My roommate heard a rumor: the heir to a notorious Mafia family was looking for a girlfriend, and whoever got pregnant first would marry him. She was ecstatic, immediately posting on the campus anonymous forum to find a way to get close to him. As soon as the post went live, her Snapchat inbox was flooded with countless DMs—fake rumors, sketchy leads, and so-called “inside scoops.” But she didn’t care. She was too busy filtering the messages, desperately preparing to offer her body to the future “Don.” All of us in the dorm tried our best to talk some sense into her. We told her the rumor was completely made up. Risking her body and her entire future for a sketchy internet rumor was way too high a price to pay. Eventually, she seemed to give up on the idea and started attending classes quietly. But later, she found out that a girl from another department had used a similar tactic and actually got engaged to the “heir.” Blaming us for ruining her shot at becoming a billionaire’s wife, she snapped. In a fit of rage, she poisoned our shared Brita pitcher. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day she first told us she wanted to trap him with a pregnancy.
“I heard the heir to a Mafia family is choosing a girlfriend at our school, and whoever gets pregnant first gets to marry him! We have to find a way to get close to him!” Before the phantom pain of the poison in my stomach could even fade, Jessica’s voice pierced through my mind. Her voice got closer and louder, gradually becoming clear. I blinked in a daze, staring at Jessica’s familiar yet terrifying face. Seeing that none of the three of us were saying anything, she asked again, “This is our ticket into the high society! Do you guys want to try it with me?” It was exactly like my past life. A rumor about a mysterious “Mafia heir” picking a girlfriend on campus had somehow spread like wildfire among the girls. Dreaming of marrying rich, Jessica had been looking for ways to run into this “Don” ever since she heard the rumor. Staged run-ins, mutual connections… eventually, she became absolutely convinced of the “pregnancy first” rule and shared her master plan with us in excitement. In our past life, the three of us thought she had completely lost her mind. After all, no rational person would risk getting pregnant just because of some unverified gossip. So, we took turns trying to talk her down. We spent hours convincing her until she finally backed off. But who would have thought? A girl from the next class actually tried a similar stunt. Not only was she seen everywhere with the “heir,” but rumors soon spread that she had successfully gotten engaged after getting pregnant. Jessica believed our interference was the sole reason she missed her chance to marry into extreme wealth. In her rage, she poured poison into our Brita pitcher and watched cold-heartedly as the three of us died in agonizing pain. This time, I decided to respect her journey. I was the first to speak. “Honestly, guys like that are bad news. I’d rather stay far away. Count me out.” Maddy chimed in, “Yeah, getting pregnant over a rumor? Doesn’t seem worth it.” Hailey took a sip from her cup, shook her head, and didn’t say a word. Seeing that none of us were interested, Jessica let out a cold snort. She aggressively pulled her bed curtains shut and muttered under her breath, “Whatever. Don’t try to climb up when I become the Don’s wife. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I turned to look at the other two. In our past life, they definitely didn’t react like this. In the previous life, Maddy had grabbed Jessica’s hand, pleading with her that it wasn’t worth it, listing all the dangerous variables of that lifestyle. She had warned her about dangerous family politics, a life of constant fear, and how her future child would be dragged into a world of crime. Hailey had even pulled out her brand-new designer dress, suggesting that if Jessica wanted attention, she should focus on self-improvement first. But looking at their reactions today, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be… they regressed too? To test my theory, I winked at them. “I’m starving. Anyone want to grab lunch?” They exchanged a quick look, grabbed their phones, and nodded quickly. “Yeah, let’s go.” The three of us walked out of the dorm. Just as we were about to close the door, Jessica’s voice called out from behind the curtain, “Maddy, grab me a sandwich on your way back.” Maddy called back a quick agreement. Once we got to the dining hall and sat down with our food, the three of us just stared at each other across the table. “Are you…?” “You too?” “We regressed?” And just like that, you could see three girls crying their eyes out over college cafeteria food.
Before we could even finish our lunch, Hailey pulled out her phone and slid it across the table. Just like in our past life, Jessica had already posted on the campus anonymous forum, trying to dig up info on Cole Hawthorne’s schedule and preferences. *“Looking for leads: Want to know where senior Cole Hawthorne from the Business School usually hangs out. Heard some wild rumors about him lately and just want to make a friend. Willing to pay for solid info.”* The post looked harmless enough, but Jessica’s Snapchat DMs immediately blew up. People were sliding in with all kinds of leads, both real and fake. She was so proud of herself, bragging to us that so many people “helping her” meant everyone believed she actually had a shot. Well, obviously. People on campus love drama, especially when they can get paid for gossip. If I had known anything, I probably would’ve made a quick buck too. But Jessica didn’t see it that way. She enthusiastically compiled her “intel” on Cole as if she were a detective, comparing photos and analyzing his class schedule. She claimed she needed to know her future husband inside out to be responsible for her own life. Hilarious. She was planning to trap a guy with a pregnancy, yet she talked about being “responsible.” If Cole knew his daily schedule was being studied like a lab specimen, he’d probably lock himself in the library forever. As soon as we got back to the dorm, Jessica thrust her phone screen in front of our faces with a smug grin. “Look! So many people messaged me! If you guys want to try your luck, I can share some of this intel with you.” The three of us shook our heads in unison. “No, no, keep it all to yourself.” Jessica rolled her eyes. “Suit yourselves. You guys think you’re so pure and above it all. Just don’t get jealous of me later!” That night, Jessica finalized her “strike plan,” targeting the mysterious Cole Hawthorne. I only found out later that Cole was famous on campus for being elusive. The rumors about him being a Mafia heir were incredibly dramatic, though no one knew what was true. I wanted to see if, without our intervention in this life, she could actually “win” Cole over like she wanted. Since the semester had just started, our classes were in full swing. At first, Jessica walked to class with us, but soon, she started dressing up elaborately and going out at odd hours. When the RA did room checks, we made up excuses to cover for her. But doing it once or twice was fine; doing it every night made the RA suspicious. So, not even a month into the semester, Jessica got written up multiple times for curfew violations. She didn’t care at all. To her, she was working on a multi-million-dollar project. A few write-ups were just necessary sacrifices. After two weeks of her aggressive “operations,” Fall Break was just around the corner, yet Jessica still hadn’t found the perfect opportunity. She started getting desperate, constantly Googling “how to attract a man fast” and “how to get pregnant quickly.” Through her sheer determination, on a late September night, Jessica ran out of the bathroom holding a pregnancy test with two distinct pink lines. She screamed, “I’m pregnant! I’m actually pregnant with Cole’s baby!” She clutched the plastic stick to her chest like it was a holy relic. “Yes! I’m finally going to be the wife of a Mafia boss!”
During the one-week Fall Break, Maddy, Hailey, and I planned to work part-time jobs. Jessica was too unstable. In our past life, she poisoned us just because we tried to protect her. In this life, who knew what could trigger her? We needed to make some preparations before she completely lost her mind. Even though our part-time wages wouldn’t cover renting an apartment off-campus, having extra cash on hand always made us feel safer. Meanwhile, Jessica spent her break going to a private clinic to confirm her pregnancy and plotting how to make Cole take responsibility. Once Fall Break ended, campus life returned to normal. But for Jessica, a new war had just begun. Before the sun was even up, I was woken by Jessica’s voice on the phone. I listened with my eyes closed, half-asleep. I heard her sweet, cooing voice: “…Yeah, of course it’s yours. You’re the only one I’ve been with… The baby needs a father…” We found out later that she had literally cornered Cole on campus. In the afternoon, Jessica returned to the dorm, a smug, hollow smile plastered on her face. The three of us had just dragged ourselves back from the library, completely exhausted. Jessica looked at us, her lips curling into a sneer. “Weren’t you guys too good for my way of life? Look at you now, looking like half-dead dogs.” “My instincts are always right. Maddy, Hailey, Chloe—don’t say I never gave you a chance. If you apologize and help me out now, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of when I become the lady of the house.” Hailey collapsed into her chair. “Yeah, well, we don’t have the luck to enjoy that kind of life.” Maddy sprawled on her bed, her eyes full of exhaustion, but she forced a smile. “Oh, I’m sure your ‘blessings’ are coming right up.” Jessica looked at me. I just shook my head and whispered, “Congratulations.” Jessica began acting like she was already the “Mafia Queen,” even though Cole hadn’t publicly acknowledged her at all. She walked around with an exaggerated waddle, as if she were a delicate, high-society pregnant woman. Her eyes would sweep over the three of us with a look that clearly said, *“Look at you poor, average students. That’s what you get for not following my lead.”* As the midterm season approached, our academic load got incredibly heavy. We spent every waking hour in classes or the library. Hailey even complained that she didn’t have the energy to climb up to her top bunk. Jessica lay on her bed, scrolling through her phone, watching us with a mocking smile. “I thought you guys loved studying so much. Why do you look like you’re dying already?” “My man is so generous. Even though we’re keeping it low-key for now, just wait… Maddy, Hailey, Chloe, don’t say I didn’t offer you a ticket out of this.” Hailey groaned from her chair, “We really can’t handle that kind of luxury.” Maddy lay on her bed, eyes filled with despair, but muttered, “Let the storm rage on.” Jessica looked at me, and I shook my head. “No, thanks, Jess.”
Maddy’s sarcastic wish came true—Jessica’s demands only escalated. Early in the morning, she would snap at us to be quiet because “a pregnant woman needs her rest.” Lacking sleep, the three of us had bags under our eyes as we stuffed our heavy textbooks into our backpacks. “Hurry up! We’re going to be late!” I urged, and the three of us practically ran out the door. “This is literal torture,” Hailey grumbled. Even though we had survived her antics in our past life, dealing with it again was still incredibly frustrating. What normal pregnant woman had this much energy to play-act a wealthy housewife all day? Jessica sat in the room, popping imported snacks into her mouth one by one. I’ve always been clumsy. In both lives, I was the one who struggled to pack my things quickly. Seeing me scramble, Jessica burst into a mocking laugh. I clenched my jaw and ignored her. It was infuriating. Living with Jessica felt like every second was a year. We had to tiptoe around her “delicate emotions” every single day. Ever since she announced her pregnancy, we completely stopped trying to give her advice. We just avoided her. Though she complained about our coldness, she secretly loved seeing us “envious” of her, so she mostly stuck to bragging and throwing passive-aggressive shade. “Weren’t you guys looking down on my choices? Why are you studying yourselves to death now?” “If you had just listened to me and looked at the bigger picture, you wouldn’t have to suffer through these exams.” “Ugh, Chloe, what is that textbook? It smells so weird. Keep it away from me!” “You three, make sure you air out your stuff before bringing it into the room. I’m in a sensitive state right now. I can’t handle weird smells.” We swallowed our anger day after day, and finally, final exams arrived. Before finals week, the three of us booked a cheap hotel room near campus to study in peace. We got a full night of quiet sleep. Our bodies still ached from studying, but our minds were finally clear. Jessica’s morning sickness got worse. She would constantly bolt to the bathroom, followed by loud retching sounds. Naturally, she started ordering us around with even more authority. “Hailey, my husband sent me some high-grade bird’s nest soup. Go heat it up for me with some hot water.” “Maddy, go grab my silk robe from the balcony and hand-wash it.” “Chloe, when you go to the dining hall, grab me a nutritious meal. Salmon and shrimp. Make sure it’s fresh, I’m not picky.” But when we actually did what she asked, she would find reasons to complain. “Hailey! Why is this water so hot? You’re ruining the nutrients!” “Maddy, why is my robe so wrinkled? Did you even bother to iron it properly?” “Chloe, look at this fish! There are so many bones! How am I supposed to eat this?” Finally, the three of us snapped. “Are you out of your mind? We do you a favor and all we get is attitude? Do it yourself from now on! You’re pregnant, not paralyzed!” Jessica burst into tears. “I’m a pregnant woman! I’m going to be the wife of a billionaire! How can you talk to me like that?” “Besides, am I wrong? Pregnant women need proper nutrition! The fish does have bones, and the robe is wrinkled!” Jessica sobbed louder and louder, playing the ultimate victim as if the three of us were ganging up to bully her. Her crying attracted the girls from the neighboring dorms. They gathered at our door, whispering and taking Jessica’s side. “How can you guys be so heartless? She’s pregnant. They’re just simple requests. Can’t you roommates show some basic empathy?” “Seriously. She’s going to be a wealthy lady soon. Why not treat her better now?” Maddy was about to argue back, but I held her arm. I smiled at the crowd. “Since you guys have so much empathy and want to get close to future wealth so badly, why doesn’t Jessica move into your dorm?” “The three of us have terrible tempers, zero patience, and we don’t know how to take care of anyone. Jessica is just suffering here with us, which is bad for both her and the baby. Who wants to be a good Samaritan and take her in?” Suddenly, the hallway went dead silent. Everyone loves to play the hero when it doesn’t cost them anything.
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