‘Did you see the email from Coach about the extra practice?’Mason throws over his shoulder, glancing back at us.Zayden strolls over to the lounge, placing down our bags as I beeline for the kitchen.I grab myself some water and take a seat at the kitchen island.
‘Meeting the parents!’Anya says in a hushed, excited voice.‘Things must be getting serious!Zayden doesn’t do that often, you know.’
‘It feels serious,’ I admit.‘I care about him a lot.’
Anya claps her hands together, unable to hide her enthusiasm.It makes me so happy that she is supportive of us.It means a lot to me.
‘I have another art event coming up if you guys want to come,’ she says.
‘Of course!’
‘Speaking of, are you finished with my boots that you borrowed?I bought a new dress and those boots would be perfect with it.’Anya asks, wiping her floured hands down the front of her apron.
‘Oh, yes!Sorry, I totally forgot I still had those.I’ll go get them now so I don’t forget.’
Grabbing my bag, I head up the stairs and rummage through my things, trying to remember where I put the boots.A memory flashes in my mind of putting them up the top of my wardrobe at the apartment.I don’t recall ever grabbing them when I was therelast.Damn it.I need to go back one last time and make sure I have everything before handing back my keys, but I was hoping to put it off a little longer.
Zayden appears at the door.‘Turns out I have to go to the fields this afternoon.’
‘Okay, all good.I need to grab something from the apartment.’
‘Do you want to wait for me and do it tomorrow?’he asks.
‘It’s fine, I’ll be in and out.I need to hand my keys back anyway, the admin team finally got back to me about ending my lease.’
‘Okay.’He steps into the room, planting a kiss on my forehead.‘I’ll see you later.Take-out for dinner?’
‘Sounds good.’
Thirty minutes later, I’m driving the route to the apartment, rain lightly pattering against the windscreen.I give myself a minute in the car before going in.Annoyance flashes through me.I purposely lived on campus to have the proper university experience, and those girls ruined it for me.It feels like I was robbed of an essential rite of passage.
Bracing myself, I make my way up to the apartment.Opening the door, I step inside, scanning the familiar space.It’s just as messy as it was the last time I was here.Maybe I’m not missing out on much after all.
A rose petal sits on the floor and I study it.It looks identical to the ones that Zayden leaves for me.It must be left over from Emily’s flowers she received.
It’s quiet, and I breathe a sigh of relief that my roommates seem to be out.Going into my room, I pack up everything that’s remaining – the boots are thankfully exactly where I thought they were.I grab the cleaning products I borrowed from the house and do a wipe over of everything.
The last thing I need to do is vacuum the carpet, but when I go to the storage cupboard, the vacuum cleaner I had bought when I first moved in is no longer sitting where I left it.Gritting my teeth, I refrain from slamming the door shut in frustration.
The sound of running water upstairs captures my attention.I jog up the stairs and notice that Riley’s door is ajar, which is a first.She always had everything locked tight to the point where I could never tell if she was here or out.After a moment of hesitation, I slip into her room.It’s simple, with barely any decorations.Her walls are bare and the carpet is worn down right near the front door.The room is so lifeless, it looks like it’s still waiting for someone to live in it.
I narrow my eyes and they land on the vacuum cleaner.It’s plugged into the wall.Compared to the rest of the apartment, her room is very clean.So she cleans her room but doesn’t contribute to anything else.Go figure.
Striding over to the vacuum cleaner, I snatch it out of the holder.It’s rightfully mine, since I bought it.My blood freezes as my own face stares back up at me.A photo of myself – that I’ve never seen before – sits on her desk.Placing the vacuum down, I pick up the pile of photos and begin sifting through it.There are pictures of me having drinks with Cami and Anya, working on my novel in a cafe and … ones of Zayden and I … kissing.My heart plummets into my stomach and I feel sick as the photos continue, always of me, and they range over a timespan ofyears.Every time I was stood up by James has been captured on camera – often the shots are taken of me sitting alone with a forlorn expression on my face.
‘What the hell?’I whisper, not quite comprehending what’s happening right now.
My hands shake so much, a few of the photos fall to the ground.Hastily, I reach for them and blink down at the words on the backof the photos – the handwriting looks oddly familiar.Quotes, lyrics, and particular exchanges written on the back that mirror the exact phrases and lines shared from my online relationship.
What is going on?
There’s a creak and I have the awful realisation that the pipes from the shower are no longer humming.Slowly, I turn, coming face to face with Riley.She’s dressed in leggings and a hoodie, her wet hair hanging limply down her shoulders.
She stills, her face draining of colour.Her eyes lower, noticing the photos in my hand.She doesn’t react.In fact, she is standing so still, she’s like a statue.
‘What the hell is this?’My voice sounds far away, like I’m watching this play out from a distance and it’s not actually my reality.
Her throat moves as she swallows and eventually, her eyes travel back to meet mine.Her mouth opens, but no words come out.The air feels stale around me.
