Chapter 2

“What the hell, Jas? You scared me” Erin snapped angrily at her friend.

“What are you doing back from work at this time? Did you get fired?” Jasmine asked when her eyes fell on the box. Erin went down on her knees and began picking up her stuff and arranging it back in the box. She muttered under her breath as she performed the action.

“You guessed correctly,” she replied, standing up. She shut the door and made her way into the house.

“Why? What did you do?”

“What makes you think I did something?” Erin asked incredulously.

“Well, you attract drama wherever you go. That is a known fact,” Jasmine responded with a shrug. Erin puffed out air and pouted her lips. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Jasmine.

“That is insulting.”

“The truth is bitter, dear friend,” Jas said and began making her way to the kitchen. Erin dumped the box on the table and went after her. She pushed herself up to sit on the counter.

“Joe fired me. He accused me of trying to seduce him,” she responded in a morose manner.

“Did you?” Jas asked nonchalantly.

“No. Goodness! Why would you think something like that?”

“I was just making sure. Since you did nothing wrong, you should put your big girl shoes on and begin looking for a new job. Joe has always been an asshole, and he always wanted to fire you,” Jasmine stated. Erin expelled air from her mouth and bit her bottom lip.

“I guess.”

“Yes. Now, go freshen up. You stink,” Jas said, chasing her out of the kitchen. Erin glared at her before letting out a laugh and making her way out of the kitchen.

As soon as she got into her room, she fell to the ground, placed her head against the shut door, and buried her head in her palms. She counted to ten in her head, waiting for the tears to drop and the hurt in her chest to ease, but it stayed that way.

Exhausted, she pushed herself up and walked into the bathroom. Slowly but purposefully, she stripped off of her clothes and tried to turn the faucet for the shower on. A groan escaped her lips when the water refused to come off.

“Damn it! Miguel is a fucked-up asshole,” she cursed angrily. Picking a bucket from the end of the bathroom, she turned on the tap and let water get into it before having her bath.

“What took you so long?” Jas asked as soon as she saw Erin. Erin sighed and ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

“The water coming into my shower was cut off,” she responded tiredly.

“Oh, dear! Can they do that?”

“Apparently, they can,” she responded, plopping down on the couch and flailing her hands in the air in frustration. She huffed out a deep breath, pushed her brunette hair to the back, and sighed. “I have no idea what to do with myself, Jas. This is all too exhausting.”

“C’mon, Erin,” Jasmine said, walking over to the couch and wrapping her arms around Erin’s shoulders. “I’m sorry all these are happening to you. You can come to stay at my place.”

“You know I can’t do that. I would hate to bother you.”

“Nonsense,” Jasmine snapped. “That’s absolute nonsense. I have no ill feelings about accommodating you,” Jasmine assured. The tears, which she had been willing to come all the time, eventually dropped from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her palms and sucked in a deep breath.

“I’ll get my stuff ready and…” She choked on a sob.

“Oh, Erin!” Jasmine wrapped her hand around her shoulder and pulled her to herself. She held her that way until she couldn’t cry anymore.

“Thank you so much, Jas. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Erin said. She wiped her eyes clean, sniffled, and let out a sad laugh. “Joe is a bitch.”

“Yes, he sure is.”

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Erin tried to come to terms with the fact that she had lost her only means of survival. It was difficult accepting that reality. Her life had been going from one mess to the other. This was the height of it, and she had no clue if she would be able to survive it.

She pushed herself up from the couch and walked into the kitchen in search of water. Jasmine left hours earlier, leaving her alone in her apartment. She considered staying back in her apartment till she landed a job because she did not want to bother Jasmine, but that thought was followed by a feeling of despair.

After downing the glass of water, she rinsed her face in the kitchen sink and walked back into the living room. She sank into her long couch, stared around her almost empty living room, and sighed deeply.

Her living room was as empty as her life was. She had sold almost everything she ever had when her mother fell ill. Unfortunately, despite her attempts, she could not save her mother. It was a devastating point in her life.

She yawned loudly from exhaustion and pulled her legs to her chest. She dusted the couch gently, placed her head on the armrest, and settled into it, prepared to sleep. She stared up at the ceiling, mentally connecting the designs till her eyes turned weary and she fell into a deep sleep.

***

“What are you up to?” Jasmine said, making her way over to Erin. She dropped her handbag close to Erin and walked over to the kitchen to get some water.

“Sending my CV to different organizations. I have sent it to five organizations already, but I have not gotten a response from any. It is disheartening,” Erin responded in a sad tone. She shut her laptop and placed her head on the headrest to calm her head down.

“Dreams is employing,” Jas said, walking out of the kitchen. She got closer to Erin and settled close to her. “You should apply.” Erin ran a hand through her hair, tugged it hard, and puffed out a breath.

“Goodness! Do you think I could ever get accepted?” She asked skeptically. “That is one of the biggest firms in the country.”

“You think too much. Just give it a shot. What is the worst that could happen?” Jasmine asked, taking a sip of her drink. She flipped her waist-length chestnut hair to the side and straightened her back.

Erin ground her teeth in deep thought. She was conflicted. She needed a job, but Dreams was one of the top firms in the country. She had seen their staff on TV commercials, and she saw how put-together they always were.

Could she ever land a job like that? The girls who worked for the company had an exquisite and confident look, compared to her obtuse, disoriented self. It was a fashion company so it was no surprise that the employees always looked really prim and proper. She could never measure up to them, no matter how hard she tried. The thought saddened her.

As if reading her thoughts, Jasmine shook her head and pursed her lips. “Nope. You are not going to do that. You will apply for that job because you have absolutely nothing to lose. Besides, it’s the job of a salesperson. What do you have to lose?”

The incredulity of the question made her eyes pop. What did she have to lose? Everything! If she got the job, she had everything to lose. She couldn’t even afford a house for herself. How would she afford proper dresses to suit the standards of Dreams? She was baffled, but it was clear that Jasmine would not take “no” for an answer.

“I will forward my CV to them right away. I hope to get called for an interview,” she said, her tone resigned. Jasmine squeezed her hand lightly in reassurance.

“You will. So, what are your plans for your apartment?” Jasmine asked, crossing her legs. Perturbed, Erin looked at her in question.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You did not know? There is an eviction notice pasted on your door,” Jasmine informed. Erin’s mouth hung open in shock. She pushed the table to the side and rose from the seat before bolting toward the door. There was truly an eviction notice pasted on the door, and, according to it, she was given time till the next week to leave the apartment.

Downcast, she shut the door and walked back to the couch. She placed her head in her hands and shook her head. A drop of tear fell from her eyes, followed by a second, then another, till they were pouring in torrents. Jasmine scouted closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to console her.

“Hey, you don’t have to cry. You can always come to stay with me. You are a friend, and I won’t see you live on the streets.”

“I just want my life to make sense,” she said amidst sobs. “Nothing makes sense at this point. I feel like I’m cursed or something.”

“You are not. It is just a phase in life. Have you heard that the storm comes before the brightest day or whichever way they put it?”

“This storm has been hovering for too long, Jas. First, I lost my mom, then I lost my job, and now, I’m about to lose my apartment. I have three months’ rent left to pay. I have no idea what to do,” she said, sobbing harder.

“I just said you can come to stay at mine. Besides, your apartment looks like a pig sty,” Jasmine teased, making Erin scoff.

“Not all of us have millionaire boyfriends. Gosh! You are so lucky,” she said, blowing her nose. “You have your dream job, a millionaire boyfriend, and a condominium. How are we friends?” Erin asked, suddenly feeling inferior.

“Stop the pity party. Go freshen up and eat something. I bought lasagna.”

“I am not hungry,” Erin said defiantly. Jas rolled her eyes at her and pulled her up from the couch. Erin groaned but allowed Jas to pull her up. She was pushed up the stairs, and she made her way into her room.

As soon as she got into her room, she stripped out of her clothes and went into the bathroom. She filled a bucket and poured water on her body, all the while cursing her luck.

She thought about Jasmine’s offer, and how good it was. The only problem was she could not. She was going to feel too much like a burden. Jasmine never failed to tell her how she should never consider herself a burden, but she could not help it. She never grew up being dependent, and she was not about to start now.

She hoped that she would get called for the interview and get the job. She needed this job more than anything else at the moment. Not only would it solve her problems, but make her financially independent. She walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her lean body.

She walked till she was standing in front of her mirror. She stopped right in front of it, unwrapped the towel from her chest, and stared at her features, taking in her shapely breasts and hips. Her brown hair fell to her back in waves. She admired the way it framed her face. It was the thing she liked the most about her body.

“Everything is going to be okay, Erin. It’ll all be okay,” she said, quietly assuring herself as she continued staring. She believed that as long as she did not accept the bad things which were happening to her, somehow, they would change.