Chapter 2

My entire unit was flooded. The water was deep enough to cover my ankles, and it had soaked into the wooden floor long enough to cause serious damage. My mattress was completely drenched, and spilled trash floated all over the unit.

My downstairs neighbor and the landlord came to confront me.

"What the hell were you thinking?! You should've closed your windows when the National Weather Service had already warned us that a hurricane was coming! Now my ceiling's leaking!" one of my neighbors yelled.

I had to pay them nearly 3,000 dollars in total. That was three months' worth of my wages!

My mind went blank as I sat amid the trash and ruined furniture.

I was sure I'd closed the windows before I went out. Had the hurricane been strong enough to blow them wide open?

Then I checked the small surveillance camera in my unit and saw Jolyn sneaking into my unit. Jolyn had snuck into my unit with a key and opened every window wide. She giggled as she took pictures, then left. Half an hour later, the storm hit.

I couldn't contain my rage any longer. I immediately called Jolyn.

"Why the hell did you open all my windows when a hurricane was coming?! My entire unit is flooded because of you! Are you happy now?!" I demanded.

Will answered instead. "Jolyn was just trying to test how alert you are as someone who lives alone. She only wanted to see how long it would take you to notice the open windows. Stop assuming the worst of her."

I genuinely didn't have the energy to question why my boyfriend was with my best friend so late at night this late in the evening.

I hung up and steeled myself for the exhausting task of packing a few necessities before finding a hotel for the night.

Once I finished, I opened the door and found Will standing outside with Jolyn.

Will glanced at the wrecked interior. "How did it even get this bad?"

Jolyn stuck out her tongue. "Oops. I didn't expect a hurricane to hit today."

My phone vibrated. Someone had transferred a sizable amount of money into my account.

Will took my suitcase.

"You must've had to pay for all the damage, I've covered it on Jolyn's behalf on," he said. "In the meantime, you should stay at my place."

I barely had any money left, and I doubted it would be easy to find a hotel in the middle of a hurricane, so I accepted his offer.

Jolyn slid naturally into the passenger seat as if the spot belonged to her.

I was too emotionally exhausted to even feel upset about it. I simply took a seat in the back, which was decorated with vanity cushions printed with selfies of Will and Jolyn.

"That... was another one of Jolyn's practical jokes," Will quickly explained. "Don't overthink it."

I said nothing, but my mind drifted back to when he'd first bought the car. I'd hung a cute keychain from his rearview mirror and placed a photo of us together on the dashboard, but he'd took it down immediately. He had claimed he couldn't have such juvenile decorations in the car when he was expected to drive his superiors around.

It seemed that hadn't been the real reason. He simply hadn't wanted me decorating his car at all.

We soon arrived at Will's house, and I immediately noticed that Jolyn followed us inside instead of going home.

At first, I assumed she was just coming up to hang out. Then she unlocked Will's front door with her own thumbprint.

Meanwhile, I, his girlfriend, didn't even have a spare key to his place.

Will pulled out a fashionable pair of slippers reserved exclusively for Jolyn. Then he handed me a pair of disposable shoe covers.

"Sorry. There aren't any spare slippers. You'll have to make do with these," he said.

I remained at the doorway and scanned the interior.

A matching pair of couples' mugs sat inside. Jolyn's skincare products and cosmetics covered the bathroom counter. Jolyn herself walked straight into Will's bedroom, then emerged moments later in his parka.

"Didn't I tell you I'm on my period? Turn up the temperature already! It's freezing in there!"

I watched them tease and fuss over each other, then took a deep breath. "So... the two of you have been living together? What excuse are you going to use this time? Was this another practical joke meant to teach me a lesson about having my boyfriend stolen from me?"