Chapter 2
ALEC
I rubbed my eyes, still tired from the late night shift I’d worked the night before.
Going in at eleven and getting off at eight the next morning was hard, especially since I was also DoorDash-ing groceries between shifts.
I had outstanding personal loans to pay, though, and a mountain of debt thanks to Rory running up bills before hightailing it back to Ireland.
“I can stay with my mum,” he’d said, “and the student loan people can’t garnish my wages or anything there. And the debt collectors will have to fuck themselves, too.”
“So you’re going to walk away from the credit card we took out to build our credit that you decided to use to splurge on new video games and Funko Pops and sneakers, not to mention the car both our names are on, and leave me hanging?”
“I’m only taking three of my fave pairs of sneakers and leaving everything else.
Mum booked me the economy extra light, so I only get a carry on, and it’s got to be tiny and fit under the seat.
” He grinned at me, with that same charming grin he’d given me while we were in college together, and which he’d disarmed me with.
“You can sell the rest and pay it all off. They’re all collectible, yeah?
You can even sell the PlayStation. My brother’s got one, so except for the few games I posted yesterday to myself there, you can add the games and make it a bundle.
Just pay the card arrears, we’re only behind two minimum payments, and make up the missing car payment, and then you can see about trading in the car for something cheaper.
Or, let them take it back. You can ride the night bus to the library and walk the rest of the way to work from there. It’s what, eight blocks? Nine?”
I’d quit arguing with him, knowing it was futile. I’d learned a harsh lesson. Unless the ring was on my finger, don’t tie yourself financially to anyone, and even then, make sure you have a fucking safety cushion. Also, pick more responsible men.
The knocking on the door grew louder.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” I called out. It was probably someone here to repo the car.
His collection hadn’t brought in much at all so far, the selling of them going rather slowly, and their value nowhere near what Rory’s enthusiasm had indicated.
Which, to be fair, I’d known it wouldn’t be, or he’d have sold them all himself to fix his credit and not gone running home to live on the family farm.
I had made enough to send off that missed car payment, though, the day before the deadline, and the next one wasn’t due until next week.
That didn’t mean it had been credited in time, though, or that wires hadn’t gotten crossed.
I opened the door, not bothering to check who it was first. I froze.
“Kelly? Wow! Um, come on in! I thought you were someone else. Let me just go get some pants on.”
My cousin laughed at me. “You thought I was your Grindr hook up, or what?”
I winced. “No. I left that behind after a guy robbed one of my friends. I’m playing it safe now, getting to know people and all that first.”
I disappeared into the bathroom after grabbing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.
“So, what brings you here?” I asked her through the door. “Not that you’re not welcome. It’s just we haven’t seen each other in what, two years?”
“Oh, you know, I had got to thinking how important family is and all that, and I remembered how you’d probably graduated by now and thought we could catch up. Your dad gave me your address.”
I came out, running a hand through my hair.
“Yeah, I graduated last year. Broke up with my boyfriend right after, but we stayed friends and roommates until he went back to Ireland two weeks ago.”
“Ouch. Your dad didn’t say anything about that.”
“Yeah, well, Dad never approved of Rory. He was a nice guy, but what I thought was just being cheerful and fun turned out to be much more irresponsible. Once we moved out of the dorms, it became very evident.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She glanced around. “So it’s just you here?”
“It is,” I confirmed.
She eyed the futon sofa. “And it’s a studio.”
“Yeah. Why? You looking for a roommate situation?”
If she was, I was open to the idea, as long as she was working or found a job before the two week visiting rule ended, and I had to add her to the lease or cut her loose.
“Something like that,” she replied, looking away.
“Where are you living now?”
“In my car.”
“Shit! Um, yeah. There’s just the one futon as Rory and I were still sharing, but um, you’re welcome to stay a couple of nights. I’ve got work tonight at eleven, and I won’t be back until after eight, so you can have the whole bed to yourself then.”
She smiled. “That would be awesome, thanks. I’ll get out of your hair after I pick up some DoorDash gigs so I can pay for somewhere else.”
“Oh, there’s plenty of that to go round around here. I do that in between shifts on my day off myself. There’s an over 55’s complex not far from here, and they love to get food and groceries delivered via the app. Most of them tip okay, too.”
“Cool. Um, did I wake you up?”
“Kinda. I was about to get up and have something to eat anyway. You hungry?”
“No, I’m good. I stopped and had a burger on my way here. Is there a place I can do some laundry?”
“There’s a laundromat six blocks from here.
” I picked up my phone and showed it to her on Google Maps.
“It’s one of the good ones. The dryers are expensive, but I have a heated clothes rail you can borrow.
Just set it up on the balcony. There’s a free handwashing sink area too, so you can save money by handwashing some stuff and only paying for the fifteen minute spin cycle to get most of the water out. ”
I felt really bad, but I had a cupboard of nothing but the cheapest of the cheap ramen, so I was in no position to give her a few bucks to wash her clothes.
As it was, two days before, I’d washed the bare minimum I needed in the bathtub and wrung it out by hand the best I could and hung it out to dry.
“Awesome,” she beamed up at me. She pointed awkwardly at the door. “I’ll just go do that then.”
“Right. Um, hang on. In case you’re not back before I leave for work, ‘cuz that’s just in a couple hours, let me give you Rory’s old key.
” I went and fished it out of the drawer in the kitchen and gave it to her.
She accepted it with a faint smile and waggled her fingers good-bye at me before turning to leave.
I went back into the kitchen.
“Imagine that, Kelly showing up here like that, out of the blue.” I put on a pan of water to boil to cook my noodles.
I smiled to myself, remembering my older cousin and how she used to make time for us littler kids.
She was good people, and offering what little I could was the right thing to do, I was sure of it.
Heck, maybe she’d like it here and take up DoorDash-ing full time or I could see if I could get her a job stocking at the store right alongside me.
We could buy one of those flip chairs that turned into a single mattress and share this apartment.
With two people working and actually paying the bills, I’d have some breathing room, even with the student loans.
I hummed to myself happily, already imagining it.