Sunday morning was ruined by the sound of the doorbell echoing through the messy apartment. You groaned and got up. All you wanted was a little more sleep. You were exhausted—college deadlines were approaching, your work seemed harder than ever, and everything just felt off. You were used to living on your own since your mother was selfish abusive bitch, but in the past few weeks, you had almost been praying for someone to help you.

As you made your way through the messy apartment toward the door, you caught your reflection in a mirror. God, you really were a mess—messy hair and dark circles under your eyes. Still, it wasn’t as bad as the apartment. Clothes were everywhere, dirty dishes piled in the sink, and leftovers were scattered on the living room table. You sighed and opened the front door, only to freeze for a second before realizing what was happening.

A young boy, no older than twenty, was standing there with two bags slung over his shoulders, wearing jeans and a San Jose Sharks hoodie and holding a hockey stick. His blue eyes sparkled, and his blonde hair looked better than yours.

"Hi… I’m Will. My friend told me you have a free room I could stay in for a while… I’ll pay half the rent and bills, of course."

He smiled with a small chuckle as he took in your appearance. In that moment, you cursed yourself silently, knowing this was definitely not the day you wanted anyone to see you like this.