Page 39 of Golden Days

“Okay, enough nerd talk, what happened after??” I ask, hoping she’ll tell me how she got to be naked this morning.

Rosie grins at me through the phone. “Let’s just say I changed his mind,” she says.

I groan, but can’t help smiling at her beaming face. At least she seems happy with her choices.

“Well, glad you got some. I’m leaving for work, want me to bring you some food later?”

“I’ll let you know when Ezra leaves. Maybe you can come over after work and I can give you all the proper details.”

“Do I want all the details?”

“Trust me, you do.”

“All right you little sex villain, I’ll see you later. Love you, babes.”

“Love you more,” she says, and hangs up.

I stare at her contact card on my phone for a moment, feeling a touch of dread. I was going to ask to crash at her apartment for a few nights, but—how can I burst her bubble and intrude on her space?

I swallow and look up motels nearby. I cringe at both the prices and the lack of cleanliness of some of them. Maybe a night or two in my car won’t hurt. At least until I have time to properly look for studio apartments.

Swallowing the little pride I have left, I drive to work.

Sometimes, I wish I could make things look easy like Rosie does. Whether it’s relationships, hookups, friendships, she always has this carefree way about going through life. She takes everything that comes her way in stride, always looking at the bright side of things. I envy her that.

In retaliation for Rosie calling in sick, Ben ends up giving me twice as much work for the day, sticking me with the snack cart and cleanup at the start of my shift and ending my day in the kitchen—washing dishes, so I can’t even get tips as I would if I were bartending.

By the time I’m done, I’m exhausted and hungry. Dread settles into my stomach as I realize I don’t have a bed or couch to sleep on for the night.

Molly, an older coworker who has been here for years, sees me on the verge of tears and sneaks me some food while Ben is not looking. I almost cry when she hands it to me, and I wrap her up in a hug.

“How did you know I was hungry?”

Molly laughs. “You get this really scrunched-up look on your face and glare at everyone.”

“God, I’m sorry,” I sputter.

“Don’t worry about it. Ben was being extra dickish today, so I figured you needed this.” She nods at the chicken tenders and fries in the container.

“Thank you, truly.”

On my way out, I realize Rosie never messaged me to come over. I open our thread and send her a text.

Hazel

Everything okay?

Rosie

So sorry, but Ezra is staying another night. Raincheck?

Hazel

Of course, have fun!

I drive to one of my favorite parks and eat my sad chicken tenders and now-soggy fries alone. Can things get any worse than this? I’m broke, I’m stuck in a dead-end job with no career prospects, and I have no place to live.

Once the sun sets and I’m done throwing my own pity party, I stay in the car and scroll my phone for apartments but find nothing within my price range.