Chapter 28

• Nathalie did not feel as devastated as she had during her previous experience, but she certainly did not appreciate the current situation—not even in the slightest. However, she recognized that it was for the best. She had made the decision to be done with men altogether. After everything that transpired with Shon, Daniel, Darwin, and Ethan, she was resolute in her stance. She felt content on her own.
• It was only upon reaching her front door that Nathalie realized she did not possess her keys. She was aware of their location: they were sitting on her desk at school, the building that Trixie had locked up behind them. To add to her frustration, she did not even have the keys to the school in her possession, leaving her effectively locked out. Fantastic.
• Muttering curses under her breath, Nathalie pulled out her phone and called Trixie. Trixie answered almost immediately and informed her that she was just about to hop in the shower, but she would come over shortly to hand Nathalie her spare key. Though walking there would be ideal, Trixie's residence was simply too far for that. Nathalie calculated it would take at least twenty minutes for Trixie to arrive. This left her with three options: she could sit awkwardly on her own front porch, check whether Mr. Gad from next door was home and wait there, or ring Anna's doorbell. Nathalie opted to check on Mr. Gad, but when she approached his house, she noticed that his lights were out and received no answer. Frustrated, she returned to her front door and sank down onto the damp ground, berating herself. Clearly, it was time to invest in a chair or a bench for her front porch if this kind of situation was going to persist. At least it was not raining, and she had a friend with a key nearby.