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As I reach the top of the stairs, I can already see the yellow sheet of paper sticking out of the door. Curious, I open it before going inside.

“Fuck,” I can’t help but say out loud as I read the eviction notice.

Yeah, van life is looking pretty sweet right about now.

The guy at the gate knows me. Well, not my name. I doubt many know me as anything but “Ruby’s roommate.” But the prospect has seen me around enough to just nod and let me in once the Uber driver drops me off.

I know I shouldn’t be here. Ruby made it very clear that the clubhouse isn’t for randoms to just come knocking. Civilians, those outside the club like me, aren’t welcome here unless they’re invited. And I was never invited. Not really. I’ve been here a handful of times, but only because Ruby was coming. I only ever spoke to her and one other girl who became an old lady. Her name was Milly or Brooklyn or something. Everyone here has two names: a club name and a legal one. When does a person go by one or the other? Who knows?

Based on the number of cars and bikes in front of the building, I’m hoping luck is on my side right now. Once I read the eviction notice, I called Ruby. Five times. No answer. I texted. Even emailed. I didn’t want to tell her we’re being evicted through a text message, so I begged her to just call me and even said it was a 911 emergency.

Still nothing.

Showing up at the clubhouse is a last resort. I don’t know where she’s been staying, but I’m hoping someone will tell me. Or at least give her the message to actually call me so we can talk.

Despite what the vehicles out front say, the clubhouse is pretty empty inside when I push my way through the heavy front door. A few people are playing pool, and a couple are sitting around. I don’t see anyone too familiar, just vaguely enough to get a nod from the person behind the bar who’s cleaning a glass.

“Is Ruby around?” I’m looking at the bartender, but I say it loud enough for anyone to hear me.

“Out back” is all I get from the bartender, plus another nod to the back doors.

“Thanks.” I nod once back and go where he directed, finding a backyard filled with all the people I was expecting to see in the clubhouse.

Must be a barbecue or something. A family thing. Something Ruby mentioned but I never went to. I get it. This was her place, not mine.

But what hurts the most, other than knowing I was never welcomed here, is seeing Reina. She’s snuggled on the lap of one of the brothers and sitting by Ruby.

Of everyone here, Ruby chose to sit by her?

I swallow the emotions that bubble up my throat and force my face not to show a reaction.

But it hurts. More than a lot of other things I’ve dealt with in my life.

I should just walk away. Forget this, forget I ever saw them all together, forget about the eviction and just van-life it up.

But I don’t.

I might not owe Ruby anything, but it’s the right thing to tell her.

“Hey,” I say once I get close to the group.

“What are you doing here?” Ruby is quick to ask but doesn’t get up from her seat.

I should have planned for it, but I didn’t, and it’s not the response I was thinking I’d get. Or was hoping for.

Doing this in private might be better, as I note the number of people staring at me. Not Reina, though. No, she’s tongue-deep inside the brother’s mouth, and he’s moaning just loud enough to be obnoxious.

“Um, I tried calling and texting. You didn’t answer.”

“So?”

I don’t hide the hurt on my face at Ruby’s one-word reply. It’s not cold, just distant. As if we were just classmates and not roommates who shared everything for so long.

“So.” I pull out the paper from my back pocket and hold it out to her. “We got an eviction notice. I know you haven’t been back to the apartment in a while, but I wanted to let you know.”

Now she’s standing, walking to me and taking the paper. A small sense of relief floods me as she questions me. “Eviction?”

“Yeah. The landlord said he wasn’t getting the full rent. I just wanted to check with you before I went to the police about him lying or something.” It wouldn’t be the first time our landlord tried a stunt like that.