GoKawiilheThe wildfires that would come to engulf Los Angeles had just begun to burn when Frankee Grove finally admitted to herself that she needed a roommate. It was January 2025, and Grove, then 42, had recently broken up with her boyfriend of six years. They had lived together in a two-bedroom Spanish bungalow on a quaint street in Venice. For Grove, this rental — with its vegetable garden and hardwood floors, arched doorways, and terra-cotta roof — had come to feel like a home.
But she couldn’t afford the $5,100 monthly rent by herself. She needed to find a subletter, but her spare time was spoken for: She was volunteering to help those impacted by the wildfires currently ravaging the Pacific Palisades. Grove, a dedicated empath and striving progressive who has two decades of experience in education, always tried to see the good in others, and she wanted to embody those qualities herself.
Still, she was bleeding cash. Grove eventually turned to Facebook, hoping to find someone who could move in quickly. She connected with a woman named Sabrina Mollison, whose online persona was classic SoCal: A fledgling fitness influencer, she posted Instagram reels of herself working out in expensive athleisure, posed for selfies in full-length mirrors, and affixed aspirational (but fairly banal) captions under day-in-the-life content (“Trust the process” and “You can’t make progress if you don’t start”).
Frankee and Sabrina text conversation Fri, Jan 10 at 12:53 PM Sent message: Hi Sabrina, it's Frankee with the house for rent in Venice. Just seeing if you have time to FaceTime. Received message: Hey, I can chat around 2 if that works? Sent message: Yes, that works for me Sent message: Can I call you in five minutes, I'm just finishing eating Received message: Yea no worries Sent message: Ok, thanks I'm ready now Fri, Jan 10 at 5:38 PM Sent message: It was nice chatting with you earlier! Fri, Jan 10 at 7:04 PM Received message: Yes you too! Sun, Jan 12 at 4:45 PM Received message: Hey Frankee, I think I'm going to stay up north for a couple more days, hoping by then things are somewhat better in LA but I am super interested in the room. So let me know what you're thinking! Sent message: Do you wanna do a video tour? Sent message: Thanks for letting me know. I just wanna have it rented starting January 24. No one is coming to look at it until midweek this week. Received message: Yea would love a video tour. On a work call now. Does tomorrow work? Mon, Jan 13 at 8:55 AM Sent message: Hi, yes, I'm free from 11:30-2:30 and 3-4 Received message: I can do 11:30 Thu, Jan 16 at 1:38 PM Sent message: Hi Sabrina, just checking in on your plans. I have someone coming to see my house tomorrow. Received message: Hey! I'm back in town. And could be all set to move anytime! Sent message: Cool! I am out for the rest of the day, but do you wanna come see it tomorrow? Received message: Yes, I would love to! Thu, Jan 16 at 4:02 PM Received message: I can come anytime after 130 Thu, Jan 16 at 8:18 PM Sent message: Does 3pm work for you? Received message: Yea that perfect! Fri, Jan 17 at 9:09 AM Sent message: My address is Venice Received message: Thank you, see you this afternoon Sat, Jan 18 at 6:36 PM Sent message: Hi Sabrina, so nice meeting you yesterday! I think it would be great if you moved in. Let's talk details tomorrow to sort everything out. Looking forward to it!
Grove, who grew up in Massachusetts to teacher parents and had a decidedly more bohemian vibe — she launched a botanical side hustle, sported a surfer-girl haircut, and summered on Cape Cod — believed that their incompatibility might be a good thing. They didn’t need to be friends. Lately, her life was defined by instability. Grove welcomed a simple, transactional relationship.
Mollison arrived for a tour wearing a workout uniform and a thick layer of makeup. Grove showed her the house. Mollison appeared underwhelmed, her affect flat, but said she would rent the room for Grove’s requested $2,200. Grove didn’t ask Mollison to sign any type of lease, just took her deposit and told her that she could move in in a few days, during the last week of January.
Mollison arrived via an Uber with all of her belongings in black trash bags. Grove felt a growing sense of unease. As Mollison unpacked, Grove thought back to how restless she felt the night before. Her gut told her that something was wrong, but she chalked it up to nerves. She traded her apprehension for the financial security of a confirmed subletter, of doing something kind for someone else.
After Mollison settled in, she handed Grove $670 in cash. It wasn’t enough to cover what she still owed for the first month’s rent, but Mollison said not to worry. She’d give her the rest of it by week’s end.
A few days later, Grove, who worked for an ed-tech company, left for a three-day work trip to New Orleans. Upon her return, she noticed that some of her food (a dozen eggs, a bottle of wine) were gone. Had Mollison eaten her groceries? Grove, allergic to confrontation, approached Mollison gently, as if her new roommate were a child who did something naughty.
“I realize we didn’t have a conversation about food and stuff in the kitchen,” Grove told her, “and I prefer to keep our things separate.”
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