They both turned and stared at me like I’d suggested we burn the place down.

Amelia grabbed the remote and turned the TV volume down. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know yet.” Anywhere but here.

Jillian set down her bowl of chips, curling her lip into a snarl. “Then why are you moving out?”

Gee, I can’t imagine why.

“Let’s be honest,” I said, folding my arms. “This isn’t working out for any of us anymore. I don’t even feel comfortable having Chase over here, and that’s not fair to either one of us.”

“Well, you can,” Amelia snapped. “No one is stopping you.”

“So he can get into it with Paul and Luke? Hard pass. And speaking of Luke, he’s here too often for my liking.”

Jillian scoffed. “He was here once.”

“Exactly. One time too many, as far as I’m concerned.”

“But he’s still our friend, B.” Amelia raised her eyebrows, like she’d dropped some kind of truth bomb.

“Clearly,” I said. “That’s why I’m giving you notice now so you can find another roommate.”

“And what if we can’t?” Jillian asked.

“That sounds a lot like a you problem.”

“You signed the lease too,” Amelia said. “That means you’re still on the hook legally, even if you move out.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to sue me.” I shrugged. “Literally.”

And good luck with that because I had no money to my name. I lived on scholarships and student aid. But they could try. I would rather eat money I didn’t have than deal with them any longer.

Jill furrowed her brow, blinking at me like I was some kind of hallucination.

“This is so irresponsible. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, based on who you’re dating.”

“Excuse me?” I shot her a scorching glare. “Don’t you even.”

Talk about glass houses. It would take a tiny pebble to shatter hers to pieces.

She recoiled, probably because I’d never spoken to either of them like that. I wasn’t sure I’d ever used a tone that sharp before, maybe not even with Luke. But I was out of patience—especially with her.

“Anyway, just a heads-up,” I said, turning to leave.

“We can’t find someone in the middle of the semester like this,” Amelia called.

I looked back over my shoulder, giving them a knowing look.

“Oh, I don’t know, guys. Maybe you could ask my brother. He’s here a lot, isn’t he?”

They both stared at me, dumbfounded, but didn’t respond. I started for the stairs with a heavy heart. Beneath my anger toward them was no small amount of sadness. As crappy as they’d been lately, losing two friends—or two people I’d thought were my friends—still hurt.

23. not broken

CHAPTER 23

NOT BROKEN

Chase