“Me too,” I admitted. Between the both of us, it was a tough combination. “The possession date for the first one is in four weeks. But the new unit on Pine is available almost immediately.”

“Right,” she said, glancing up at me. “As soon as we clear reference checks, get the deposit, and all of that.”

Shiv was fronting almost all of the deposit. She claimed not to care—Chase said her parents were loaded, which was probably why—but I hated feeling like I was freeloading.

Then my phone vibrated. I glanced down, expecting a text from Chase. But it was from Amelia: Found someone who wants your room. They want to move in within two weeks.

I wrote her back: Fine.

“Okay.” I locked my phone and set it down again. “Sorry about that. What are your thoughts on going with the unit on Pine? That was Amelia, and they found someone to take my room. I need to be out in two weeks.”

It wasn’t about the money so much as getting the hell out of there. And this was the push I needed. Being away from that toxic environment would be a relief.

The server set down Shiv’s chicken quesadilla, then my buffalo chicken sandwich.

“If it makes the decision for us, maybe all the better,” she said, dipping her quesadilla into the little bowl of salsa. “Then we don’t have to agonize over it.”

“Do we have an agreement then?”

“Yep.” She nodded, doing a little dance in her seat. “I’ll email the rental agent. I’m excited!”

“Me too,” I said honestly, grabbing my sandwich. With an escape plan solidified, food had never looked so good.

My phone vibrated again. I expected a snarky follow-up from Amelia, but it was a text from Zara.

Zara: Good news, bad news. Liam just quit. Sports section is all yours! But that means you need to cover that volleyball tournament out of town. Sorry, I know it’s short notice.

I let out a gasp. “Oh my god.”

Shiv frowned. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is great,” I said, staring at the screen in giddy disbelief. “I just got a promotion at the school newspaper.”

This was the experience I needed to build my portfolio for after college. If I landed the paid internship, the combination of the two would look seriously impressive to potential employers.

Except…this meant I’d be attending more Bulldogs games. And, like, interacting with the team to get quotes and conduct interviews.

Ugh. Talk about a double-edged hockey stick.

After finishing up dinner with Siobhan, I texted Chase about the volleyball tournament. Now that I was handling the entire sports section alone, it was even more imperative that I attend. Although I didn’t mind having an excuse to take a day trip with him.