On an Edge of Glass

guess, sometimes the most inexplicable things end up being the ones that work the best.
    F or our senior year, we decided to take the plunge and rent a small four bedroom house on a quiet street that borders the north side of campus.  It’s quite a bit more expensive than the dorms, but it’s a whole house.  And , there were supposed to be four of us to split the bills between.  At the time that we signed the lease, it had seemed doable.
                  Today, not so much.
                  My parents have the money, but I’m on a fairly strict student budget.  They tell me that learning to manage my spending will build character or something like that. 
                  “I just don’t understand this!  What the hell is Hannah thinking?”  I let my head fall back against the wall with a thud. 
                  Ainsley’s shoulders waggle.  She pours hot water from the electric kettle into her favorite mug and drops in a tea bag.  The mug is decorated with little cartoon owls and proudly states “Owl have some tea” in girlish pink writing along the rim. 
    “ I doubt that she’s thinking at all,” she says grimly.
    “ I know.  But—what the hell is wrong with her?  We’re her best friends!” 
    “ I agree.  Hannah was always a bit reckless, but this is ridiculous.”  She adjusts the tea bag and looks at me. 
    Ridiculous just about sums it up.  Back in August Hannah was invited for a three week program in London starting in September.  Her major is International Marketing, so the program had seemed like a golden opportunity.  We’d all encouraged her to take it.  In fact, we threw her a going away party, complete with a batch of jello shots and a cake decorated with the Union Jack.
    None of us could have anticipated that she would fall head over heels for some British dude in a matter of weeks.  Or that she’d decide to bail on us and her last year of college in America.
    “Ainsley, I’m sure that when Payton gets home we’re going to figur e this all out.”  With my arm still around her fragile shoulders, I lead her over to the couch.  “You know, maybe I should try calling Hannah.  Last spring, do you remember when I talked her out of getting that God-awful fairy tattoo on her butt cheek?  I might be able to reason with her this time.” 
    “Don’t even bo ther.” Ainsley settles into the cushions and sniffs the air.  “She was being so bitchy on the phone this morning.  She and Payton really got into it.  At this point, I doubt that she’ll answer a call from any of us.” 
    “ She will if she knows what’s good for her,” I warn, but even to my own ears the threat sounds empty.
    “ Oh my God Ellie, do you realize that my parents are going to kill me?”  Ainsley lifts her blonde head.  Her blue eyes are round and full of salty tears.  “They told me that I should stay in the dorms.  They said that it was safer and made more sense financially, but I insisted on getting this house with you guys.  Now the whole thing is a debacle.”
    “A debacle?”  I ask , fighting back the beginnings of a smile.
    Ainsley’s eyes narrow at me.  “Yes, Elizabeth Jane Glass.  A debacle, ” she snaps.
    I ho ld up my hands in mock surrender.  “Okay.  I get it.  We’re in a bit of a bind here.  Just let me think.” 
    I jump to my feet and start to pace the room.  My mind is surging in fifty different directions—all of them senseless.  I don’t even notice when Ainsley’s phone bings.
    “You’re not going to believe it,” she says with a tiny gasp.  Her thin body is bent forward over the coffee table so that she can read a text message from her phone screen.
    “What?”  I ask , bracketing my forearms against the back of the couch.
    Ainsley looks up at me.  Her face is pinched in a strange mixture of excitement and concern.  “Payton thinks she may have found us a new roommate.”
     
     
    “So basically the only catch is that she is actually a he. ”
                  Payton rolls her eyes at me.  She’s got her short, dark hair pulled into a spiky side ponytail.  Today her nails are painted a glittery black.  She’s wearing about ten different necklaces around her neck and at least a half-dozen bracelets on her arm.  She’s kind of got a thing for accessories.  
    “Well, he was never a she to begin with, but if you mean that our replacement roommate would be male, then