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Ruby shakes her head and hands me back the paper. “But I don’t live there.”

I pause while putting the paper back into my pocket. “What?”

“I moved out. Months ago.” She says it with a shrug, as if that explains it all.

“You what?”

“Didn’t your sister tell you?” She looks at Reina, who’s still playing tonsil hockey, before looking back at me with a confused expression that I’m sure matches my own. “She took over my lease when I moved in with Koop. I even gave her my key.”

The world seems to stop with her words. I feel it all slowing down, enough that I can see everyone else talking. Smiling, laughing, telling jokes. They’re all so happy. And my world just exploded. Yet again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Another shrug. I fucking hate that move. It’s something you do when you don’t care. When there’s no emotion behind what you say before you say it. “Your sister said she would tell you.” She gestures to the woman who just keeps fucking up my life.

I glare at Reina. She might not see me, but I know she can feel my eyes on the back of her head. All the things she’s ever done to me are coming to mind. Piling up and up, like a dump truck dropping another fresh load of shit.

“Stop calling her my sister. She isn’t my sister.” My teeth grind together as I speak between them.

“Ooh-kay.” Ruby looks back at her man with raised eyebrows, as if I’m the crazy person here. And maybe I am. Thinking I could come talk to my friend and have her on my side over my stepsister.

“And no.” I shake my head with a snort as I look away from Reina, focusing on the person I thought I knew. But now I can see I don’t. Ruby isn’t the same person I thought she was. Kind of funny, since I was never the person she thought I was. “She never told me about the roommate swap. And I doubt you explained the half-rent thing to her, which explains the eviction notice. So glad we’re all communicating and shit.” I throw my arms up, frustrated with all of this.

“This” being my entire life. A sad fucking life.

Kooper snorts, drawing my eye, and I see his eyes roll.

I’m too pissed off to curb myself. The quiet, mousy Natalie I showed to these people is no longer. The one I kept hidden, the person I tried not to be, is coming out. The mouthy one. The one who questions people.

I haven’t been her since I was in elementary school and thought I could have a choice, a life of my own. I was wrong. So I became this. This thing of a person who’s seen but rarely heard from. It’s served its purpose. People overlook me. Something I needed growing up, and something I thought I needed to keep my head down.

But what good has it done for me in the end? Not a goddamn thing.

“Something funny, Kooper?”

His eyes find mine and narrow at the challenge in my tone. But like a typical biker, he doesn’t back down. “Yeah, the words coming out of your mouth.”

“Really?” I’m quick with my sass, and I know my response has pulled the attention of a few more people. We’ve slowly become the main attraction since I showed up, and each word I speak, each time I challenge anyone and don’t just cower, another person sees me and starts questioning what they know about me.

News flash: No one knows shit. Least of all Reina.

“Yup.” He stays sitting, as if he doesn’t give a shit what I have to say. It’s a power play move, and on others, it might work. Not me. Not now. “You keep saying one thing, and she says another. It’s comical.”

“Who?” I ask, but I already know what he’s going to say.

“Your sister. That’s who. You claim not to have family.”

“I don’t.”

“And yet there she sits.” He points but doesn’t look. Neither do I. “So tell me, Natalie, who’s that?”

“A person. Not family. Figured you of all people would get that. She’s a person. She’s not blood. Even if she were, I would never claim her.” I look around, seeing everyone staring at us. “But I guess you’re right. It is funny. Funny how this place is all about building a family and keeping secrets, but the second I don’t spill my guts, I’m deemed untrustworthy. Not connected, right? An outsider for life?”

I wait a beat, let my rage build, hoping it’ll just simmer. Keep me from going hot and ready to talk shit out. But I can’t contain it. Not after I see Ruby of all people roll her eyes as well.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I yell.

The entire place falls silent. They might see me as a crazy person, but all I see is red. I look back at the one person I came here for. The one I stood tall by and was happy to defend. “What the hell, Ruby?” My anger is too high to let any bit of sorrow drip into my voice.