A Slave to Broken Hearts (A Slave to Love Sequel)

Chapter 16: Nowhere To Go

"Okay, there's no way you're living here," Jill said, coming out of the bathroom.

"We've been here approximately 30 seconds, what's the problem now?" I asked, hands on my hips. Jill, Katie, Leah and I had finally picked a time to go tour through some apartments that Katie was thinking of moving into, and so far Jill had vetoed every single one. We'd barely just stepped into this place so how could she already write off? I mean, okay, it wasn't the best looking apartment we'd seen today, but come on. At least let everyone walk through the doorway before rejecting it entirely.

"Water damage on the ceiling," she said, arms crossed, daring me to argue. "Disgusting. And if the landlord can't be bothered to deal with the problem before showing this apartment, he's definitely not going to help with anything else that comes up while Katie is living here. Let's not waste any time and move on to the next one."

Leah groaned behind me and Katie shot me a look of exhaustion. Apartment hunting sounded fun in theory, and it was certainly interesting to click through listings online and see pictures, but...actually having to traipse through different buildings, especially on a hot sunny day, was definitely taking its toll. Especially since, as much as I hated to admit it, Jill had been correct about all the apartments so far. They were all pretty gross or not ideal for Katie. Or both.

"I'm sorry, am I boring you?" she asked Leah, shooting her a narrowed eyed look.

"'Course not," she grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "You could never bore me. Touring a thousand apartments however..."

"Do you want Katie to live in a moldy cardboard box? It's a necessary evil," Jill said, taking the Leah's hand that hung off her shoulder and leading her out of the tiny apartment. "Come on you two, we still have a few more places to hit so hurry up; this is my only day off this week and Leah and I have plans tonight, don't waste my time by standing around ogling a hopeless case."

Katie and I locked eyes and laughed. Sure, Jill was a little over the top, but you had to appreciate her unique way of showing affection. We followed them out and down the hall.

"She's right. Noah and I have plans to meet up so it'd be nice to finish up earlier rather than later," Katie said, chewing on her pinky nail. 

"You don't seem very enthusiastic about apartment hunting," I remarked. She had seemed slightly more chipper this morning, but by now her feet were dragging and with every apartment we visited she looked more and more defeated.

"I know. It's just stressful when I don't make that much, so I can't exactly afford a great place. It's a bit discouraging seeing all these gross apartments are within my budget and nothing else," she said. I noticed her other nails were looked rather ragged. 

I linked my arm through hers, effectively stopping her nervous nail biting. "Come on! So these first ones weren't great, but that doesn't mean there isn't a perfect apartment out there for you. We just have to keep looking. And besides, you still have time before school starts so it's not like you need to find a place today. You can always find a room mate too, which could help with finding a better place with a bigger budget."

"I don't know..." she didn't seem convinced. Even I had to admit, I was pretty worn down from all the visits myself and it wasn't even for me. Staying at Blade's house was starting to look pretty good.

"Come ON you guys, stop walking so slow or else we'll never be finished in time," Jill called back to us.

"Maybe we should take a break?" Leah offered as they waited for us to catch up to them at the elevator. "Grab a cold drink or some ice cream before we hit the next ones?"

"Nuh uh. They want snacks? They should have brought some along. We are going to get this done now," Jill said firmly, flicking her long ponytail back. "Welcome to the real world, kids. It fucking sucks. Enjoy."

"We aren't hungry," Katie said hurriedly, ever trying to keep the peace. The elevator dinged and we piled on. 

"Maybe you should have been a drill sergeant, Jill," I said, hitting the button for the ground floor. "You certainly have the ability to order people around and be strict as hell."

"Katie asked for my help and that's what I'm trying to do. Not all of us get to live with our rich boyfriends," she shot back.

"Jill!" Katie cried, looking offended for me.

"Don't listen to her, she gets cranky when looking at real estate," Leah said, shooting me an apologetic look. Her comment didn't bother me as much as it usually would have; after all, it wasn't like she was wrong. 

"I do not!" 

"Yeah, babe, you do," Leah laughed. "You found us a great place, but it was a bit of a rocky road to get there; lots of late nights online and constant apartment tours and irritation with shady landlords and substandard living conditions. Not to mention, the outdated and ugly interior design."

"Excuse me, but who the hell decided to put carpet in the bathroom and the kitchen? Not only was it ugly as sin, but it should be a serious health code violation," she said with a shudder. "Honestly, some people shouldn't own buildings when they have zero taste."