Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

ARCHIE

“What are you gonna do, Arch?” Josiah, my friend and roommate, asked from where he laid beside me on the living room floor.

He’d eased himself down the minute he arrived home to find me here. Josiah knew that floor time meant bad news. Sadly, today’s news was the worst.

“There isn’t much I can do. How was I supposed to know that damn recruiter was going to call my boss when I specifically told her not to?”

My friend winced. “Maybe she thought you were trying to hide something about your job history? You know you can never be too careful about this stuff these days.”

As an avid true crime junkie, Josiah could rattle off the statistics about nearly any illegal activity. He was also more paranoid than anyone else I’d ever met. When I first inquired about the room he had for rent, I was subjected to multiple ‘tests’ to ensure I wasn’t a latent psychopath who’d slit his throat over spilled milk.

His brain was a scary place.

In the three years since we started living together, I’d become used to his random notions. This time though, I felt fury over the suggestion.

“Even so, she couldn’t have given me a heads up or something. Anything to let me know I’d likely get canned because my boss didn’t like me looking for better pay and health insurance.”

Life with a work visa wasn’t sunshine and rainbows like my mother thought it would be. Growing up, she was convinced that I’d be fine as long as I made it to America. Whatever the means, I’d find happiness, success, and love in the land of the free.

The only free thing I’d found was the way people spread germs.

I’ve had to bust my ass day in and day out just to be half as good as the people who were born here. Never mind that I have more experience than them or can do my job fifty times more efficiently. None of that matters in the face of a boss who hates the idea of me even being in this country.

Ugh.

“Enough with the pity party,” I said before Josiah could formulate his next thought. “I need to eat, then make a plan. If not, I’m looking at deportation since my visa is set to renew soon.”

“How soon?”

“Six months. A year. Doesn’t matter if I don’t work.”

Josiah winced, then jumped up to run to his room. I watched him leave as I sat up much slower. No need to rush when I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be.

Guess the pity party wasn’t quite over.

“Let’s get looking,” my friend declared as he came back with his laptop in hand.

I shook my head. “I’ve been looking. I doubt there’s anything new out there. Places that need my skills usually keep people until retirement. Those jobs are too good to give up.”

“Yeah, man. I get that. But I refuse to let you leave. I would have to find another roommate and best friend. What if they’re not the same person next time? I’d have to socialize more.”

His entire body jolted, like the idea of being social made him want to retch. I laughed at the movement, then shifted closer as he put the laptop on the floor in front of us.

“I know you’ve been replying to postings, but have you put your resume in one of those generator things? Companies sometimes use those instead of taking in candidates who apply.”

Frowning, I shook my head. “I didn’t know that. I figured me reaching out directly was the best bet. Besides, it feels weird having all my information in some database.”

Especially when I was close to losing my rights to even be in the country. Would the immigration board have some type of tracker on that? Could I potentially get sent home now since I just got fired?

I needed to look up the rules and regulations immediately. There’s never been a time I was without work since the minute I flew over from my home country. My lack of work now could mean I’d be returning to my mother, two cousins, and stepfather quicker than planned.

The original goal was to get citizenship rights, then go home to visit. I wanted to be a full-fledged American to ensure I wouldn’t have issues going back and forth between the two countries.

I’d heard enough horror stories to know not to risk anything without full status. While I know Josiah would send my belongings and help me if it did come to that, I saw no point in risking my current lifestyle when video calls and texting were a thing.

Josiah bit his lip as he scrolled through the pages of options. “You’re right. There isn’t much here.”

“That’s an understatement,” I bit out.

I wasn’t lying when I told him my job kept people forever. Translators were a dime a dozen here in the states. Sure, I knew more languages than most, but that didn’t make me all that more popular. I could probably land a temporary contract or two.

Unfortunately, those wouldn’t be enough to keep my visa valid.

We scrolled through the options for another half hour before my stomach let out a terrifying noise. Josiah went wide eyed.

“Dude! What kind of demon are you?”

I rolled my eyes at him, then spoke in a slow, guttural voice. “The kind who eats humans for lunch.”

When he dove away from me and took off to the kitchen, I laughed so hard I cried. I only stopped when it started to rain food in the living room. Looking up, I got slapped in the face by a bag of potato chips.

“What the fuck?”

“Eat! Please feed the demons! I won’t taste good,” Josiah wailed.

Knowing I pushed the joke a touch too far, I opened one of the bags and dug in. Within a few seconds, I polished it off and dove for another.

Should I be trying to conserve my spending right now? Yes.

Was I going to stop anytime soon? No.

Eating my feelings wasn’t a new thing. Thank goodness I still had the metabolism of a teenager.

Besides, Josiah had parents who still supported him on his journey to stay in college forever. He was doing online schooling through a small school down south because he didn’t like to attend classes in person. It also gave him the freedom to work at the pho shop he was addicted to.

Part of me suspected the owner’s son was also a big reason he wanted to keep that job. I kept my mouth shut on the topic though. He’d never come out to me, and while he talked to girls occasionally, he never brought any home.

Then again, I hadn’t told him I was gay either. It felt like I was waiting for him to tell me so I could tell him. Was he waiting for me to spill first?

Oh no! Were we in a reverse gay chicken situation?

I was on my third serving of food when he crept around the corner. “Is it safe to come out now? Has the demon been vanquished?”

I grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at him. He didn’t even defend himself. Just let the fabric smack him square in the face.

“I’m going to change the WIFI password again if you don’t quit it,” I told him. “It’s just me. I was hungry. After getting fired, I decided to come straight home to mope. And since the train was running late this morning, I didn’t have time to stop for breakfast and coffee. This is all I’ve had today.”

For some reason, this was the moment I lost it. Tears came lightning fast. I choked out a breath, then covered my face to hide from Josiah’s pitying stare.

“Hey, man. It’s going to be ok. You don’t have to worry about rent or anything for a bit since my parents are taking care of the place. I can float for groceries too. You just focus on getting some work.” His hand rubbed my back, which only made me want to cry harder.

It took a few more minutes for me to calm down. “You’re a good friend, Jo,” I told him once I could speak.

“Nah. Not really. I’m selfish. I want you to stick around. I’d do just about anything to see it happen.” He smacked me on the shoulder. “Now then, let’s get something a bit more suitable in your stomach. We’re going out to dinner. My treat.”

I groaned, though inside, I pranced around like a mad man. Josiah loved food as much as I did. When we ate out, it was never fast food or some street fare. We’d be in one of the classiest, most delicious restaurants in the city.

“Should I change?” I looked down at my rumpled business clothes. They weren’t in the best condition after hours of being on the floor.

He waved me off. “Nope. If they judge you, they’re idiots. You had a rough day. People have to understand that.”

With a quick nod, I stood and followed him out the front door. The job search would have to wait a bit longer. Food came first. Always.