His smile faded when he thought of Lauren. She had been avoiding him at all costs, and he couldn’t figure out what the matter was. Wasn’t it about time for her to forgive him? No matter how many apologies he offered, she wouldn’t drop her grudge.
Meanwhile, Jessica nervously knocked on Lauren’s door before stepping in.
“Hey, Jess. What’s up?” Lauren asked, looking up from the romance novel she was reading.
“I have to talk to you about something,” Jessica said. “And you won’t be too happy.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve pregnancy, I think I can handle it,” Lauren replied.
“My friend, Sarah, asked me to move in with her. She needs a roommate and her apartment is a lot closer to campus,” Jessica said.
“So you’re moving out?” Lauren said calmly. “I’m going to have to find a cheaper place. I can’t afford to live here with Danny.”
“I’m sorry,” Jessica said.
“That’s fine. It’s not your fault. I just wish Mom would have left us some money,” Lauren muttered. “So when are you leaving?”
“In two weeks,” Jessica answered.
“All right. I’ll try to find a new place by then,” Lauren said, ending the conversation. As soon as Jessica left the room, she picked up the phone and dialed Nick’s cell phone number.
“Hey, whassup?” Nick said when he picked up.
“Hi, it’s Lauren,” she said.
“Oh, hey. What do you need?” he asked.
“I have a little situation. Jess is moving out in two weeks, and I can’t pay for this apartment on my own,” Lauren explained.
“Consider it done,” Nick said simply.
“Consider what done?”
“I’ll cover whatever her share of the rent was.”
“No, you can’t do that!” Lauren protested.
“Yes, I can. Why? What were you going to ask me to do?”
“I was going to ask if you could take Danny after Jess moves out, at least until I can find a new place.”
“I can do that, but I’ll still pay part of the rent for you until you can find somewhere else,” Nick insisted.
“I can’t let you-” Lauren started to say. However, it was pointless because Nick had already hung up.
Lauren stood up and stomped into the living room. “Nick insists on paying your part of the rent,” she muttered to Jessica.
“Why is that such a bad thing?” Jessica asked, keeping her eyes on the TV screen.
“I can’t let him do that for me! I mean, if it weren’t for Danny, we wouldn’t even be friends!”
“Lauren! Get a grip!” Jessica exclaimed. “He’s the father of your child who wasn’t here for the first two years to help you raise his son. He owes you big time. Just let him pay!”
“All right, fine,” Lauren said, defeated.