“Alina, calm down. It’s just… it’s….” Mark stuttered.

“It’s… WHAT?! There’s no justifying this! Get out!” Alina continued screaming.

“You know what? I’ve been tired of you for months, and you can’t kick me out. My name is on the lease! YOU have to get out!” Mark yelled back. Alina realized in horror that he was right.

She moved in with him after dating for a year, and they never added her to the lease agreement because they were waiting to sign a new one. OMG! I have nowhere to go, she thought. But she wasn’t going to let Mark see her distress.

“Fine! I’m leaving!” she exclaimed and looked at the catty woman in her bed. “Good luck with him because if he can cheat on his girlfriend of many years, he’ll do it to you too.”

Alina picked up a bag and started packing her things. An hour later, she was in her car. “I’ll be back for the rest!” she yelled angrily at Mark because the truth is that she couldn’t fit everything into her car in one trip.

She called one of her friends, Kiara, to see if she could crash with her. “I’m sorry, Alina. I don’t have any room right now. My boyfriend’s sister is down on her luck, and I had to invite her to stay with us. But I can let you store some of your things in our garage,” Kiara said.

That was better than nothing. She finished packing her things from Mark’s place and was done with him. “Thank you, Kiara. I’ll get them as soon as I find a place,” she told her friend.

“I wish I could do more,” Kiara added, feeling bad that she didn’t have room. Unfortunately, Alina didn’t have enough savings for a deposit or rent due to her low teacher salary. But if she lived in her car for a few months, she could save up, she thought to herself.

So she parked her car in the school parking lot and started living there. She could use the gym facilities when everyone was gone, and everything would be all right soon.

Unfortunately, she was still living there a few months later because of some financial setbacks. Her car needed a new battery, and her mother asked to borrow a bit of money for some expensive medicine.

Regardless, she had gotten used to her living arrangement, although no one knew what she was going through. Her students were too young to notice, and her colleagues were all gone by 5 p.m. Normally, she showered early while no one was around.

But one morning was different. She was walking towards the gym showers with a towel and her toiletries when Coach Franco Patton appeared in the hallway. “Miss Duncan? What are you doing here so early?” he asked.

“Oh, Coach Patton. There was something wrong with my shower this morning, and I came here early. I’m so sorry,” Alina lied, hoping he would believe her story. “What about you?”

“I was going through some plays last night, and I fell asleep on the couch. I’m so embarrassed,” he said and laughed.

“No worries. Well… I’ll see you later,” Alina said and entered the bathroom. She was relieved he didn’t ask anything further. But she didn’t know that Coach Patton got suspicious.

He always had a crush on Miss Duncan and didn’t believe the lie about her home shower. So, he started paying attention and saw Alina getting on the backseat of her car later that day. She’s sleeping in her car, he thought.

“Miss Duncan?” he called her after school the next day.

“Oh, Coach. You can call me Alina. We’re colleagues,” she said after turning around.

“In that case, you can call me Franco. Anyway, would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?” Franco asked her.

Alina was pleasantly surprised by his request. “Well, that sounds lovely,” she agreed. They met at a nearby restaurant and were seated immediately. At first, they engaged in small talk, but Franco wanted to be honest.

“Listen, Alina. I have to be honest. I saw you getting into your car last night. Are you living there right now?” Franco asked.

“Oh, no. I knew you didn’t believe my shower lie. Yeah, I broke up with my boyfriend several months ago. I’ve been saving for a new place, but these months have been a little tough on my wallet,” Alina said.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Prices in this city are getting way too high for even the tiniest space. It’s crazy,” Franco said.

“Right? It’s impossible to get a new place with such high deposits too. But I’m near my goal now,” Alina added. They continued talking about everything and discovered how much they had in common.

“I can lend you some money so you can move immediately. You can’t live there anymore. It’s not safe,” Franco said at the end of the night.

“Oh, it’s ok. I’m close to the goal,” Alina said. She refused to accept his offer.

“You can pay me back whenever, and no interest. Also, no strings attached. Please. I’ll feel so much better,” Franco urged her. Finally, Alina accepted, and he helped her move into a new place. But they were just friends for a long time.

She managed to pay him back a few months later. Eventually, he asked her out again, and she accepted. They got married a few years later, and Franco proved how kind and caring he was every single day.