While he debated on whether or not to go home, the metal door flew up with a rumble and Sindy faced him with a garbage bag in her hand, wearing fuzzy slippers and lounge pants. She let out a small gasp and her cheeks turned crimson.
“Lucas. What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you hear me calling—” He looked past her and into the storage unit. There were open boxes with clothing hanging over the sides. Her waitress uniform hung on a hook on the wall. A blow-up mattress, covered in blankets, sat on the floor in the corner next to her guitar case. A queasy feeling settled in his stomach as he took it all in, refusing to believe what he knew to be true. “Are you living here?”
Tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks in long wet streaks. Her mouth started to quiver and then her lips drew back into a horrible grimace. She dropped the plastic garbage bag and covered her face to hide her sobs as she pulled on the handle to the metal door.
He stood there, startled and bewildered, and watched the metal door fall to the ground like a guillotine. “Sindy!” He pounded on the door, sending a loud metallic clang echoing throughout the hallway. “Open the door. What’s going on?”
She sniffled. “Go away, Lucas. Leave me alone.”
“No. I’m not playing games. Let me in.” He wasn’t going to leave her here like this. It was inhumane. No one deserved to sleep in a storage unit. “Open the door.”
“No. Go home!”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. Open the door.” He pounded on it with his fist again.
The door flung upwards as quickly as it had shut, and she pulled him inside by his T-shirt. “Be quiet before someone hears you.”
As she pulled the door down, sealing them inside, Lucas looked around the small 10-by-10 room. Boxes were everywhere. A floor lamp fed into an outlet on the wall. A laptop sat on a desk nestled between more boxes. There was a table and chairs pushed against a wall, covered in even more boxes, with only a small space cleared to use its surface. A nightstand, with a cooler on top, stood next to the mattress. Each time his eyes darted to something else, his heart plummeted. How could she live like this? There was no running water. No bathroom.
“I’m living here. OK?” Sindy admitted through her tears. “Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“No.” He placed his hand on her arm, tenderly, to comfort her, but she brushed it off and walked a few steps away.
She turned back to him, wiping her eyes. “I got evicted. I’m trying to get a place, but it’s expensive. First month’s rent, last month’s rent, plus a security deposit. I’m saving as much as I can, as fast as I can.”
“When?” He looked around the small space, which was about the size of his shower. “How long have you been living like this?”
She wiped her face again and took a deep breath. “About two months. I slept in my car at first, but it got too cold. I’d rather stay here, where there’s shelter. And electricity.”
His chest ached at her misfortune. They may have had differences of opinion and arguments in the past, but he would never have turned his back on her if she needed help. He lived in a frigging mansion, for Christ’s sake! “You can’t stay here, Sindy.”
“Leave me alone, Lucas. Why do you care anyway?”
“I care about you. I’m not going to let you live in a storage unit. You’re coming home with me.”
“I don’t need your pity or your charity. I’m fine here. I have my things. I have a phone. My car. I have a ten-dollar gym membership so I can shower, and I get meals at the diner.” Her face twisted into a painful frown. “Now you know the truth. So I’ll just go back to my life and you can go back to yours, and you don’t ever have to see me again.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I know how it is. I’m not band material. I’m just a homeless girl struggling to make ends meet. A vagrant. A vagabond.”
“You’re going through a hard time. That’s all this is. It doesn’t mean I don’t want you in Prodigy.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not an asshole. You’re talented. We may disagree on things a lot of the time, but I want you in my band.”
Fresh tears brimmed on her lower lids, waiting to fall.
“And I’m not letting you sleep in a storage bin. Get dressed.”
“You don’t even know me, Lucas. Why do you want to help me?”
“Because you’re a human being.” He couldn’t believe that she thought he didn’t care or that he could be so cold-hearted. “Because you’re my bandmate. Because you’re my friend. And I do know you. Or I’m trying to get to know you better, at least.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t need your pity.” Thick tears cascaded down her cheeks in droves, one after the other. “Just leave me alone.” She pulled up the door with surprising force and tried to push him into the hallway. “Go home.”
She was upset and needed to calm down, so he held his ground and refused to move. “I’m not leaving without you.” He took hold of her arms so she’d stop trying to push him out of the room, which made her more hysterical.
“Don’t touch me! Just leave!” She picked up the floor lamp, pulling it out of the socket and extinguishing the only light in the room, and waved it menacingly at him. “Go home and forget about me!”
Startled, Lucas took a few steps backwards, and she slammed the door down with a loud bang. “Sindy, open the door. C’mon. You’re being ridiculous. Calm down and open the door.”
“Go away.”
A clanging noise, which sounded like a padlock or deadbolt being slid into place, came from within the storage unit, and then she turned up the music loud enough to drown out his voice. He didn’t know what else to do, so he went home and told Tessa what happened.
Tessa clutched her hand to her chest. “Oh my God! That poor girl. She has no family. Nothing. And she’s living like that? We have to help her!”
“I know. But she doesn’t want my help. That’s why you have to talk to her.”
Without saying anything else, Tessa grabbed her handbag and flew out of the house.
Sindy threw herself down on her makeshift bed and sobbed into her pillow. She’d never been so humiliated in her life. This was an all-time low for her. Of all people, Lucas Blade had to find out she was homeless, living in a fucking self-storage unit. What had become of her? How had this happened? She had such big plans for her future. She thought by moving to New York she’d have opportunities that she didn’t have in the impoverished section of Baltimore. But all she had was a meaningless job as a waitress, which didn’t even pay the rent.
Just when she thought her big break had come by way of a promising band, so close she could reach out and touch it, the whole thing blew up in her face. She hated feeling sorry for herself and refused to let toxic thoughts pull her back down into the gutter. Shoulders back, she resurrected the brick wall around her heart, reinstalling all of her defenses, and stood tall. Frustrated that everything went to shit just as they were looking up, her self-pity turned to anger. She paced the small, cluttered space and stubbed her toe on one of the end tables that were jammed against the wall. “Fuck!” She got so mad she kicked it, stumbled and fell onto the blowup mattress. It was so comical, like a slap-stick skit on a B-rated comedy, that she laughed. But her laughter quickly morphed into a series of harsh sobs. She hated herself for crying, but the circumstances were too much to bear. She had nothing. No one. The daily struggle to survive took its toll on her, and she wept – hard. With her tears, she let out all of the despair and hopelessness that filled every cell in her body with worry. After her pillow was soaked with a myriad of tears and her chest hurt from heaving, there didn’t seem to be anything left inside of her. She was empty.
With her vision clear and no longer blurred, she lay on the mattress and stared at the wall thinking of nothing. Eventually, she wiped her face and sat up. She’d get through this, just like she’d overc
ome all of the other obstacles in her life, and she’d come out stronger for it. She was the poster child for the slogan, “Whatever Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger”.
She had deadbeat parents who cared more about getting high than anything else. They didn’t even balk when she said she was leaving the state. She’d only spoken to them three times since she’d left a year ago, all at her initiative. Each time, they had never asked if she was OK or if she needed anything. They only asked if she had any money to send them. She didn’t care about them anymore. She’d claw her way to the top, once again, or at least out of this hell hole that was her life at the moment.
Her phone rang, and she felt as if all of the blood drained from her body. Fucking Lucas. What the hell was she going to do? Too embarrassed, she didn’t want to talk to him. He said he still wanted her in the band, but she didn’t believe him. Angel Garcia was never going to sign off on giving a homeless person a recording contract. She didn’t care about the contract. She’d work for free if they’d let her play in Prodigy. Her determination always pulled her from the rubble, and she felt better about her future. She’d never give up hope.
The ringing phone still cut through the room and she reached for it, fully prepared to tell Lucas to leave her alone tonight. Tomorrow they’d discuss how to move forward. But it was Tessa’s name on the display screen, and Sindy’s inner turmoil settled. Tessa was her best friend – the only real friend she’s had in a long time – and she couldn’t blow her off. “Hi,” she said meekly.
“I’m outside the front gate. Please let me in so we can talk.”
The humiliation burned Sindy’s cheeks again. “No. I don’t want you to see—”
“Sindy, you’re my friend. Did you ever hear me pass judgment on anyone? I wasn’t raised that way. Please let me—someone opened the gate. I’m coming.”
A breath left Sindy’s lungs and deflated her. “Please don’t.”
“It’s too late. I’m on my way.”
“You’re as stubborn as your brother.”
Tessa laughed softly. “Damn right. I see the door to the hallway. I’ll be there in a second.”
“Fine.” Sindy opened the roll-up door and peered into the corridor, waiting with her heart in her throat.
“Come on. Get your stuff.” Tessa waved her hand, as if they were headed out for the evening and Sindy only needed to grab her handbag and a jacket. When Sindy didn’t make a move to invite her inside, Tessa exhaled. “We can’t stay out here in the hallway.”
She was right. The commotion could cause trouble. Not many people visited their storage units late at night, and there had already been too much commotion tonight. She couldn’t risk losing her storage unit because then she’d be back to living in her car. She lowered her head and motioned for Tessa to follow her inside the unit.
Tessa looked around the tiny room, and Sindy saw compassion in her friend’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me? We’re friends. You don’t have to keep secrets from me.”
The sweetness and empathy in Tessa’s voice made all of Sindy’s defenses fall. The steel rod that supported her spine turned as weak as a wilted tulip, and she crumbled onto the mattress.
Tessa sat next to Sindy and put her arm around her. “Please don’t cry. Everyone goes through hard times.”
This, from a girl who grew up in a three-room suite in her own private wing of a multi-million-dollar mansion with a full recording studio in the basement.
“Come on.” Tessa squeezed Sindy’s shoulder. “You’re stronger than this. You’re a modern woman ready and able to handle whatever the world throws at you. Things don’t get to women like us. We persevere and rise up. We push through.” She stood and looked around the room. “You actually fixed this place up really cute.”
Sindy let out a short ironic laugh. “Please, Tessa.”
“I’m serious. I thought you’d be sandwiched in the middle of a bunch of boxes, but it just looks like a studio apartment.”
Sindy gave her friend a look as if to ask, are you kidding me?
“Have you seen a Manhattan studio apartment? You’d pay three grand a month for something this size. You set it up really cozy. You got a TV over there. A bed over here. End tables. A little work space over there with a desk and laptop. And neatly stacked boxes.” Tessa looked around again. “Where’s the rest of your furniture?”
God, the shame. It just kept coming in waves. Just when Sindy was feeling a little bit better, it crashed down on her and knocked her over the head again. “I had to sell it. I’m trying to save up enough to put down on an apartment. They’re so expensive. I—” She wasn’t going to talk money. She knew Tessa would offer to give her a loan, and she wasn’t taking one cent from her friend. “I thought the most important thing was to get the apartment. I can sleep on the air mattress for now.”
The optimism in Tessa’s eyes turned to sadness and shock in an instant. “You had to sell your bed?”
“It was a sleeper sofa. I sold it for $500. I couldn’t pass up the money. I’ve been working extra shifts at the diner and making a decent amount playing in the coffee house and on the beach.”
Tessa nodded with reassurance. “You have a lot of drive and determination.”
“I’m hopeful, Tessa. Just embarrassed.” She covered her face with her hands, the humiliation washing over her once more. “And Lucas, of all people, had to find me. Now he’s really going to think I’m nothing but trouble.”
Tessa tilted her head and her dark hair fell into her eyes. “Why would you think that about Lucas? He’d never judge anyone.”
It was an automatic assumption. Sindy was used to people like him, with money, talent, education and opportunity, looking down on someone like her who grew up in the projects. Maybe she was being unfair to him. There were many sides to Lucas Blade. At first, she thought him arrogant and conceited. But, recently, he proved to be genuine and humble.
“It’s late, Sindy. Pack a bag and come to my house and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we’ll figure out what to do.”
“There’s nothing to figure out. I have a plan.”
“No. I’m not leaving you here. I’m not going to abandon a friend in need. What kind of person do you think I am?”
Genuine. Honest. Admirable. Kind. Generous. That was the kind of person Tessa was. Her benevolence made tears fill Sindy’s eyes again. She nodded, fearing her voice would quiver if she spoke. She’d take her friend up on the offer of a place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow, she’d figure something out.
Sindy stepped quietly as she walked through the mansion and up to Tessa’s suite, silently praying she didn’t run into anyone. Seeing Lucas again would be bad enough, but if she ran into any of Tessa’s parents, and they knew her situation, she’d be mortified. Plus, she was still wearing the lounge pants she slept in, although a hoodie covered her tank top. She dropped her bag at her feet and sat on the couch in Tessa’s suite, self-conscious about staying there. With her hands between her knees, she couldn’t believe Tessa talked her into it.
“The couch opens,” Tessa said.
“It’s OK. I can sleep on it like this.”
Tessa slipped into the bedroom and returned with a stack of sheets, a blanket and a pillow.
“Don’t make a fuss, Tessa. I don’t need all that.”
“Sure you do. Lucas and Mason sit on that couch. You don’t want to put your face where their asses have been.”
A smile broke through Sindy’s lips, and she immediately relaxed. “Thank you. You’ve been a really good friend to me. You’re my best friend.”
“Oh, Sindy.” Tessa put the linens down and squeezed Sindy’s hand. “You’re my best friend, too. We have so many things in common. We’re passionate about the same things. We share something special.”
That damn lump of emotion returned to Sindy’s throat and almost choked her. This girl, who had everything she ever wanted, everything in the world, thought they had many things in common. She reached out and hugged Tessa,
squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to hold in the tears.
Tessa patted her back softly. “Get some sleep. You look exhausted.”
Zapped of energy, Sindy let out a long breath. “This whole thing beat me up.” She dropped her head into her chest. “I still can’t believe Lucas found me there.”
“Stop saying that. There’s no judgment from us. Just because we grew up with all this fancy stuff doesn’t mean we think we’re better than anybody else. My dad taught us the value of a dollar. He’s not frivolous. My papi is the one who’s extravagant. My dad and my mom struggled when they first got married. They lived paycheck to paycheck. Believe me, I heard all the stories about how my mom dropped out of college to support them while my dad pursued his musical career. Then she had to go back and get her degree. It was another reason why me and my brother had to finish college before pursuing a career in music.”
Sindy knew that Tessa and Lucas weren’t spoiled rich kids right away, never flaunting their wealth or their famous family. But the vast difference in their economic status was still intimidating. And embarrassing.
Tessa slapped her hands on her thighs and stood. “I’m going to bed. Help yourself to anything in the kitchenette and don’t worry about passing through my bedroom to get to the bathroom. I’m going to keep my TV on for a while, but I’ll keep it low in case you want to watch TV out here.”
LUCAS BLADE: Radical Rock Stars: Next Generation Duet Book 1 Page 10
