3. Sy
3
SY
All I wanted to do was scream NO , to shut down the thought of leaving New York immediately. But I knew it would be wrong. Sure, we’d lived together for nearly three years, been friends even longer. Jenna had been by my side for everything. It was my job to walk her through this now just like she would do for me.
“It could be. Or it’s just a rough patch. But all of this just happened. Maybe we should, like, take a night to recover and revisit it in the morning?” I bit the inside of my cheek.
With a sigh, Jenna looked down to her lap. After a moment, her eyes moved up from her unmoving head to meet mine. “Can we do karaoke tonight? Pretty please?”
As soon as she made those eyes at me, I knew I was finished. I’d have to call out of work, which would certainly put me on my coworkers’ shitlist for at least a couple weeks. But how was I supposed to say no to such a simple request from my favorite person?
Nodding, I reached across the table and grabbed her forearm. “Of course we can.” I stood from the table and held out my hands to help her up. “Do you want to go take a rest and get ready? I’ll finish dinner while you get dressed.”
Jenna placed her hands in mine, her soft skin meeting my rough, calloused hands. “Whatever you say, boss.”
She made her way across the apartment to her room, where a soft lamp had automatically flicked on when the sun set.
Before she fully closed her door to nap, Jenna turned to look back at me. “Thanks, Sy. I didn’t mean to crash your whole night.”
“You never need to thank me for that.” I raise my eyebrow.
Rolling her eyes, Jenna groaned. “Yeah, yeah. But I’m still going to.” The corners of her lips lifted in a sad smile before she closed her bedroom door.
The silence made my chest hurt, only the sizzling of the chicken on the stove bringing me out of my haze. I quickly shot a text to the group chat of my bar coworkers, asking for someone to cover me last minute.
After I checked on the food, I sat down on the couch. Even looking around the apartment, it felt impossible to imagine it without Jenna. We’d made a home here and I wasn’t sure it existed without her.
Not that I could afford it without her anyway.
As soon as my mind considered the logistics, my entire body started to tense up.
Her name was on the lease, odds were we’d… I’d… get kicked out of the rent-stabilized unit and forced into the crazy competitive market. And my credit score was shit.
My foot shook against the wood floors as I pulled out my phone, opening the ApartmentEasy app. I hadn’t needed the app since we’d left college and landed in our gorgeous Chinatown abode. But I couldn’t ever stop myself from scrolling through dream apartments on my days off.
Hovering over the search bar, my brain scrambled to figure out what I’d even be looking for. I could hardly afford the $900 a month here, let alone my own place. There was no way I could afford anything bigger than a studio.
So I selected the Studio+ option, basically letting the app find me any possible unit. Inputting my ideal rent range, I decided on a $0 minimum and a $1500 maximum.
If I take another job, I can make the extra $600 happen for now.
Then it prompted me to select neighborhoods and boroughs. Looking at the huge map of New York City, I swallowed the lump in my throat. I hadn’t had to live outside of Manhattan my entire college career, a privilege afforded by student loans subsidizing my housing.
But I wasn’t picky, I’d explored plenty of this city and was certain I could make any borough work… even if it made my commutes to gigs exponentially worse.
Once I’d set the parameters, I clicked the magnifying glass and waited as the app rendered some results.
3 results popped onto the screen.
Fuck. My heart sank at the options. The addresses alone were enough to make my stomach hurt. One was an address for Brighton Beach, all the way out by Coney Island, another in College Point, Queens, and the last in Kingsbridge, the Bronx.
They would all make my commutes over an hour long.
Shaking it off, I sighed. I can’t be picky. Just look at them.
I forced myself to click the top result. $1499 in College Point. A basement studio, the pictures did their best to make it look luxurious. The tile floors were aux marble, peeling up at the corners of the room.
Squinting, I hunted through the pictures for any windows.
But it didn’t seem like there was a single one in the entire place.
That cannot be legal…
Despite knowing it was probably a complete health hazard, I clicked to expand the description anyway.
The listing agent really gave it their all:
Take a look at this incredible deal! Situated in the quiet College Point neighborhood, this studio features seamless living and convenience.
I couldn’t stop myself from scoffing. “Seamless? I think they mean wall-less.”
Riiiinggg, Riiiinggg. My alarm blared from the top of the phone screen, signaling that it was time to check the food.
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the anxiety boiling in my chest. As if losing my best friend to her parents' incessant demands that she pick up her life to move back home wasn’t enough, I would have a few months to find a new place without her.
She might not go.
Closing my eyes, I nodded. I was getting ahead of myself. I lifted the pot lid, a pillow of steam rising from the pot with the smell of the finished food.
From behind me, I heard Jenna’s door pop open. “Is this too much?”
Whipping around, I felt my heart drop to the floor. My eyes widened at the low-cut blouse and the ultra-high-waisted trousers. It wasn’t even that different from her work outfits but the way she carried herself had completely shifted.
Despite her still swollen eyes, she looked like she was ready to go on a revenge tour.
And I was just lucky to tag along.