“I’m sorry, but all financial aid is closed for the spring semester. The earliest you would be approved, if you’re approved, is for summer.”
My heart plummets into my stomach. “Okay, thank you.” I take the paper from her and walk out of the office. My mind is numb and my body is on autopilot the entire walk back to my apartment. Normally, I would go straight to Ashton’s, but I need a few minutes to myself and I haven’t been home in several days.
When I step up to my door and unlock it, an envelope falls to the ground. I pick it up and, seeing it’s from the leasing management office, nearly throw up my coffee. I rip it open and read it twice before it sinks in. It’s a letter of non-renewal of my lease. I’m being evicted by my parents.
Slamming my door closed, I rush down the hallway and fly down the stairs. I have to fix this. They can’t kick me out of my apartment. I’ll be homeless.
When I enter the office, I walk over to the first person I see. “I received this letter. It says I need to be out in two weeks. This can’t be right.”
The woman’s brows furrow as she reads over the letter. “I’m afraid this is correct. Your lease is up at the end of the month and we received your denial to renew.”
“That was my parents,” I explain, trying to remain calm. “I would like to renew.”
She types away on her keyword and then frowns. “I’m sorry, but when we received the letter, we signed a contract with someone else. There’s a waitlist and—”
“So, that’s it? You’re kicking me out of my apartment without anywhere to go.” Hot tears spill down my cheeks and I almost feel sorry for the woman, who looks extremely uncomfortable. This isn’t her fault. It’s my parents’, and it’s mine. Theirs for pulling this shit, and mine for not staying two steps ahead.
Snagging the letter off the desk, I run out of the office, needing to get myself under control. My chest is tightening and my body is shaking. My hands are trembling so badly, I can barely hold the letter between my fingers. I wander mindlessly around campus, unsure where to go from here. I have no job, no money, and soon I’ll have no place to live.
Then there’s the issue of school. I’m going to have to take at least a semester off, so I can come up with the money to rent another apartment. But if I do that, will I lose my scholarship? I’ll have to look into that.
And by the time I’m back in school, Ashton and Brayden will have graduated. That reality damn near knocks the wind out of me. In less than six months Brayden will be on his way to whatever city drafts him, and Ashton… he’s mentioned more than once that he has no desire to stay here past graduation. Drew will still be here, but it’s not as if we can live together. We can’t even be seen together in public without him risking his job.
I wrap my arms around my waist, cold and heartbroken at the thought of losing school, my apartment, and my guys.
“Mia,” a masculine voice calls out, cutting through the fog of my thoughts. When I glance over I find Drew walking down the sidewalk. He’s dressed in his suit, having come from practice and probably a meeting.
The second he sees me, his lips turn down in a frown. “What happened?” he asks, ignoring that we’re in public and pulling me into his arms. He wipes the falling tears and I close my eyes, breathing in his comforting scent. For several minutes, we just stand here. Me in his arms, my head against his chest. Drew, holding me tightly, running his fingers up and down my back.
“Talk to me, baby,” he murmurs after a while.
“My parents cut me off,” I choke out, wrapping my arms around him tighter. “My money, my apartment… They took it all away.”
Drew’s grip on me tightens. “Are you fucking serious?”
“They drained my accounts, canceled my credit cards… They even made sure to let the leasing company know they won’t be renewing my lease. I have two weeks to move out.”
“Fuck,” he hisses. Then he pulls back so he can look at me. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.” I nod slightly, wanting to believe him, but I don’t know how we’re going to figure it out.
Drew walks with me through campus, never letting go of me. When we get inside his and Ashton’s apartment, both guys are already there. They’re playing a video game and when they hear the door open and close they glance back.
Ashton is the first to speak. “What the fuck happened?” He springs to his feet and stalks over to me.
“Her parents cut her off,” Drew says since I’m now crying too hard to speak. “And your fucking dad evicted her.”
Ashton tenses. “He what?”
“How?” Brayden barks out.
“It’s his building,” Drew grumbles. “I thought he was better than that.”
“It’s okay, Mia,” Brayden says, rubbing his hand along my back. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Goddamn right we will,” Ashton growls. “I’m going to figure it out right now.”
Brayden pulls me to him and I watch as Ashton dials his dad, putting him on speaker. Drew remains scowling nearby with his arms crossed over his chest while Ashton paces, thrumming with rage.
“Hello?” Curtis greets.
“You kicked Mia out? What kind of asshole are you?” Ashton berates. “You can be mad at me and the shit I pull, but do not ever think you can punish me by hurting her. Fuck you, man!”
“Hold the hell on, Son. What’s going on?” Curtis snaps back, annoyed. “I don’t know what you’re running your head about.”
“Give me a fucking break, Dad. It’s your goddamn building!” Ashton fires back. “Don’t play stupid.”
Drew walks over to Ashton and speaks. “Mia’s been evicted.”
“There must be some misunderstanding. She wouldn’t just get evicted,” Curtis states, confusion in his tone. “Let me take a look at my email. All evictions have to be sent to me.”
We wait quietly, a thread of hope keeping us on edge, as Curtis taps away on his keyboard. After a few minutes, he groans.
“I was afraid of that,” Curtis mumbles to himself. “It’s not an eviction. There was a signed non-renewal of the lease by her parents.”
“Same fucking thing!” Ashton yells. “You let it happen. Fix it!”
“I can’t just fix it, Ashton,” Curtis grinds out. “There’s already a new lease that’s been signed. The new tenant will take possession in two weeks.”
“Undo it,” Ashton orders.
“I can’t,” Curtis mutters, exasperated. “It’s a matter of legality. I can put her on the waitlist—”
“Thanks for all the help, Dad,” Ashton sneers. “Mia’s homeless now.”
He ends the call, tossing his phone onto the couch before he yanks me into his arms. I cling to him, overwhelmed by the sudden changes in my life.
I’m sobbing so hard, I’m hyperventilating now. Ashton strokes his fingers through my hair.
“Shh, MiMi,” he murmurs. “We’ll take care of you. You’ll move in here. Sleep in my bed. Everything’s going to be fine.”
I nod, because I want to believe it will all be okay. With my guys touching me and whispering assurances, I think it might be.