The guy looked Sandy up and down, his eyes lingering on her breasts. Then he snorted and shook his head like Sandy was a disgusting piece of shit. “You’ve got twenty-four hours, miss,” he said. “After that, the place’ll get locked up. If I was you”—he looked at her boobs one last time—“I’d get packing.”
Sandy took the wrinkled yellow ticket out of the asshole’s hand, then watched him strut his stubby legs down the walkway and disappear. Notice of Pending Eviction, it read across the top. Goddamn, Jenna. Yeah, it was time to go, but did it have to be with a fucking gun to their heads? Thank God Sandy kept an emergency stash—a thousand dollars she’d saved up, in a box behind the couch. It wasn’t enough for three months’ rent, but it would hold them over for a few days someplace new. Somewhere far the fuck away from this place and all its bad goddamn memories.
Sandy stormed back toward Jenna’s bedroom, the eviction notice crumpled in her fist. “Jenna!” she screamed at the door so loud it burned her throat. “Wake the fuck up!”
When there was no answer, Sandy kicked the door. It flew open, Sandy bracing herself for the sight of some naked, hairy ass diving for cover. But there was nothing. And no one. Jenna wasn’t there. And from the looks of it, she hadn’t been all night.
“Fuck,” Sandy said quietly, her anger tightening into a ball at the bottom of her stomach. Where the hell was Jenna? Sandy went over to check her phone for a text, something like Going to crash here. See you in the morning. But there was nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
So much for that civics and econ homework Sandy was supposed to finish for Rhea and the algebra quiz she had to study for. Not that she should have been surprised. Going for her GED had been a stupid goddamn long shot. It was the kind of thing that other people did. But then Sandy had let herself get sucked in by Rhea. Found herself thinking: Why not me? Jenna, that’s why fucking not. What a joke.
Where the hell are you? Sandy texted Jenna.
“Listen, Sandy, no one’s perfect,” Rhea had said at the end of that first meeting they’d had back in October, almost six months earlier. The sweet way she’d been smiling at Sandy had made her throat tighten up. “And anyone who pretends they’re perfect is a liar.”
It had taken a lot for Sandy to drag her ass into Ridgedale High School to the Community Outreach Tutoring Office. She hadn’t been in a school since the spring before, when she’d finished up her sophomore year at that hellhole in northeast Philly. She hadn’t even considered starting at Ridgedale High School when they’d moved there in September. Food, rent, coffee, all of it was a lot more expensive in Ridgedale. Sandy would have to work more to carry her own weight.
But then goddamn Rhea had come into Winchester’s Pub for lunch when Sandy was working. And she had that nice smile and those kind eyes, and she’d asked Sandy all these questions. Caught off guard, Sandy hadn’t had her usual lies at the ready. And so, by the time Rhea was paying the bill, she’d talked Sandy into coming down to Ridgedale High School to check out her Outreach Tutoring. “You might even be able to get your GED before you would have graduated,” she said.
Sandy didn’t tell Jenna about the tutoring. She wouldn’t have tried to talk Sandy out of it; even Jenna would have known that would be fucked up. She probably would have cheered Sandy on. Told her to go for it, rah, rah, rah.
But then Jenna would have come up with all sorts of reasons for Sandy not to do the work: “Come to the movies with me, Sandy”; “Snuggle on the couch with me, Sandy”; “Share a beer with me.” Jenna couldn’t help herself. She just couldn’t bear the thought of being left behind.
It hardly seemed to matter that Sandy hadn’t told Jenna. When she was sure Rhea had been talking shit anyway. That she wouldn’t remember Sandy when she finally showed up.
But then she totally did.
“I’m so glad you made it!” Rhea said, jumping out of her chair and grabbing Sandy into a hug.
By the second time they met, Rhea had a plan set up for Sandy. “I took a look at your old transcripts. With the courses you’ve taken and your excellent grades, I bet, with a little review, you could get your GED by the end of this year. That would be like graduating a whole year ahead of schedule.” Rhea blinked her big blue eyes at Sandy. She was so pretty and healthy-looking. It made Sandy want to take a shower. “All you need is someone to supervise your progress and practice tests, which I’m obviously happy to do. And I’ll arrange for a student tutor for the math and science.”
“A student tutor?” Sandy felt sick. She couldn’t deal with some rich asshole from Ridgedale looking down on her.
“Come on.” Rhea laughed. “It won’t be that bad. I get it, but it’s not like you have to be best friends. You just have to let someone help you. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try,” Sandy said. She sounded like an ungrateful asshole, but she didn’t want to lie. Especially to someone who was being so nice to her. “When do we start?”
“Right now!” Rhea said. “I’m going to go grab the books you’ll need and the syllabus. Once we’ve got you going on all of that, we can talk about the GED honors program and college. I think you’re the perfect candidate.”
Sandy had played out this moment in her head a million times, imagining somebody like Rhea swooping in and rescuing her from the shit-show that was her life. But she hadn’t counted on just how good it would feel. Don’t believe her. Don’t believe her. Don’t believe her. But it was too late.
“College?” Sandy asked, feeling this dumb mix of nerves and delight.
Rhea winked and grinned as she stood. “Yes, college. They’ve revamped the GED. These days it can be about getting somewhere, not just making up for what you lost.”
Rhea had barely stepped out the door when the first text from Jenna came through: Where are you? Come home now! I have SUCH a good story to tell you. U won’t fucking believe it.
Be home in ? hour, Sandy texted back.
Hurry. And bring Cheetos! xoxoxoxo