Listen to hate u love u, Olivia O'Brien.

It'd been a month since Chloe left and she'd been somewhat busy the entire time. I didn't know if it was because I missed her or if it was because she was having too much fun to reply to my texts and phone calls. I had convinced myself to give her enough space and not interfere with her much-deserved vacation. I wanted her to have enough fun and leave all the pain behind. I hope she doesn't get too comfortable and extend her vacation, it was starting to get lonely in the apartment. I was really missing my best friend, there was only so away time a person can handle.

I sighed as I drove around the Hospital parking lot for the third time, looking for a parking space. My clinical starts in ten minutes. The long drive to my clinical site didn't wipe the sleep off my eyes.

"Do you guys have to make my morning more miserable? " I cried, speaking to everyone and anyone.

I accidentally threw my alarm clock across the room this morning, I swear my only intention was to turn the damn thing off with my eyes still closed but I ended up hitting it so hard it flew across the room and broke.

Today was one of those days you feel like screaming and crying but for no absolute reason.

The good news was, I could finally drive around without looking over my shoulder for the police. I got my license back after I promised to be a good driver with my fingers crossed... well, and I took the re-test. I stopped the car when I saw a yellow Jeep pulling out of a decent-looking spot, I waited until the car was gone. I parked my car before checking my hair in the mirror. I used my scrunchie to pack my hair back and applied some lip gloss. I grabbed my tote bag packed with essentials for clinical and some snacks for later. I grabbed my ID card and locked the car. I took a sip from my coffee, it was almost six am and I wasn't looking forward to today's clinical.

"Are you okay?" Janiya asked as I slumped next to her in the room we usually waited for our clinical instructor.

"I'm not a morning person," I sighed and she laughed softly. "Nice necklace," I told her, unable to take my eyes off the beautiful piece of jewelry that looked too good on her light brown skin.

"Thanks, it was the last one in the store." Janiya giggled, lifting her hand up to touch the piece of jewelry.

"I can't wait to graduate," Morakot sighed sitting next to me with her big water bottle she barely drinks from. I nodded at her words as we shared a hug. She was the sweetest person I'd ever met; we became instant friends on the first day of clinical. She was from Thailand.

We conversed for a while before our clinical instructor showed up and everyone quickly prepared for a stressful, long and frustrating day to be slaves to the nurses.

Wednesday, I had a shift at the cafe. I went to the changing room and slipped on a white pair of jeans and my work T-shirt. I glared at the mirror when I looked at myself. I looked simply trashy.

I waved at Xavier as I took charge behind the counter. Thirty minutes went by of customer greetings and fulfilling requests and Becca was still not here. I served more customers and stared at cute guys that walked down the sidewalk outside the cafe. That was the only good thing about this place, attractive guys basically owned this street.

Just when I thought Becca wasn't going to show up today, she sashayed into the cafe in transparent designer heels, a pair of blue jeans, and a small top that only clothed her boobs. She looked like she was coming from a photo shoot.

She smiled at me as she took off her Dolce and Gabbana sunshades. She told me sorry as she ran to the changing room.

"Sorry, I had some credit card issues at the mall but is all sorted," Becca told me when she joined me behind the counter.

"You were shopping?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I change my wardrobe every month, September is already coming to an end. I need to get the latest winter collection before it's too late."

"So what do you do with the clothes you don't need anymore?"

"Goodwill, I'm not that inconsiderate, Belv," Becca said and rolled her eyes.

The doorbell rang indicating a new customer. I smiled when I saw Janiya, she looked more excited to see me for some reason.

"Hey, girl." Janiya chimed leaning on the countertop.

"Hey, are you done for the day?" I asked leaning on the countertop too.

"Yeah."

"What would you like?" Becca asked her sweetly.

"small Iced vanilla latte, please."

"There is a party tonight at my friend's lakehouse, wanna come?" Janiya asked me as she scrolled through her phone.

"I will pass," I told her with a frown. I haven't been to any college party since I ended up at the hospital for drinking too much alcohol, my body couldn't take it. I remember it was my first college party and Chloe couldn't come so I was stuck with Grey who was her then-boyfriend.

I left to clean up some tables. When I returned, Becca and Janiya were giggling and talking like they'd known each other for years. Janiya showed her something on her phone and Becca's eyes grew wide.

"Those boots are calling my name, I'm going to order them right now," Becca said, reaching for her phone.

I wasn't surprised they were bonding over a pair of knee-length boots. Janiya was actually good at making conversation with strangers, that was her only talent I envied.

"Hey, do you guys wanna come over to my place for a swim?" Becca asked idly as she scrolled through her phone.

"We get off in four hours," I told her.

"Are you coming or not?" she inquired, looking away from her phone to stare at me.

"I'm in," Janiya said chirpily.

"Fine, I'm in but it will be late by the time we get off work." I pointed out.

"Leave it to me, I got it handled," Becca told me with a mischievous grin and walked toward the manager's office.

"I like her," Janiya giggled. Becca returned a few minutes later with a victorious smile.

"Get your ass up ladies, we are going swimming," Becca said in a hushed tone.

"What did you do?"

"I will tell you when we are out of here," Becca said and left to change her clothes.

I ran into Seth, our manager, on my way to change my clothes. His forehead was creased with worry and his hands rubbed together feverishly.

"I heard about the rat infestation, you can put up the closed sign before more customers come in. I will handle the issue and let everyone know when to return to work." Seth said briskly and walked past me.

I was lost for words as I watched him. I found Becca in the change room re-doing her make-up and humming to some song I already disliked.

"You lied about the rats?" I asked as I changed back into my sweats.

"Is that what you wore to school? Jeez, you look like you got dumped." Becca said, eyeing my sweatpants and Henley t-shirt.

"Seriously? Did you have to lie?"

"What? It's not like more customers are coming. Let's go." She put on her sunglasses and blew me a kiss. I shook my head as I trailed behind her, to be honest deep, deep down, I was smiling.

We each took our own cars, Janiya and I followed Becca behind her red convertible packed with shopping bags in the back and front seat.

Becca's penthouse was far from what I imagined. Her place was stunning, I tried not to stare too much as we entered the building at the rooftop. The large outdoor space with a small garden took my breath away from the luxurious interior designs and expensive furniture. How could she afford this place if her parents cut her off?

"Go ahead my loves, feel at home," Becca said and headed for the short stairs leading upstairs with her shopping bags she struggled with. Three cute puppies ran to my feet and nuzzled my legs.

"Lola, Lulu, and Lyla," I read each of the puppies' tags.

"This place is sick, this is my dream apartment once I get my first RN paycheck," Janiya said, already taking selfies.

I walked to the wine cellar and looked for something to drink but none caught my eye. I went for an orange juice instead and walked outside to admire the view. Her enormous swimming pool had a jacuzzi installed in the middle.

I walked to the thick glass panel outlining the deck and protecting anyone from falling off the rooftop to their death. I inhaled the warm air and watched as the sun rose above the horizon creating a beautiful glow that made the city look like something out of a fairytale.

Janiya called me, ruining the peaceful moment I was having with nature. I frowned and went back into the building. Becca showed us some bikinis and swimsuits that still had their expensive price tag, she told us she had not used any of them.

I picked a red swimsuit and changed into it, it was a one-shoulder swimsuit cut out at the front which showed off my stomach and a small part of my waist. Janiya went for a striped two-piece bikini that showed off the stretch marks around her hips, she admired her body in the tall mirror and smiled.

"Let's go have some girl time," Becca announced walking past us in her black bikini that showed off her small butt.

We spent almost an hour in the pool just talking about growing up and college life. Becca got tired and basked in the sun with her shades on and eyes closed, I helped Janiya take more photos and asked her to take just one picture of me staring ahead with my body stretched, pushing out my small hips so she could get a good view of my hips and abs.

I posted it on Instagram and muted my phone as the notifications kept coming. I joined Becca to enjoy the sun on my warm skin.

"Why are people so mean?" Janiya groaned as she stared at something on her phone.

"It's a harsh world, sweetie," Becca sighed beside me. I couldn't agree more with her on that statement.

"Belvina?" Janiya called.

"Yeah?" I sat up to face her in the sun lounge.

"A verified account just commented on your post, you didn't tell me a celebrity is following you." Janiya gasped.

"Who is it?" Becca asked quickly.

"Adrian Parker, almost 8 million followers. Who is Adrian Parker?" Janiya asked and they both turned to look at me, waiting for details.

"I don't know, probably a stalker," I said and stood up from my seat to go inside for a refill of my orange juice.

"You mean a hot stalker, I'm going to follow him and send him a message. Your loss, baby." Janiya said and I rolled my eyes.

"What was his name again?" Becca asked, picking up her phone.

I shook my head and entered the house. I haven't spoken to Adrian in weeks or seen him, not like I care. He's been commenting on every of my post but nothing more, I thought he would keep showing up at my place and making excuses for coming; like I said it was none of my concern.

I ran my fingers through my wet curls as I approached the kitchen, suddenly someone grabbed me from behind. I got into a defensive mood and hit the person with the glass cup in my hand. I turned around and saw a shirtless guy with bright blonde hair, the glass cup broke on his head. His eyes drained of color as he stared at me, soon he was falling to the ground.

I screamed when his body reached the floor like a lifeless being. Becca and Janiya rushed into the penthouse looking alarmed.

"Oh my God, I think I killed him." I panicked.

Janiya squatted next to his body and checked his pulse. "He is still breathing," Janiya told me and stood up.

"Why would you try to murder my boyfriend?" Becca asked me with a dark look.

"He grabbed me from behind, I thought he was an intruder and tried to defend myself," I explained.

"I'm calling 911," Becca said with a shaky voice.

"Wait," Janiya stopped her before she could dial the number and went to the kitchen. She got a glass of cold water and came to pour it on Becca's boyfriend. He sprung up with a gasp making all of us jump.

"Nash," Becca sighed in relief and went to hug him. He massaged the spot I had hit him in the head and looked at me.

"I thought she was you," Nash said a bit disorientated as he sat up.

Sure, Becca and I had almost the same body size but she was more light-skin than I was.

"Sorry, I freaked out when you touched me," I apologized. "I think I have had enough fun for today, I'm leaving," I said with a small smile.

"Don't go, it was nothing serious." Becca pouted.

"I have a test tomorrow, sorry. I will see you at work on Friday."

"Okay, darling. " Becca stood up and came to give me a hug.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come to the party?" Janiya asked me after giving me a hug.

"Yes," I replied and went to change back into my sweats and Crocs.

I was hungry by the time I got home from Becca's place. I realized I only had a few bagels and orange juice today. I changed into a sport short and a bralette and entered the kitchen to make chicken Alfredo. I was jamming to my playlist while I cooked, shaking my hips when I couldn't resist the rhythm. I don't know if I imagined it but a small form ran across the living room to under the couch. I paused the music and grabbed my spatula, my heart beating faster than normal. I prayed it wasn't my greatest fear. I saw it run from under the couch toward the kitchen. I screamed and climbed onto the kitchen island, knocking my bowl of pasta to the floor in the process.

It was a fucking rat.

I didn't care how grown I was, I will forever be terrified of those small invaders. You could get me to do anything you wanted if you threaten me with a rat. I wasn't sure I'll be getting off this island today till someone kill that rat and show it to me. My Dad wasn't here to kill it as he always did.

"Ay dos mio," I mumbled, looking around for the rat. I could feel the sweat on my forehead and my hands shaking.

"Go away," I said, hitting the counter with the spatula, hoping the sound would scare the rat away. I screamed when I saw it run toward the living room. There was no way I was getting off this island or sleeping in this apartment tonight. I grabbed my phone to see if I can call my dad to come over and help but I changed my mind to call someone else considering my dad's health.

I pushed my pride away and made the call. He picked on the second ring, I was quiet after I heard his voice.

"Vixen?" he called when I remained quiet.

"Hey, asshole," I said and I heard him laugh.

"Did you mistakenly dial my number or you missed me?"

"None of the above. Can you come over? I...I need help with something."

"Sure, I will be there in ten minutes." He said without asking what it could be.

"Great, get me some Paquin tortilla chips on your way, please. Bye!"

I said quickly and hung up. That was easier than I expected.

"Now we wait," I said to myself, sitting down on the island. I looked down at my little piece of clothing, contemplating coming down from the island to wear something decent before Adrian arrives but decided against it as the rat appeared again.