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SLOANE
~APRIL~
Istare down at the bright pink paper in my hands. I have to re-read it a dozen times before the words finally click in my head.
SUMMER RENOVATIONS!
ALL TENANTS MUST BE OUT OF THEIR APARTMENTS FROMAPRIL 15th - SEPTEMBER 1st.
Do you know what today is?April10th.
The semester ended on the 7th. This can’t possibly be allowed. They can’t just kick us out, I paid summer rent! I groan and flip the paper over and see if there’s any fine print.
WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING PAYMENT OR ABOUT SUMMER RENT,PLEASE REACH OUT TOJENIN THE OFFICE FOR ASSISTANCE.
IF YOU PLAN ON STAYING AT PINE LAKE FOR THE FALL SEMESTER, AND HAD PLANNED ON STAYING THROUGH THE SUMMER, WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. IF YOUR DEPOSIT HAS BEEN PAID, YOU CAN APPLY IT TO THE FALL SEMESTER AND REQUEST A DISCOUNTED RATE FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR.
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE FALL.
Pine Lake Management
Well, this is just fan-fucking-tastic. I drop the flyer onto my counter and run a frustrated hand through my chestnut hair.
What am I going to do?
I have five days to pack my bags and figure out where I’m going to stay for the entire summer.
It’s fucking irritating. They can’t do stuff like this,can they?
Flopping down onto my couch, I think about my next steps.
I call down to the office, but of course, the line is busy, and I really don’t want to wait on hold for three hours just to talk to Jen when I know I won’t get any kind of solution.
I look around the space a final time before my gaze sets back on the paper lying on the counter, letting out a frustrated sigh.
I pick up my phone and begin making calls, hoping there is one person in my very small circle who can help me out.
It’s been two days since I found that stupid paper taped to my door, and I’ve exhausted every possible option, including looking into what it would cost to put myself in a hotel for three months, which is slightly outrageous. Icouldafford it, but I don’t want to. So I bite back my pride as I look at my phone, the contact name staring up at me, taunting me.
This is my last option, and if it fails, then yeah, I’ll get a hotel, but all this would cost me is a tank or two of gas and the momentary swallow of my pride. It almost isn’t worth it.
Home. Well, it’s not really home anymore, it’s just the place where I grew up. The place where my parents still live is the place I avoid at all costs.
Timberline, Colorado.A small town that is about half an hour away from Denver, with cold winters and pretty amazing summers.
The only real downside is that my parents reside there. My family comes with a huge pile of complicated bullshit that I try to stay very far away from.
Briar Monroe, my father, is one of the best attorneys in the state. He is also a douche bag that doesn’t have any room in his heart for his youngest child.
Monica Braithwaite, my mother, divorced Briar almost four years ago and made what was already a miserable high school experience even worse. Turns out they had been mutually cheating on each other for years.
Charlotte (Lottie) Monroe, my oldest sister, is Monica’s favorite. While she’s following in my dad's footsteps and becoming a lawyer, she’s pretty much the spitting image of Monica.
Kaden Monroe, the middle child, is my dad's pride and joy. He just finished his senior year at Cali U and has declared for the NBA draft. He’s the only one in the family who even pretends that I exist.
