"Call me if you need anything," he says. "And I mean anything. Even if it's just to talk."
"I will."
"I'm serious, Sutton. Don't try to tough this out alone."
"I won't."
He watches me get in my car and doesn't leave until I've pulled out of the parking lot.
I drive back to my building feeling marginally better.
But when I turn onto my street, I see the fire trucks.
My building is surrounded by them. Red lights flashing. Firefighters in full gear are moving in and out. Smoke is billowing from one of the upper floors—not mine, but close enough.
I park down the block and run toward the building, but a firefighter stops me.
"You live here?"
"Yes. Third floor. What happened?"
"Electrical fire on the fourth floor. The building's not safe right now. You can't go in."
"What about my stuff?"
"We'll let you know when it's safe to retrieve your belongings. For now, you need to find somewhere else to stay. This place is probably going to be red-tagged."
“What does that mean?”
“Until the place is brought up to code, no one can live here.”
I stare at him. This can't be real. This isn’t happening.
I want to cry. The universe hates me.
I pull out my phone and call Keira.
"Hey, what's up?"
"There's a fire in my building. I can't get in. Can I crash with you tonight?"
There's a pause. "Shit, Sutton. I wish I could, but my roommate is being a total bitch right now. We got into this hugefight, and she said that if I have anyone over, she'll report me to the RA. She and Crew got into it this morning after he slept over again."
"It's okay. I'll figure something out."
"Are you sure? I can try to talk to her."
"No, it's fine. Really. I'll be okay."
"Text me and let me know where you end up."
"I will."
I hang up and look around. Other residents from the building are standing on the sidewalk, some on their phones, others just watching the firefighters work. A few are crying.
I walk back to my car and sit in the driver's seat, staring at the steering wheel.
This is rock bottom. It has to be because I can't imagine things getting worse than this.
