Silver Lining

prologue.

Written in bold on a red card just posted through my front door are the words 'EVICTION NOTICE; TWO WEEKS', and I stare at the piece of card in shock as anxiety starts to spiral through my body. I always pay my rent on time, I'm nice to my landlord; I even baked that bitch cookies when I first moved in, and now she's kicking me out with only two weeks' notice.

What am I supposed to do?

Finding an apartment in the next two weeks with decent rent will be impossible, especially since I live in New York City. I was beyond lucky with this place; it's close to work and is within my budget. This only means one thing; I'm going to have to move back to my parents in Montana, but I'll try anything to avoid that.

I walk back into my kitchen where my coffee is waiting for me and I put down the card on my small island before I pick up my phone to make a few calls.

After a few dials, the only person who could possibly help me with this situation, finally picks up and the sound of her voice has my anxiety calming, "Iris! I miss you, how are you?"

I smile, putting her on loud speaker, "I could be better; how are you, Isabelle? I've missed you."

Isabelle was my roommate in college, but also the sister of my ex-boyfriend, Aiden. She was my best friend throughout the years we studied at NYU and I'd still love to call her that, but since we graduated and started our own lives, we slipped away from each other slowly. We do still check in now and again, but it's not the same as it was when we were younger.

"I'm good, Iris, really good, but what's with you? You don't sound your usual chirpy self," she asks, and the concern in her voice tugs at my heart. I really have missed her.

I sigh, looking down at the red card, "I've just received an eviction notice and I was wondering if your brother has any properties available before I have to tell my dear parents their twenty-four-year-old daughter is moving back in with them."

Like I said, I'll do anything to avoid moving back, even if that means getting in touch with Aiden.

"Oh, Iris, I'm sorry to hear that, I loved that apartment, how long do you have until you need to move out?"

I wince before I finally tell her, "Two weeks."

"Is that even a legal amount of notice?" she screeches. I laugh in response because if I didn't, I'm sure I would cry over how bad this situation is turning out, "I'll speak to him, Iris, but two weeks is a very short notice; what's your budget?"

Yet again, I wince, "At the very most seven hundred a week."

Seven hundred dollars was still out of budget for me because the prices to stay in the city is mind-blowing, but I'd do anything to stay here in New York.

"I can see what I can do, Iris. You can crash on my couch for a couple of weeks as well if you need to work a month after your resignation," she offers, reminding me that I can't just up and leave my job, I'd need to work a month before I can do so, something I've completely forgotten about.

"I'd appreciate that, Iz."

"I'll message Aiden now and tell him you have a month," she murmurs, "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Thank you, and I won't!"

We say our goodbyes and I drop my head, leaning against the counter as my eyes start burn with brimming tears. Stress curses through me in waves and I quickly grab the red card, ripping it up until it's in little pieces like it would help me at all.

"Why me? Why can I never catch a break?" I yell to anyone who's willing to listen.

What if I can get a place to stay, but I no longer have a job when I do? I love my job, it is the only thing keeping me here, but I need to resign today because I only have a month left of guaranteed housing.

I'm royally fucked.

~~~~~

Welcome to Silver Lining, instead of making character profiles, I'll show the face claims for the two main characters, they're very much how I see them in my head. 

A quick mention that I have been writing this more so as a published book and not for Wattpad, which means the usual chapter lengths I used to do are no more. I was doing almost 10k chapters and I'm sorry to disappoint but I won't be doing that. Some will be very short, but if they are, it will be a double update, I won't just be posting a chapter with 250 words (chapter two) on its own.  They start around 1.5k, but the average is around 2.5k words, I really do hope that doesn't put people off.  

Mature content will follow throughout this entire book, I'm not sure if I'll be using an asterisk to notify which ones, but I'll decide later in the book when that time comes. 

 Hope you enjoy this journey, very excited to share what I have planned. 

IRIS RHODES (JESSICA FETLER)

NATHAN FIELDS (CHRISTIAN HOGUE)

(diLF)

GOODBYE FOR NOW X