Evicted

Chapter Three

there's a knock at the door.

i wasn't expecting any company. in all reality, i haven't had a knock at my door in a couple of months now. people used to come all the time, bringing me their homemade pies and condolences.

it's difficult to comprehend, even now, that kendal and mom are really gone.

i open the door slightly, peeking outside of my apartment. it's kimberly.

"hey girl!" she has a package and some mail in her hands. "is it a good time?"

i nod, opening the door fully for her to enter, "yeah, come on in."

she smiles to me as she sets down the package and mail on the kitchen counter, "well, as you know, sydney and courtney were with those guys last night."

i see the excitement in her eyes. she's eager to spill the tea.

i laugh and fold my arms across my chest, leaning on the wall, "yeah, how did that go down?"

kimberly squeals, "turns out, one of the guys is a publisher and sydney told him about your recent book."

my recently published book? the one that i wrote before the incident.

i shake my head, "why would she do that? i already have a publisher." i try to explain that i don't really need another publisher.

"no, jasmine, this guy is the publisher. levi jones." kimberly knew that name would spark my interest. my eyes light up, "levi jones?" i ask again.

she nods and laughs, "yes! how insane is that?"

levi jones is one of the most popular publishers in seattle. he's practically a billionaire at this point. he's published plenty of successful authors.

"truthfully, i wasn't expecting for him to ever read anything i've written." i say, thinking aloud.

"well, don't be so nervous, but he is planning on reading it tonight. according to what sydney told me at least." kimberly pulls herself up to sit on the counter. "anyways, how was your night? i don't think any of us heard from you."

i sigh, "it was nice. i met someone."

kimberly raises her eyebrows, "woah woah woah! slow down! you met someone?"

i laugh at her exaggeration, "oh hush, it's nothing serious. i just met him at the bar, i was drunk so he brought me home."

"annnnd?" she wants to get more out of me.

"and there's not much else to say. he stayed last night and left this morning." i shrug, smiling at the thought of him.

"he stayed the night?" kimberly gasps and hops down from the countertop, "you haven't been outside of this apartment for months and the night we take you out, you let a guy stay over? see, i knew there was a reason i came to see you!"

i laugh at her. i just know she can't wait to tell the girls about this. "i wasn't even sober enough to know that he stayed, but i woke up this morning, and there he was."

she takes a step closer to me, "what's this mystery man's name?"

"angel." i reply.

kimberly leans her chin into her hand as she sighs aloud, "oh angel!"

"shut up." i push her softly as we laugh together.

kimberly heads into the living room. it's not even really a living room anymore at this point. it's covered with copies of rough drafts and different things i've been working on. "you let him come over with all this mess?" she asks, finding the only empty spot on the couch and takes a seat.

"honestly, i was too drunk to care. i don't remember hardly anything that happened after we left the club." i say, looking over all the stacks of papers everywhere.

kimberly picks up a manuscript i put together a few days ago, before dropping it back onto the other stack of papers underneath, "seriously jasmine, you need to take a break from all of this. i mean, just looking at all of this makes me feel overwhelmed."

i shake my head, "it's fine, kim, you know i cope better when i work."

"i understand that jasmine, but at the same time, it's good to set boundaries for work and life outside of work." she frowns. "i'm worried about you, and i just don't want you to miss out on the better things in life."

better things in life? like what? part of me feels upset about the way the conversation is going, but the other part of me knows that she's telling the truth. i haven't been doing anything but drowning myself in my work. that's just how i'd rather spend my time. writing about fictional characters living a much better life than me. it's my escape from my own reality.

"thank you, kim, really... i know you mean well, and i know that you're just looking out for me but i'm okay. i'm fine." i explain, neatening up one of the stacks of papers.

she nods, "i know. you've always taken care of yourself, even before..."

there's a silence that fills the room. not an uncomfortable silence. it's probably best to just avoid talking about the incident altogether.

i remember the day i woke up in the hospital. it was two days after the shooting. kimberly was there, at my bedside, half asleep with a book in her hand as if she'd been reading to me. i remember the look on her face when she saw my eyes open. relief. she was relieved that i was still here. i wanted to ask about kendal and my mom, but then i saw her relief vanish. it turned into sadness.

"jasmine." kimberly grabbed my hand. "i'm so sorry..."

the silence in the room reminded me of the silence in the hospital room that day.

suddenly, kimberly jumped up, "let's do something! we should go out tomorrow night!"

"tomorrow night?" i ask. "i-i can't, i'm going to dinner with angel tomorrow night."

she gives me a cheeky smile, "dinner? sounds interesting."

i roll my eyes playfully, "whatever kim! it's just dinner."

she nods, "you know i'm just messing."

i watch as kimberly walks back into the kitchen, "this package was left in your mail, i just brought everything up."

"thanks, i'll go through it in a bit." i assure her.

"well lovely, i'm gonna head out." kimberly walks to the door and opens it, "answer your phone if you get a random call, don't forget! levi jones!" and with that, she blew me a kiss and left.

i felt anxiety flood over me at the mention of that name again. i search for the book that sydney told him to read before getting ahold of me. i've read it through a few times, and obviously i wrote it, but i still feel like it might not be good enough. what if he doesn't like it?

oh well... regardless if he likes my book or not, levi jones is going to be reading something i wrote.

i give up the search for one of my extra copies, because in all honesty, i need to clean up this entire room. all these short stories, rough drafts, manuscripts, and notes are getting out of hand.

i take the rest of the afternoon to clean.

it's only when i come across a picture that i stop everything i'm doing. it's a family photo, a very old one at that. it's partially worn and crumbled with one of the corners missing, but it's still clear enough to see us. mom, dad, me, and kendal.

i trace a finger down the picture before i close my eyes and bring it to my chest.

just breathe.

i take in a deep breath, and exhale slowly, looking at the picture again. kendal was only two years old and i was four. i frown at the sight of my dad. he walked out on us when i was eleven.

i stand up and go into my bedroom, placing the old photograph in my nightstand drawer.

i go back into the living room, turn on some music, and continue cleaning.