"What is it?" Keeley asked, suddenly nervous. She'd never heard Valentina sound so serious before—was someone dying?

Valentina looked distinctly uncomfortable, shuffling in place and avoiding Keeley's gaze. "Well, you know our contract renewal is in two weeks?"

"Did you find someone?" Keeley asked.

"No. Actually, I'm moving out," Valentina said miserably. "One of my classmates has an apartment opening, and the rent is $400 cheaper per month. You know I'm not working and can barely afford food with the money my family sends. It would really help them."

Keeley's jaw dropped. She couldn't fault Valentina for prioritizing her finances; $500 a month in the city was practically unheard of. She must be sharing a room.

But could Valentina have given a little more notice? Keeley had been trying for months to find a replacement roommate, without success; there was no way she could find two in two weeks.

"How long have you known about this?"

"Two weeks," Valentina admitted, still avoiding eye contact.

Two weeks?! If she'd known two weeks ago, she could have made other arrangements! She would definitely have to move out.

Where on earth was she going to find pet-friendly housing for $900 a month? She couldn't afford a rent increase, let alone a deposit. And she couldn't stay with her dad—he was severely allergic to cats. Keeley would die before leaving Molly behind, just like her previous owners did.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Keeley exploded.

"I'm sorry!" her friend wailed. "I didn't know how to. We've been roommates for so long…I thought you'd be mad at me!"

Keeley was mad, but not for the reason Valentina thought. It was incredibly inconsiderate to leave her hanging like this, especially since they'd agreed to find a third roommate together.

Taking a few deep breaths, Keeley lied. "I'm not mad. But it wasn't cool to wait so long to tell me. I'll figure something out, though. Don't worry about me, okay? I know you're just doing what you have to."

A relieved smile lit Valentina's face. "You're the best, Keeley."

"Yeah, yeah," Keeley grumbled. "If you'll excuse me, I need to look for pet-friendly housing."

She tried not to storm off. It wasn't Valentina's fault; she was simply looking out for herself.

Unfortunately, the prospects looked bleak. Studio apartments cost $2,000+ a month—almost as much as their current three-bedroom apartment. Keeley checked roommate-finding websites but had no luck. All the ads were either not pet-friendly, too expensive, or overcrowded. She felt doomed.

The worst part was that she didn't know if she'd even be in New York after January. Putting down a deposit she couldn't afford, only to leave six months later, would be pointless.

Considering this, she checked long-term hotel stays. Finding anything under $900 a month was a joke.

Technically, she could board Molly at a cheap pet boarding center for $30 a night while staying with her dad. That would be $900 a month, but Molly, a senior cat, deserved consistency and peace; Keeley would be depressed leaving her there long-term.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be her only option.

She banged her head on her desk and sighed before looking up at Molly, who was enjoying a leisurely nap on her bed. Molly had been through enough. She shouldn't have to go to a terrible boarding center.

"Molly, what am I going to do?" she asked miserably.

The cat merely blinked.

The following morning, Keeley was a wreck. She'd been up half the night worrying about homelessness. She covered it with makeup—she didn't want to ruin Jennica's wedding photos—but it wasn't entirely effective.

She doubted anyone would notice, though. Aaron's gigantic black eye was a sufficient distraction.

When the photographer saw how bad it looked—it had worsened overnight—she promised to fix it with Photoshop. Jennica was thrilled. Cameron insisted on receiving the original photos as well.

He was lucky Aaron wasn't within earshot; he might have frozen the entire wedding venue.

Keeley was helping Jennica with her hair and makeup as the maid of honor. Her mother kept fussing about wanting to do it herself, so Keeley tried to keep her involved. They compromised—Keeley did makeup while Anna did hair.

The photographer took "before" and "after" shots. Jennica was absolutely radiant.

The bridesmaids looked good too, albeit colorful in their one-shouldered, hot pink knee-length dresses and orange heeled sandals. To complete the color scheme, Cameron and the groomsmen wore red ties and pocket squares.

They all looked very summery and tropical, just as Jennica wanted. At least Keeley might be able to wear the outfit again—separately. The two bright colors together were a bit much for her.