Todos los capítulos de Sharing an Apartment, Losing My Place: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 8

The real estate agent glanced at the name I'd crossed out. "Ms. Wiley, should I refund the security deposit to the original account?""Yes," I said.My brother, Brandon Wiley, reached out to stop him. "Wait, hold on." He turned to me. "If you're getting your deposit back, you still need to contribute your share toward the washer and dining table. We haven't bought those yet."That 4,000-dollar security deposit represented six months of savings from my internship. While we were apartment hunting, they all kept saying that since we were living together, we didn't need to keep track of every dollar.I didn't even have a room of my own, yet I was still expected to pay my share."Refund it to me," I insisted.Brandon's expression darkened. "Cynthia, don't start keeping score over one room."My boyfriend, Gerard Albon, pushed the lease back toward me. "We've already agreed on the rent. What are we supposed to do if you back out now?""The four of you can split the rent evenly," I s

The next day was the graduation showcase.The campus documentary the five of us had worked on together had been shortlisted for an Outstanding Project award.They called it a five-person collaboration, but in reality, I'd done all the filming, editing, and subtitling. Gerard had written a two-page proposal, Ricky had borrowed a camera, Brandon had driven us to filming locations twice, and Joan had appeared on camera.When it came to listing our names in the credits, Joan's name went first because she was the one presenting the project. Mine came last.Ricky had brushed it off. "As long as we all know who did what, that's what matters."Gerard had tried to persuade me. "Joan doesn't have any internship experience. This award will help her more with her job search."I'd already received a job offer, so my hard work had become just another thing I was expected to give away.The showcase began at 9:00 am. Joan stood onstage, but after just two minutes, she forgot her lines. She turn

My train had just pulled out of the station when a message from Ruth came through. "Your brother went pale. And Gerard keeps asking if you're deliberately avoiding them."A moment later, Gerard called me. The second I answered, he demanded, "Where are you?""Heading to work," I said calmly.He paused for a second, then said, "Your laptop is still with me. Don't you need to submit some documents? Get off at the next stop and wait for me.""Don't bother," I replied. "I'll handle it myself.""Handle it with what?" His voice grew increasingly agitated. "Can you stop throwing a fit?"I watched the station platform recede through the window. "Weren't you the one who stopped me from submitting my documents?"Silence fell on the other end.Brandon snatched the phone from Gerard. "Cynthia, are you really running off to another city over a room?""The room was just the last straw.""Then, what on earth do you actually want?" he asked, his voice strained."Nothing," I said softly. "Fro

Two weeks later, Gerard, Brandon, Ricky, and Joan showed up at my office.I was in the middle of a meeting when the receptionist called me. "There are four people here asking for you.""I don't have any appointments with anyone. Please ask them to leave," I replied.By the time my meeting ended, they were still waiting in the lobby.My laptop sat on the floor by Gerard's feet. Brandon was holding my repaired ceramic lamp, while Ricky carried the photo album. Joan stood behind them, her eyes red and swollen.I walked over, and Gerard stood up at once."I brought your laptop back," he said, pushing it toward me. "Nothing's missing."I took it from him. The cracked section of the casing had been replaced. When I opened the laptop, the login password was still his birthday. I changed it right in front of him.Gerard stared at the screen, his voice tight. "Do you really have to be this cold?""Changing my own password is cold?" I asked.His face fell.Brandon held out the ceramic