MY BEST FRIENDS SISTER

EVERYTHING'S GONE

ETHANS POV

I barely slept at all that night. I’d keep waking up every hour, my eyes always finding that eviction notice on the table.

Alexa was a mess the whole night, crying and yelling, like I was the reason the world was falling apart. She called me names, blamed me for everything, and told me over and over she was done, that she’d leave. But then, after all the fighting, she just flopped on the couch, glued to her phone, scrolling through t****k as if nothing was happening, as if the world wasn’t crashing in around us.

I sat on the floor most of the night. I didn’t pack a single thing. I stared at the wall, feeling empty inside, like someone had just taken everything out of me and left nothing behind. Every sound felt too loud. Even the clock ticking made my head hurt. I didn’t know what to do. I felt useless, like no matter what I tried, I’d already lost.

When the sun finally started to come up, I was still sitting there, same spot, same thoughts. My legs were numb. My head was heavy. I could hear Alexa snoring a little on the couch, and for a second I wanted to wake her up and say sorry again, but I knew it wouldn’t help. She was angry and scared, and so was I.

Right at nine o’clock, there was a loud banging on the door, three hard knocks, just like yesterday. It made me jump. Alexa woke up with a start, rubbing her eyes and looking around like she didn’t know where she was.

“Who the hell is banging like that?” she snapped, looking at me like it was my fault.

I already knew what it meant. I didn’t even try to pretend or hide. I just got up, walked to the door, and opened it. There they were again: three men in uniforms. Same faces as before, except their faces weren’t really friendly at all. Just cold, hard looks. No feeling, no kindness. Just people doing their job.

The man in front looked straight at me. “Ethan Collins. Your 24 hours are up. You need to leave the property now.”

I tried to speak, but my throat felt tight. “Please. Just a little more time. I just need a day. Even a few hours. I’m begging you, please let me figure something out”

He shook his head, not even blinking. “No extensions. Pack what you can carry. You’re trespassing now.”

That word hit me hard. Trespassing. In my own house. The house I’d worked so hard for. It didn’t even feel real.

Alexa stared at me. “Wait, what do you mean? Today? They’re throwing us out today?”like she wasn't there when they handed me the eviction notice.

I tried to sound confident. “Alexa, I’ll fix this. I promise.”

She wasn’t having it. “No, Ethan! You said we had a day! You said you’d fix it!”

“We did have a day. And…I couldn’t fix it.”

She groaned, holding her head in her hands. “No car. No job. No house. You’re a walking disaster, Ethan. I can’t believe this.”

I felt her words like punches. I couldn’t even answer. I just stood there, frozen, as two of the men walked straight past us and into our bedroom, starting to look through our things like we were already gone.

I tried one more time,“Please. I gave everything to this company. I worked overtime, I did everything I was supposed to. Can’t you just..”

The man shook his head again. “It’s not up to us. You need to leave. Now.”

Alexa had already started gathering her stuff, her purse, her makeup, her shoes. She looked at me with so much anger and disappointment. “I’m not doing this. I’m not staying here. I can’t be with someone who can’t even keep a roof over my head.”

My whole body felt like it was falling in on itself. “Alexa, please. Don’t do this. Not today. Not now. I need you.”

She didn’t even look at me. She just picked up her things, moving quick and cold.

“What about all the stuff I bought you?” I asked her, my eyes already teary. “The Gucci heels, the Prada bag…”

She stopped and turned around, her eyes full of fire. “Really, Ethan? You think that matters now? You want it back? You want me to leave it here? You think that’s going to solve anything for you?”

I didn’t know what to say. I just stood there, feeling like an i***t.

She walked straight to the door. I felt completely broken. I reached out and grabbed her wrist, desperately, maybe I could stop her from leaving just by holding on.

“Alexa, please. You’re all I have left. I’ll get a job. I’ll make it work. Just stay.”

She pulled her hand away so fast, like I’d burned her. She looked at me like I was a stranger.

“No, Ethan. You’re broke, you’re jobless, you’re homeless. I’m not going down with you. I have to look out for myself.”

I tried again, but my voice was breaking. “Please, baby. I gave you everything. Don’t leave me like this.”

She stared at me for a second, just long enough for me to hope she’d stay. Then she shook her head and walked out. That was it. The door slammed so hard it sounded like the end of something.

I felt something inside me break. I dropped to my knees, my hands shaking so much I couldn’t even hold them still. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like the whole world was pressing down on me, crushing me.

I don’t know how long I sat there. Time stopped meaning anything. The officials finished looking through the place. One of them picked up my last box of clothes and dragged it outside.

“Let’s go,” he said.

I didn’t argue. I just got up and followed them, feeling empty, like I was watching my own life on TV, except I was the one getting kicked out. They led me out of the gate, set my box on the sidewalk, and locked the gate behind me. The sound of the lock clicking hurt more than I thought it would.

Suddenly, it was like the whole neighborhood woke up just to see me. People opened their windows, stepped outside, started whispering to each other. I could hear them.

“That’s him, the guy who slept with his boss’s wife.”

“Shame. No wonder.”

“They’re kicking him out like a stray.”

“Even his girlfriend’s gone.”

Someone laughed from a balcony. “ Ethan, where will you sleep tonight?”

More laughing. More staring. My face felt hot, and I kept my head down, wishing I could disappear. I sat down on the curb, put my head in my hands, and let it all hit me. My job was gone. My cars were gone. My home was gone. Alexa was gone. Even my reputation was gone. For the first time in my life, I had nowhere to go. Nowhere at all.

The tears came before I could stop them. I just sat there and cried. Right there on the sidewalk, in front of everyone. I couldn’t hold it back. My life was over, and everyone could see it.