Page 10 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

Shit, my foot is throbbing, and now I’m making more of a mess that I’ll, no doubt, have to clean up.

“God, I swear to fucking god, Auden, all you do is bitch. All fucking day. The glass slipped out of my hand, and I was going to clean it up before you came in here to bitch some more.”

My mouth hangs open in shock. Things have obviously not been working out recently with having him as a roommate, but without him, I wouldn’t be able to afford this apartment.

And I need this apartment. It’s close to Alex’s school and my job, and most importantly it’s safe. I don't have to worry about living in a bad part of town, where I can’t walk to my car at night. It didn’t change the fact that I was hesitant about having someone I didn’t know move in, but I thought that I took all the appropriate steps, screening him and running a background check, which came back clean. He was a nice guy, just a bit wild. Coming in at all hours of the night.

Alex’s education and our safety come first. It’s why I’ve made every sacrifice I have since I was sixteen, to put him first and be the best mom I could, even though I knew nothing about being a mother. We learned together. I grew every single day that I struggled, raising my little boy all alone.

And this? It’s not okay, and no matter how badly I needed a roommate, I can’t subject Alex to this.

“Get out,” I seethe. “I’mdonewith this, Jarrett. You can’t stumble in here wasted off your ass in the middle of the night, destroying things. There are holes in the door!” I lower my voice, so Alex doesn’t overhear me. “When you moved in here, you signed a lease and an agreement. I thought we discussed not being inebriated around my son.”

Apparently not, seeing as how this is the third altercation we’ve had in less than a week. It’s getting worse every week. God, this is a complete disaster.

Jarrett scoffs, slamming down the plate in his hand so hard, it breaks into two pieces and flies across the counter. “Yeah right, bitch. You’re not kicking me out and leaving me with nowhere to go.”

I hobble over to the kitchen table and use the chair for balance as I try to inspect my foot. The gash looks deep, but there doesn’t seem to be any big pieces sticking out.

“This environment isn’t what I need for my child. When you moved in, you knew that I had a son. You stumble in here drunk all of the time, and I just can’t do this anymore, Jarrett. I’m sorry. I’ll give you till the end of the week. Please have your stuff out by then.”

He’s eerily quiet for a moment, his hands shaking with rage, and for the very first time…I’m afraid of him. Not that I know him very well, outside of him paying rent on time, and the small amount of time we’ve spent around each other around the apartment. It’s not like we’re friends. He’s a tenant. A roommate, who checked all of the boxes when he moved in. He had a good job, a stable income, passed a background check, and a credit check.

Lately, things have been off and I chalked it up to the fact that we’re not friends, simply roommates and just didn’t know him well enough. But no, something is seriously off, if tonight’s any indication of it.

“I’m so fucking sick of your fucking nagging!” he bellows, his fist connecting with the drywall in a deafening punch that makes me tremble. Holy shit. This is going south, fast. I need to get my phone and call the police.

Looking behind me, I see Alex’s door still shut and relief settles over me. I don't want him to see this. It’s bad enough that he can hear it through the wall.

“Jarrett…Let’s just take a step back and calm d-”

“Auden, just shut the fuck up.SHUT THE FUCK UP!”he bellows, completely unhinged.

Staggering toward me, he backs me up to the living room, where he hovers over me so close that I want to gag from the sour smell on his breath. Sweat coats his forehead and lips. I’ve never seen him this way.

“You know, I thought moving in here would end up with me between your sweet thighs, but how fucking wrong was I. You’re fucking impossible.” His spittle hits me as he towers over me, and suddenly, my chest feels tight.

I didn’t even realize he was still walking me backward until I felt my back hit the door, and then I realized just how bad the situation has become. He’s dangerous, and right now, he’s obviously out of his mind.

“Jarrett…” I whisper, my voice a mere tremble. “Please, we can discuss this whenever you’ve gotten some rest.”

His hand flies to the door by my head, slapping with earnest as he yells, “Nah, this shit is fucking done. You’re going to go in there and shut the fucking door and go to sleep, Auden. I live here too, and I’m done listening to you fucking whine and complain.”

His face is bright red, and the veins on his forehead pop with each word that leaves his mouth.

I swallow, unable to force words out with how terrified I am. I’m shaking as I hold onto the door behind me. What if he actually hits me? He put a hole in the pantry wall, and just slammed his hand into the door behind me so hard that it rattled.

I watch as his chest heaves, up and down with anger, and I shrink back as far as I can go.

Seconds later, there’s a hard knock on the door, the wood vibrating behind me.

Jarrett pushes off it and takes a step back. “Sure you want to get that?”

“If I d-don’t, they could think something is wrong.”

“Whatever, answer it.”

I suck in a sharp breath before turning toward the door and using my trembling hand to unlock the deadbolt and turn the handle. When my brain finally tells my hand to move, I open the door and the person standing on the other side isn’t the cops as I was hoping. Yet, my chest still floods with heavy relief that almost has me weeping.

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