Page 32 of Love Next Door
There was no way that I could put up with that smug bitch without catching a case. If he were back with her, I would have to see her. It hurt too badly because I had been through this before. Now here I was living my worst nightmare all over again. I didn’t want that for me. I could do so much better.
The more I sat in that space the last few days, trying to prove to myself that I would be okay and that I did not need him, the more I was convinced I had to leave. The minute that I saw that Briana chick again and she said some out-of-pocket shit to me, or even looked at me wrong, I was gon’ beat that ho down.
Then I couldn’t take looking into July’s face. How could he have allowed himself to stoop to that level? That girl had dogged his ass out, and all it took were some tears, and she was back in his home, back on his dick, and back in his heart.
There was no way that he should have been a fool for her again, but it wasn’t my call to make. I needed to protect myself above everything else, because his ass clearly wasn’t looking out for me.
I had spent two days crying my heart out over July, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to share with my friends what happened. I didn’t need their pity, and I knew that they would be ready to ride. They would post up and be ready to whup July’s ass, which would create issues in their relationships.
I knew Thad and Kamaia were kicking it, and so were Nina and Nick. Yamika had been hush-hush about what was going down with her and Evyn. If I knew my best friend like I thought I did, she was on some ho shit. She didn’t want us to know she was screwing him, because she was likely screwing some other nigga too.
“Okay, let me go and print the paperwork off, and then we can get you to sign everything,” Ms. Green explained as she stood.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. I really hate to see you leaving. You’ve been with us for the last two years, and you have been an excellent tenant.”
I smiled at her as she walked out of her office and to the front, where the printers were located. I stared at my phone again, and a sadness filled my heart. Never again would I shit where I ate. I should have known better than to become involved with someone so close to home.
This had been my first apartment. I moved in after I graduated from college. My parents had paid the first year’s rent in advance. Spoiled girl that I was, they were ready to lay down another year’s worth of rent at the beginning of this year too. I politely declined their offer because I wanted to prove that I could handle things on my own.
As an only child, I had been spoiled all my life, and there wasn’t a thing they weren’t willing to do for me. They were ready to put a deposit on a new home or get me one built, but again, I assured them that I could handle it when the time came. Myfather insisted that my housewarming gift from him and my mother would be a fifty-thousand-dollar down payment on a new home or building a home. I stopped arguing with him about it a long time ago and accepted that it was just going to be what it was.
I heard a familiar voice as I sat waiting for Ms. Green. The voices were right outside the office where I sat.
“. . . are you sure, Mr. Maxwell?”
“I’ve got it recorded. Now, legally, I get that this won’t be upheld in a court of law, but something has to be done. I’ve been out of town for almost an entire week. If it hadn’t been for one of my neighbors mentioning something, I would still be clueless. I mean, I came home, noticed some things out of place, but I chalked it up to me being in a rush to get out of here and to the airport. I saw this cat not even an hour ago. He confirmed that he had been messing around with my ex and that he had let her into my apartment.”
“Without your permission?” Lisa Atwell, the leasing manager, asked.
“Yeah. I had no idea she was there. The last time I saw her, I was trying to convince her to get some help for her postpartum depression. I called her mother and told her what was going on. I mentioned that I would be going out of town, and I wouldn’t be of any help, and that she really needed it. That was the end of the conversation. My ex left my place an hour later. I come back, and my life is fucked up. Excuse me, Miss Lisa.”
The leasing manager giggled and replied, “No problem. On another note, we take these concerns seriously. Our maintenance men or any staff do not have the authorization to allow anyone into any of the residences. Only the leasing agents can do that, and only with written permission from the residents, and it must be notarized.”
“Well, I didn’t give anyone any permission. So I would appreciate it if y’all did something about him.”
“We will expeditiously handle this matter. Thank you for bringing your grievance to me directly, Mr. Maxwell. In the interim, you may want to take out some sort of restraining order against your ex.”
While I understood why Lisa Atwell said what she had, I knew her intentions weren’t out of concern for July. They were based on her self-interest. I rolled my eyes as I continued to listen, even as guilt flooded me.
“Trust me. I’m about to deal with that now. I can’t have her in my life screwing shit up the way that she has. I mean, she caused problems between my girl and me, and I don’t know how I’m gon’ fix that situation.”
“Well, just take care of her, and let me handle Mr. Keith Pritchett.”
Their voices faded as they walked away from the office. Tears pricked my eyelids as I realized what a fool I had been. All the time I was accusing July of falling for her manipulations, I was the only one who had believed them.
I wiped my eyes, but the tears kept falling. I reached across the desk and grabbed some tissue. I was blotting my eyes dry as Ms. Green stepped back into her office.
“Here we go,” she stated, setting the papers on the desk.
“Thank you, Ms. Green, but please forgive me.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked in surprise as she took in my reddened face.
“Nothing’s wrong, Ms. Green. But I think that I will be staying after all.”
She clapped her hands together and smiled at me. “That’s wonderful news!”
