Page 22 of Switch Pitching

“Yeah, think of it as a ‘congratulations on getting signed’ kind of gift! Just make it up to me by coming home sometime!”

“You bought an apartment. For me.”

“That’s what I said! Trust me on this one, okay? I called in a favor with Joanne, and she’ll be the one to give you the keys.”

I struggle to find words as my email notification goes off.

“Oop, sorry James, I’m getting a delivery. I just sent you the address, but I have to run now. Bye!” Mom cuts my thoughts off and then hangs up.

Wait, who’s Joanne?

An hour later, I’m walking up to an impossibly fancy building, still wildly uneasy about the whole situation. Like, I’m glad I don’t have to search for an apartment anymore, but this is not where I expected my search to end up.

Again, how am I supposed to explain this to Ethan? He never lets me spot him for dinner or anything and this is a whole ass apartment that I’m not gonna charge him for.

Before my thoughts can go anywhere else, they’re interrupted.

“James! It’s been so long!”

I turn to see Joanne, who is apparently one of my mom’s university friends. She’s incredibly put-together in an impeccable navy dress, and she’s waving over at me. We shake hands and she leads me around the back to a private elevator while I try not to think about how many other items on my sarcastic, frustrated list my mom managed to tick off.

Soon enough, I find out that it’s all of them. The apartment is insane. There’s a kitchen that, while meeting my standards, is way too fancy. The living room could double as a theater, and the floor-to-ceiling window opens onto a balcony with a view of the city that’s straight out of an ad. I open my mouth to speak, but no matter how hard I rack my brain for words, nothing comes out.

Joanne hands me the keys. “Your mother seemed very excited to get this for you,” she says. “I have to get to another viewing now but give me a call if anything comes up.”

Still processing the events of the past half hour, I thank her right as my phone rings. It’s Ethan. I take a breath. This is going to be afunconversation.

Ethan’s face pops up on the screen, and I get the sense that he woke up right before calling me. His hair is everywhere, and he’s rubbing his eyes. “So, how’d it go?” he asks. “Did you find a place for us?”

“Yeah, dude, it’s all sorted. We’re good.” My attempts at putting on an unbothered smile seem to be holding up, at least for now.

“Nice! Appreciate you doing all the work. What’s the rent like?”

Hesitating, I try to figure out how to break the news to him gently. “Rent? Oh, right, about that?—”

Ethan tilts his head. “What about it? It’s half of what the place costs. Also, are you staying at the Ritz or something? That place in the background is crazy.”

I laugh nervously, noticing the tastefully ornate ceiling molding that’s behind me on the screen. “What? No way. I’m just, uh, somewhere else.”

“Just tell me the rent, I need to finalize my budget.”

“Okay, so, there is no rent,” I start, my voice getting quieter with every word. “It’s a condo. We can split the condo fees and utilities if you want.”

Ethan blinks. “So you bought a place.”

I’m quick to clarify. “No, no, my mom bought it. I tried to stop her, but she turned her phone off before I could get through.”

His face is a mix of shock and disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? Because there’s no way you managed tobuysomething in thesix hourssince we last called.”

“No, I’m not kidding. My parents are…connected.” Flustered, my eyes dart around as I try to say something, anything, that can stop Ethan from backing out.

“Hear me out. It’s way cheaper than renting, even with the condo fees.”

Ethan pauses, thinking. “Got it,” he says.

Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought.

But then a wave of doubt washes over me. This is insane. I’m letting him live for free in a place my mom bought for us. I can’t shake the thought that he’ll judge me for being a spoiled rich kid. And worse, I don’t want him to think that I’m holding something over him. He’s my closest friend on the team, and I can’t lose that.

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