Chapter 23 Cami
Lydia laughed. She’d never paid a deposit, but whatever. She threw a load of clothes in the wash, and lay out on her futon letting her mind turn over the wild day she’d had before and the pros and cons of what her life was going to look like in a few weeks.
Pro: She was moving out and away from having two sexually active and wholly disrespectful roommates soon.
Pro: Her mom and grandpa had bought her art supplies, which she could probably use for classes or her social media.
Con: She probably had only one outfit fit for an interview at the Clubhouse.
Hopefully, the Clubhouse was more reasonable than the Resort. She’d put someone else for her recommendations if they needed one.
Pro: She’d made a new acquaintance that might turn into a real friendship. She needed more of those.
Pro:….
Con:…?
She must have dozed off because an alarm yanked her back into consciousness. Her stomach growled, and she rubbed her eyes, swiping at the alarm. She’d missed a call, but she didn’t recognize the number.
She’d deal with that later. Before she could think about not eating, she pushed herself up and shuffled out.
Cami was in the living room, sitting on the couch, completely unbothered as usual. Not surprising since she liked to fuck on the couch, too.
She glanced up at Lydia, then went back to scrolling on her phone with pursed lips. Cami and Megumi had been friends since their freshman year. Attached at the hip, and they probably had a pseudo-Sapphic relationship neither of them talked about when sober, but it had never bothered her.
Lydia had always thought she and Cami had a decent relationship, but she wasn’t surprised that Cami was picking Megumi’s side. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’d known from the beginning about Megumi and Ken. After all, she relied on Megumi for cheap housing, too, and this was her last year at Aegis.
Lydia headed into the kitchen and pulled out the last of the leftovers she’d brought from work: half a steak, some charred vegetables, and stuffed potato skins.
“How long before you leave? I have a friend who needs a place.”
Lydia didn’t look back. “Depends on how fast I find a new place and a new mentor.”
“You know, it wasn’t cool to out Megumi like that.”
“I didn’t out her about anything.” Lydia rolled her eyes. “And it’s not cool to fuck my boyfriend in the living room, either.”
Cami scoffed. Lydia put her leftovers in the microwave and set it to warm.
“Megumi did you a huge favor letting you stay here. Her fucking your boyfriend, if you can even call him that, was barely tax. It’s not like you were using his dick.”
“Not much to use. Megumi was faking the whole time.” Lydia glanced at her, taking in the agitation in her expression and the undercurrent of envy in her tone. “But you knew that already. Somehow, I don’t think she’s the only one who's blown him on that couch.”
The microwave beeped before Cami stomped out. So, she was right about that. Did Megumi know? Probably not. They probably shared Connor, too. Yuck. Lydia pulled her food out, detoured to throw her clothes in the dryer, and headed back to her room to eat alone.
Usually, she might have sat at the dining table, but the thought of listening to Cami or running into Megumi turned her stomach, and she needed to eat if she was going to go apply at the Clubhouse with Riley. A quick glance around her room, at her easel, photos, and the few odds and ends she’d collected over the years living on Fortuna, left a familiar hollow feeling in her gut.
Alone.
She was utterly alone on this island again when she thought she had at least Megumi on her side. This wasn’t a new feeling.
The rest of her years in high school had been like this.
It was her fault. She should have done a better job reaching out to the scholarship student population or networking in freshman year. Maybe if she’d elected to live in a regular dorm, she’d have more friends. She might have met Reign earlier, but she’d desperately needed to save the money for Quillan’s first appeal.
She’d do it again if she had to.
She shoveled a bite of food into her mouth and shoved the thought away. She was going to be on Fortuna for another two years if she got through the BA portion of her program in good shape. After she got a new job and maybe replaced her Bar income, after she’d made sure that Quillan got a better lawyer, maybe she’d have time to expand her friend group, time to do a little social catching up.
Reign and Dani, if that panned out, were good starts.
She scoffed, almost wishing that she’d double majored in something she could readily get a job in. Aegis let graduate students attend part-time. She could be making a decent salary over the summers and right after graduation if she’d gone that route. Less money trouble, less time at the Blue Kudu. She wouldn’t have ever met Riley, but she wouldn’t have started dating Ken, either.
She wasn’t sure where the trade-offs she’d made along the way were paying off, or if they ever would.
Her phone chimed again, and she stood.
Enough what-if spiraling.
She had a hiring event to prepare for. She grabbed her phone and scoffed, noting the Resort’s number in her missed call log before texting Riley that she’d meet her in the main foyer so they could head up together.
Dorian ended the call with the flooring company who had installed his floors and groaned, scratching his shoulder and resisting the urge to scratch at the particularly itchy patch at his groin. The cream the doctor had given him, along with the painkillers, was doing fuck all for his mood or his skin, especially with Animkii bursting into barely smothered giggles before leaving him some spare clothes for the Luncheon.
His floors weren’t ruined. Maybe. They couldn’t tell from the photos or with the bleach still there. The foreman was an honest man and basically told him to get the place cleaned with the right stuff, cross his fingers, and call him back.
He was crossing his fingers and checking in with the Resort about the status of Lydia coming back to work. He’d be fine crashing with Animkii for a few days, but he didn’t want Becca to have to stay with her parents if she didn’t want to.
Following the signs for the Luncheon, Dorian tried to leave the irritation of his morning behind in favor of the irritation of his present.
He nodded at a few people who looked his way before getting into the elevator alone. Based on the time, he was coming in, probably about the time Animkii’s mini-me would dart in, show his face, and duck out. He envied that kid’s gumption and was considering taking a page from his book when a familiar voice reached him.
“… you’re freaking out for nothing.”