She pulled up Netflix on the PlayStation and started flipping through the catalog of TV shows. She had never been a big TV fan before, but this was also one of the first times in her life she didn’t have anything to do. Hadley was always at work, and when Garrett was here during the day, he would usually be locked away in his bedroom.
Deciding on the first season of Heroes, Devon kept her phone close by just in case someone decided they wanted to give her a job, and then she vegged out. After she made it all the way through episode two, Garrett made an appearance outside of his bedroom.
“What’s up, Dev?” He pulled out a snack from the fridge and then took a seat next to her.
“Just praying that someone calls me for a job,” she said, turning on episode three. Then, thinking better of it, she offered Garrett the remote. “Do you want to watch something?”
“No, Heroes is fine. Just so you know, the first season is addictive, but the other ones suck. You should probably stop now,” he said.
Devon just shrugged, not having anything better to do. “I think I’ll let myself get sucked in.”
She swallowed hard, hearing herself say that out loud. Wasn’t that always her problem? She always let herself just get sucked in to things, and then she couldn’t or wouldn’t want to find a way out. Even now that she was out of it, she couldn’t believe it had all happened the way it had. She sometimes wondered if Chicago was the dream, and her dreams were reality.
“So, the job search isn’t going so well?” Garrett asked, offering her a carrot from his plate.
“Ugh,” she grumbled, tossing her head back. “It’s the worst possible thing ever. Why do businesses even advertise that they’re hiring if they’re not actually hiring? Or better yet, if they already have someone else in mind, why do they waste your time by setting up an interview with you? It’s total bullshit.”
“That’s the worst. What kind of jobs are you looking into?” he asked sympathetically.
“Everything. Anything. I’ve scoured the newspapers, craigslist, and all over the f**king Internet. I’ve walked up and down the streets, checking for new signs. I think I’m pretty familiar with the landscape now,” she said, half-joking. “There’s just nothing out there. Most places aren’t likely to hire someone they don’t know who doesn’t have a degree. Even a lot of the serving jobs…well, most are full, but they want someone who will be here after the summer. And when they see that I went to Wash U, they don’t believe me when I say I’m not going back to St. Louis for school.”
Devon wasn’t sure where it had all come from. During the last two weeks, she had been so frustrated from trying to a find a job and having no one to talk to. Hadley was avoiding her as much as she could, Garrett was mostly absent, and Brennan was completely out of the picture. It was nice to just talk to someone.
Garrett pursed his lips. He seemed to be contemplating her scenario before speaking. She didn’t know what he was going to say about it, but it couldn’t be worse than what Hadley would likely say.
“I mean, I hate to say it, but it has only been two weeks,” he looked sympathetic.
“I know,” Devon relented. “I just have to pay you rent soon, and I don’t have the money.” She sheepishly looked down.
“Hey,” he said, his hand landing on her knee, “don’t worry about that. I’m sure we can arrange something.”
Devon didn’t know if she should hear the hidden meaning in that or not, but she chose not to. This was Garrett, and he was madly in love with her best friend. There was no way he was insinuating what she thought he was insinuating. To avoid accidentally spilling her thoughts, she didn’t dare open her mouth.
“I’m sure you’ll find a job soon, and in the meantime, feel free to stay as long as you like. I’ve made do without the rent this long, so I think I can manage otherwise. I trust you to pay it back when you actually do get a job. Don’t stress yourself into the ground over it,” he told her, pulling back his hand.
Devon felt like a shitty person. Was she a completely wrong judge of character? Or was she just so used to people being horrible and taking advantage of any situation that she had assumed someone like Garrett could be like that, too?
“Thanks, Garrett,” Devon said. “I appreciate it, but I’m still going to look for work as hard as I can.”
“I’ll see if I know anyone that’s hiring.”
“That would be really helpful,” she told him, breathing a sigh of relief.
They sat back then and enjoyed the next two episodes of Heroes before Garrett had to get ready for work. Devon wanted to be out of the house before Hadley got back anyway. It had been easier like that lately.
ALMOST ANOTHER WEEK with no luck was sending Devon’s already spiraling depression farther down the rabbit hole. Garrett’s search had come back with grim results. No one was hiring. She couldn’t believe it.
How hard was it to find a job in this town? Seriously, it shouldn’t be this difficult, she thought, crossing the street.
May had disappeared so quickly. How had she already been here a month without finding a job? It felt like it was just yesterday when she had pulled up to Union Station with Dustin’s music blasting in her ears. She was amazed she had made it this long. She had never thought she would be strong enough, but here she was. She was still searching for a job, so she could find a way to stay two more months.
The route Devon normally had taken walked past Jenn’s Restaurant, but kept her out of sight. She had been in the city long enough that it would be really strange if she just suddenly showed up there. She and Hadley weren’t all buddy-buddy anymore, so they hadn’t spent their afternoons together in Jenn’s, but Devon knew Hadley still frequented the locale. Devon wasn’t about to force an encounter with Hadley. Devon’s anger hadn’t fizzled, and she didn’t know if she was just that irritated with Hadley’s presence or if it was because of her drug use. She wanted to help, but Hadley wasn’t going to allow her in anytime soon. How could she help if Hadley was avoiding her at every turn?
Devon crossed to the other side of the street, and as she did, she glanced into the windows as she passed Jenn’s. She tried to tell herself she did it to see if Hadley was inside. Devon was pretty good at fooling herself. Sometimes, she had even searched out for the familiar blonde hair, but Hadley had never been there when Devon walked by.