My Sister Paid My Landlord $500 to Push Me Out Aft…

I held a box of books for a second, then put it back down because it was too heavy and I did not have the space or the strength. I told myself I would replace them later, even though part of me knew that was a lie people tell themselves to stay calm. When the trunk was nearly full, I sat in the driver’s seat and stared at the steering wheel until my vision blurred.

I was not crying in a dramatic way. It was more like my body was releasing stress because it did not know where else to put it. I drove to a larger lot a few miles away, somewhere I thought I could park without drawing attention.

I spent the afternoon inside the car making lists I could not afford to complete. Find a job. Find a room.

Find a way to get money fast without making a decision that would follow me forever. My phone battery was low from all the calls I had made, and I kept dimming the screen to stretch it. Night came early in the way it always does when you are watching the clock instead of living your life.