“What? Are you kidding me right now?” I snapped, my voice rising. “You set off a fire alarm, wake up the entire building, slam the door in my face, and now you’re asking me‘what’?”
Her lips tightened, and she bit down on the lower one, clearly trying to rein in her own temper. That only made me angrier.Why was she mad? I was the one who had been rudely awakened.
“Well? Aren't you going to say something?” I demanded.
“Did your parents never teach you basic manners? How about an apology?”
I saw something flicker in her eyes—was it pain?—but I couldn’t care less. I had struck a nerve, and it was about time she said something.
She crossed her arms and met my glare with one of her own. “I was going to apologize,” she spat, her voice clipped, “when you’d calmed down. But since you decided to come here, banging on my door and shouting, I’m going to keep my apology to myself. You don’t deserve it.”
My blood boiled. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Oh, really? I don’t deserve it, huh?” I repeated, my voice icy with barely contained rage. “Alright, miss.”
I turned and walked back into my apartment, slamming the door behind me. There was no point in continuing this pointless argument. People like her needed to be taught a lesson, and I knew exactly how to deal with it. By the time she realized what had hit her, it would be too late for an apology.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Jake, the property owner—and more importantly, my best friend. He owed me more than a few favors, and there was no way he’d refuse.
“Hey, man!” Jake’s voice blasted through the speakers. I could hear music thumping in the background, confirming my suspicion that he was at a club. Typical Jake.
Jake was a free spirit, and knew how to enjoy every moment of life. I envied him sometimes… the ability to just go anywhere, do whatever he liked, and live without worries… even after he’d just been through a really messy divorce. I don’t know if it was just his way of getting over what his wicked ex-wife did to him, but I was happy he found the will to live.
“Could you find a quieter place?” I said, already annoyed at the noise.
“Give me a sec,” he muttered. I heard him tell someone something about getting back to the fun soon, followed by some giggling, before the music died down a little. “Better?”
“Yeah, much better. Listen, it’s about the lady who moved in next door…”
“Kendra? Oh, so you’ve met her! Pretty, right? You want her number? I can hook you up if she’s playing hard to get.”
“What? No! It’s the opposite. I want her out.”
There was silence on the line. Jake, of all people, knew how far I went to protect my peace. He also knew I never made requests like this lightly.
“Wait, what happened?” Jake finally asked. “Why do you sound so disturbed?”
“Oh, I’m beyond disturbed . She’s completely uncouth, Jake. She set off the fire alarm, slammed the door in my face, and doesn’t seem to have a shred of decency.”
“Whoa, calm down, man. That doesn’t sound like the woman I spoke to on the phone when she was renting the place. She seemed really nice.”
I filled him in on everything—the fire alarm, her attitude, the blatant disrespect. By the time I finished, I was breathing heavily again, the anger rising all over.
“So, you want me to kick her out?” Jake asked slowly, like I was asking for something outrageous.
“Yes. It’s not too much to ask. The only reason that property’s still in your name is because I threw my weight around for you.”
“Look, Antonio,” Jake began cautiously, “I get that you’re upset, but kicking her out? She just moved here all the way from Alaska. So, kicking her out would be a very … mean thing to do. I could return her money, that would really mess her up, she wouldn’t be able to find a place right away and she doesn’t have anyone. This might just be the straw that will break the camel’s back!”
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. “Alaska?”
“Yeah. From what I heard, she lost her family in a car crash. She’s starting over, trying to rebuild her life.”
For a moment, the sharp edges of my anger softened. “How do you know all that?”
“You know me,” Jake replied, his tone smug. “I don’t let just anyone rent my properties. I did a background check, and her agent told me everything.”
Her story tugged at something deep inside me, but I quickly brushed it aside. That didn’t excuse her behavior.
