Chapter 1

I bought a private parking spot in my condo complex.

My neighbor across the hall asked if she could borrow it once in a while, and I said sure.

Later, I realized that every time I came back from a business trip, the car parked there wasn't hers.

I quietly checked the security cameras and discovered that whenever I was out of town, she was subletting my spot to strangers.

I didn't say a word.

Today, she smiled sweetly and asked, "Heading out of town tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I replied.

That night, I parked my own car right in my spot.

Sure enough, the next morning, she showed up with a strange driver.

After parking my car in my reserved spot, I walked back toward the building and ran right into my neighbor, Brenda, heading down with a bag of trash.

The moment she saw me, she broke into a broad smile and hurried over, completely forgetting about throwing away her garbage.

"Tori! What time are you heading out tomorrow?"

Her voice was incredibly light and cheerful.

I slipped my car keys into my pocket and gave her a polite smile. "Early in the morning. Around seven."

Brenda nodded.

Under the glow of the streetlamp, I clearly saw her let out a sigh of relief.

She shoved a plastic grocery bag into my hand. "Here, take this! I'm always using your parking spot, so I bought you some fresh fruit. Don't be polite!"

"Brenda, really, you don't have to."

"Oh, take it, take it! We're neighbors, don't be a stranger."

She waved her hand, already backing away.

"Snack on it during your business trip."

Before I could say another word, she turned around. "I'll let you go! Get some good rest tonight, Tori!"

The plastic bag felt heavy. I glanced down and saw a few pears and apples inside.

Upstairs in my condo, I set the fruit on the kitchen counter, ready to wash my hands.

The second I peeled back the plastic wrap, a foul, sour stench hit me square in the face. It made me recoil half a step.

The two pears at the bottom were completely rotten. Their skins clung shriveled against mushy pulp, black liquid had soaked through the cardboard base, and a ring of fuzzy white mold circled the stem of an apple.

This fruit had clearly been sitting around rotting for days, if not weeks.

I stared at the bag for ten seconds, picked it up, and walked out the door.

Just as I reached the stairwell, I heard Brenda's voice echoing from the landing below.

"Let me tell you, that girl didn't even hesitate. I handed it to her and she just took it, didn't even try to decline."

"That fruit's been sitting on my counter for over a week, practically rotten to the core, and she carried it home like it was treasure."

Another woman's voice asked, "Why'd you give it to her anyway?"

"Just keeping up appearances, you know? Since I use her parking spot."

The sensor light in the stairwell clicked on, stretching my shadow long against the wall.

Holding that bag of rotten fruit, I took it one step at a time down the stairs.

By the time she heard footsteps and turned around, I was already standing right in front of her.

I held out the plastic bag and smiled smoothly. "Brenda, here. You can take this back."

She froze, her mouth falling slightly open, the color draining from her face.

She raised a hand to push it back toward me. "What's wrong? Oh, come on, I bought it for you, just keep it!"

"I just remembered I can't eat cold or raw fruit lately."

The smile never slipped from my face, and my tone remained perfectly natural.

"It'd be a waste sitting on my counter. You take it back."

"Tori, that's not what I meant just now, I was just..."