Chapter 2

The next morning, the dorm's atmosphere was bizarre.

Chloe, Mia, and Harper huddled together, deliberately speaking at a volume I could easily hear.

"I already spoke to the landlord. He's super chill," Chloe said, dripping with smugness.

"He told me tons of people are trying to tour the place. If we want it locked down, we have to send the deposit right now."

Mia chimed in immediately. "Then what are we waiting for? Send it! Where else are we gonna find a deal like this?"

Harper hesitated. "Transferring cash directly to a stranger... is that really safe?"

Chloe scoffed, tossing a sidelong glance my way.

Her eyes were filled with disdain and pity, as if looking at an outdated fool left behind by the world.

"Harper, you're way too naive. What year is it? Who worries about that anymore?"

"Besides, better to trust a stranger than someone using the guise of a relative to rip off their own friends, right?"

She didn't raise her voice, but every single word pierced like a needle.

I kept my headphones on and pretended to listen to music, ignoring her.

Mia backed her up. "Exactly. Some people have zero shame, tossing away their dignity for a few hundred bucks. Good thing Chloe saw right through it."

The three of them giggled, the camaraderie between them thick.

At that moment, it became painfully clear: I had been cast as the villain, the very glue holding their newfound bond together.

That afternoon, Chloe declared loudly in our SnapChat group: "Girls, let's do this!"

Right after, she dropped a screenshot of a wire transfer.

The recipient name read "Westside Direct Rental Mark."

Without missing a beat, Mia and Harper posted identical payment confirmations seconds later.

Each of them had transferred fifteen hundred dollars—a full month's rent.

Having sent the money, Chloe acted like a triumphant general, smugly tagging me in the chat.

"@Zoe, see that? That's what efficiency looks like."

"Our housing is sorted. You can keep that relative's dump all to yourself."

When that notification popped up, I was sitting in the library, compiling files on the rental scams I had researched.

Back in the dorm that evening, the three of them were excitedly discussing their upcoming move.

"I checked—it's only two metro stops from the biggest mall! Shopping is going to be so easy!"

"Oh my god, fifteen hundred all-inclusive with free Wi-Fi? Is this landlord running a charity or something?"

"We seriously have to thank Chloe. If it wasn't for her, Zoe would've scammed us into that overpriced, run-down shack."

They didn't bother lowering their voices in the slightest.

I drew my bed curtains shut, cutting myself off from their suffocating little world.

I dialed my uncle again.

"Raymond... please hold off on leasing the place to anyone else for now."

"My roommates might... change their minds."

I couldn't explain the full mess, so I kept it vague.

My uncle was gracious as ever. "Sure thing. I'll give you another week."

"You're all classmates, and finding housing after graduation is tough. Happy to help if I can."

Gripping the phone, my fingertips turned cold.

Listening to my uncle's steady, genuine kindness while contrasting it with the vicious malice of my roommates left a bitter taste in my mouth.

This was my family—honest and decent.

Yet the girls I had lived with for years chose to assume the absolute worst of me.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Muffled, giddy whispers drifted from Chloe's bed.

She was on the phone, bragging to her boyfriend, Derek.

"I handled something huge today. Zoe from our dorm tried to hustle us into this trash apartment to pocket a kickback, but I busted her on the spot."

"I found us an incredible place instead. Super cheap, gorgeous—the girls basically worship me right now."

"What? Risk? Derek, you're like Harper, way too cautious."

"I went through his Ins. He posts motivational quotes every single day. You can tell he's a decent guy."

I shut my eyes, listening to her barely suppressed giggles, a heavy knot tightening in my chest.

She didn't feel a shred of remorse. She was genuinely getting off on putting me down and playing the hero.

I knew it was a scam, yet my hands were tied. Saying anything would just trigger another round of "Photoshop" accusations and claims of jealousy.

I knew the climax of this farce was right around the corner.