“No,” I said firmly. “I do not want a smoke. What I want is some peace and quiet.”
“Maybe you should go to the library then,” Sandra suggested.
“You’re going to get us into trouble,” I said, making one last attempt to get through to Sandra.
“We’ve got away with it so far.”
I shook my head at her and headed to my room to collect a few books before going to the library. I didn’t want to be around in case the resident assistant showed up. Alison Spencer was not someone who looked like she believed in turning the other way when she spotted something wrong. I had just left my room and I was heading towards the door when I heard a loud knock.
No one seemed concerned with answering it, and just as I was about to approach, the door opened, and none other than Alison Spencer walked in. She already looked pissed off, and the moment she stepped inside and took in the small crowd and the joints that were being passed around, her eyes narrowed with cold annoyance.
“Someone turn off the damn music,” she said, just loud enough to get everyone’s attention.
I saw Sandra jump to her feet and knock off the music. I also noticed that she tried to hide the joint in her hand. I could have told her that that was pointless. She stunk of pot, and her eyes gave her away anyhow.
“Whose apartment is this?” she asked.
Sandra didn’t say a word, so I stepped up. “It’s mine,” I said. “I share it with Sharon.”
Alison looked at me and then she turned her gaze to Sharon. “I want everyone to clear out right now. The party’s over.”
I saw the guy Sharon had been draped all over look towards her. She gave him a curt nod as if to tell him to just leave. He rolled his eyes at her and left and within minutes our apartment was empty but for Alison and the two of us.
“I’ve had a lot of complaints about the disruption coming from this dorm,” Alison said. “I think you both are aware of the university’s rules.”
“It wasn’t really even a party,” Sandra said, trying the same lame excuse she had used on me.
“No?” Alison asked, with raised eyebrows. “I’m interested to hear why… but not tonight. I want the both of you to report to my office tomorrow morning… let’s say seven o’clock.”
“Seven?” Sandra asked incredulously.
“Me too?” I asked. “This was not my party.”
I saw Sandra giving me the stink eye, but I completely ignored her.
“Yes, you too,” Alison replied. “This may not have been your party, but it was your apartment.”
Before I could say another word, she had stomped out without giving me the chance to explain. Sandra turned to me angrily, as though I had been the one in the wrong.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus,” she hissed.
“Excuse me?” I said defiantly. “Why should I take the hit for som
ething you did?”
Sandra just shook her head at me. “No wonder you don’t have any friends.”
I didn’t bother to dignify that with a response. I just headed out the door, but instead of making my way to the library I decided to go to mom’s. There were some days that… dysfunctional or not, you just needed family.
3
Devlin
The fire station was a fifteen-minute walk from my apartment. I walked there in a fog of gloom. I just kept repeating the number five hundred in my head and no matter how many times I said or thought it, it still felt like a gargantuan number. I wasn’t sure I could complete it in six months… not that I had much of a choice.
There were a million different things spinning around in my head. The apartment I rented was a two bedroom but considering my cash flow had been a lot better before my bust I had been able to afford it on my own. Now I knew that I would have to advertise for a roommate because there was no way I would be able to keep that apartment on my own. I had savings, but I knew that the pool would run dry in a few months’ time if I weren’t careful. I hated the idea of living with someone else… not only would I have to adjust to another person’s routine and rhythm, but I would also lose my workspace. I had used the second bedroom as my studio, and now I would have to move all my art supplies and canvases into my room and work from there.
I gritted my teeth bitterly as I realized I might not have as much time left over to work on my art what with my suddenly packed schedule. I didn’t have a job yet, but that was the next and most important thing on my list. I would need to get a job soon if I had any hope of keeping afloat. The problem was that not many places were very willing to hire a man who had been arrested on drug charges, no matter how minor the offense may have been.