Stay Away

Damon

I sigh as I unlock my car and look around at this shitty apartment complex that Jessica and her siblings live in. It isn’t the worst in the city, but it also isn’t the best. The paint is peeling from the side of the building and is cracked with splinters. The inside is the same. The hallway carpets are stained and gross with God knows what. There aren’t any elevators, only stairs and they live on the top floor and the list goes on.

The house they lived in before was a few blocks away in one of the nicest suburbs in this town- I know each one of them is feeling this downgrade. Especially Jessica: I noticed all her stuff was in the living room. She doesn’t even have a bedroom. I can tell she feels like she’s failing but I can’t believe how resilient she is. She took on two younger children and gave up on her dreams; I admire her.

I get inside my car and grab my cell phone from the center console. There are 10 missed calls and I smirk reading each text message Mikey has left me.

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