you. It’s not from Ikea.”
“I wanted to tell you I have a late class tonight and I’ll see you