Fated to the don

Alicia's POV

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

My voice echoed through the apartment as the door swung open and hit the wall with a dull thud.

The smell hit first... dust and that ugly scent of other people where they didn't belong. Then my eyes adjusted and my heart dropped straight into my stomach.. the place was fucking destroyed!

"Holy shit." Maureen gasped behind me. "What the hell happened?"

I stepped inside like my legs were on autopilot. Couch cushions were ripped open and tossed aside, the coffee table was flipped, one of the chairs lay on its side like it had given up on life, drawers were pulled out and dumped and our tiny TV was gone...so was the microwave. Even the stupid lamp I hated because it flickered was missing.

"Please." I whispered, already moving. "Please, please, please..."

I didn't wait for Maureen. I ran straight to the corner behind the sofa, dropped to my knees and shoved my hands under it. Dust coated my palms as I dragged out the shoebox we'd hidden there.

It was open.. and empty!

There was no envelope, no bundle of wrinkled bills and no coins.. nothing!

"No." I said, shaking my head. "No, no, no..."

Maureen rushed over.

"Ali? What is it?"

I turned the box upside down like the money might magically fall out if I asked nicely but still nothing.. not even a penny.

"They took it." I said, with myy chest tightening like someone had wrapped a belt around it and pulled. "They fucking took it!"

"Oh my God." Maureen said. "No. No way."

"That's all the money we had!" I jumped to my feet and kicked the sofa so hard my toe screamed in pain. "Goddammit!" I slammed my fist into the armrest. "That was everything!"

Maureen ran her hands through her hair, pacing like a trapped animal.

"We should've taken it to the fucking bank!"

I rounded on her.

"Don't say that."

"I'm just saying..."

"We had reasons!" I snapped. "Valid reasons."

"Like what?" she shot back. "So burglars could have easier access?"

"Oh yeah, because banks are so easy for everyone. You forget they freeze accounts, right? Or.. or charge fees we can't afford?"

She opened her mouth and then closed it.

"And my credit is trash." I added. "You know that.. we can't go borrowing now and your account is already overdrawn. If we'd put that money in the bank, it would've disappeared anyway."

Maureen stopped pacing and her shoulders slumped.

"I know." she said quietly. "I know."

We stood there for a moment, surrounded by our ruined life and the silence felt loud. My hands started shaking so I sat down hard on the edge of the sofa and pressed them together.

A knock hit the door and I flinched while Maureen froze. Another knock came, firmer and annoyed.

"I'll get it." Maureen muttered.

She opened the door and of course... because my life had officially decided to hate me... it was