My famously cheap roommate suddenly smiled brightly on the first day of the semester and announced: “I’m treating the whole dorm to high-end sushi this Saturday! Nobody flake on me!” The room instantly exploded. Everyone was screaming with joy—except me. A chill ran straight down my spine. This was a girl who would demand compensation if you used one extra tissue of hers. Now she wanted to treat six people to an expensive omakase dinner? The more I thought about it, the more my stomach tied in knots. That very night, I submitted a request for a leave of absence. The next morning, I packed my bags and went straight home. On the third day, while I was at the hospital accompanying my mom for a checkup, my phone started vibrating like a jackhammer. I opened it to find 78 missed calls from my roommates, and 99+ messages in our group chat. The most recent message read: “You are so lucky you didn’t come! Do you have any idea what she did to us?!” I opened the chat and instantly understood everything. Just as I suspected, that extravagant “back-to-school dinner” was never a free lunch. 01 Chloe clapped her hands twice, smiling with terrifying enthusiasm. “Girls, listen up!” The dorm quieted down. “This Saturday night, dinner is on me! I’ve already booked a private room at that new high-end sushi place downtown!” The air went dead silent. A second later, the dorm nearly flipped upside down. “Are you serious?! That place is like two hundred bucks a person!” “Chloe, did you win the lottery or something?” “Starting the semester off as a high roller!” Maya practically threw herself at Chloe in a hug. Harper was already pulling up the menu on Yelp. Everyone’s face was flushed with pure excitement. Standing in the center of the room, Chloe smiled, looking incredibly satisfied. “Oh, it’s not that much money.” “We’re juniors now! It’s to celebrate the new semester, and to thank you all for putting up with me for the last two years.” The room erupted into another round of cheering. But my brain was rapidly flashing through every interaction I’d ever had with Chloe. Last semester, we bought a bulk pack of laundry detergent for the dorm. It came out to $13.80 per person. Chloe pretended she didn’t see the Venmo request until the very end of the semester, and then reluctantly sent $10. When we ordered UberEats together, she always claimed she didn’t have Uber One, forcing someone else to place the order—but she conveniently never chipped in for the delivery fees. When someone had a birthday, she accepted expensive gifts without hesitation. But when it was her turn to give, she bought a $9.99 pack of hair ties from Amazon. One time, Maya used a single tissue from Chloe’s desk to blow her nose. That very night, when Maya wasn’t around, Chloe took half a pack of Maya’s makeup wipes, justifying it by saying, “Well, she uses my stuff all the time anyway.” And this person was suddenly treating the entire dorm to a luxury sushi dinner? I called bullshit. When someone who calculates every single penny down to the bone suddenly decides to drop serious cash, it’s always because they expect a much larger return on investment. What does she want from us? My eyes instinctively swept across the room. Sitting on our desks were our freshly unburied Student IDs, driver’s licenses, financial aid paperwork, and various debit cards we had taken out for syllabus week registration. Chloe’s eyes were doing the exact same thing. She was casually scanning those exact items. In that split second, a layer of cold sweat broke out across my back. That night, the girls were still buzzing, discussing which dresses they were going to wear on Saturday. I sat quietly at my desk, logged into the university portal, and submitted a request for a leave of absence. Reason: Unexpected family emergency requiring me to act as a medical caregiver for my mother. The system pinged: Submitted. Pending Advisor Approval. Then, I opened my Amtrak app and bought a train ticket home for the crack of dawn the next morning. Just as I locked my phone, a text from Chloe popped up. “Stella, you’re definitely coming on Saturday, right?” I replied: “A family emergency came up. I probably won’t be able to make it.” She replied instantly. “What kind of emergency? Can’t you just come back for dinner on Saturday and leave after?” Staring at those words, the knot of anxiety in my chest pulled tighter. I replied: “No. I can’t.” Immediately, her messages started coming in rapid-fire. I flipped the silent switch on my phone and placed it face down on the desk. The dorm was brightly lit, echoing with my roommates’ laughter. Lying in bed, the more I analyzed it, the more terrifying it felt. Chloe was not the kind of person who gave without a reason. When she treated someone well, it was never out of kindness. It was an investment. 02 The moment the sun came up, I washed my face, grabbed my backpack, and marched straight to the academic advising office. My advisor, Ms. Davis, looked surprised when she saw me. “Stella? You want to take a leave of absence on the second day of classes? What happened?” I lowered my eyes, keeping my voice as steady as possible. “My mother’s health took a sharp decline. She needs to undergo a series of comprehensive tests, and there’s no one else at home to accompany her.” Ms. Davis frowned in concern. “A leave of absence is a huge deal. You have a stellar GPA, and your junior year courses are critical. Are you absolutely certain?” “I am certain.” She studied me for a moment, but didn’t press further. “Alright. I’ll file it as an extended medical family leave alongside a preliminary withdrawal application.” “Thank you, Ms. Davis.” Right before I walked out the door, I added one more thing. “Ms. Davis, I’d like to temporarily deactivate my dorm keycard access. And if I return next semester, I’d like to request a room transfer.” Ms. Davis froze. “Did you have a falling out with your roommates?” “No. The situation at home is just highly unstable right now, and I’m worried about losing my keycard while traveling back and forth. It’s a security concern.” Though she looked a bit suspicious, she nodded. Leaving the advising office, I went straight to the campus ID center. Reported my card lost. Paid the replacement fee. Froze the old card completely. The staff member asked, “You’re sure you can’t find the old one?” “Yes,” I replied. “I’m worried someone else might try to use it.” With the logistics handled, I returned to the dorm to pack. Chloe was the only one in the room. She was scrolling on her phone, but when she saw me dragging my suitcase out from under the bed, the color drained from her face. “Are you actually leaving?” “Yeah.” “Seriously, Stella? It’s just one dinner. Do you really have to be this disrespectful to me?” I folded my shirts into the suitcase one by one. “There’s a family emergency.” She walked over, her tone softening dramatically. “But this dinner is really important to me. I wanted to tell you guys some things face-to-face, to thank you, and… well, I actually have a small favor to ask.” My hands stopped moving. “What kind of favor?” Her eyes darted away for a fraction of a second. “I’ll tell you guys when we get there! It’ll be easier to explain when the vibe is good.” I went back to packing. “I’m sorry. I can’t go.” Chloe stood frozen, the fake smile slowly peeling off her face. “Stella, do you just look down on me? Do you think because I’m usually frugal, I can’t afford to treat you guys?” I zipped up my suitcase and looked her dead in the eye. “No.” “Then why do you have to leave?” “Because there is an emergency at home.” She stared at me, a fleeting, deeply sinister shadow crossing her eyes. “Fine. Then hurry back when you’re done. Are you absolutely sure you can’t make it Saturday night?” “I can’t make it.” I swung my backpack onto my shoulders and grabbed my suitcase handle. Just as I opened the door, she suddenly spoke from behind me. “Stella. Don’t regret this.” My footsteps paused. When I looked back, she had already lowered her head back to her phone, acting as if the threat had just been a casual remark. I didn’t answer her. After I got home, my phone was peacefully quiet for the entire night. My mom asked me, “Why do you look so zoned out?” I smiled. “Probably just tired from the train ride. Haven’t fully processed being home yet.” I turned my phone completely off, indulging in a moment of absolute tranquility. It felt like the dead calm before a hurricane. 03 For a brief moment, I questioned if I was just being overly paranoid. Maybe Chloe was just letting her vanity get the best of her, wanting to play the big shot for once. Maybe by ditching, I had just alienated my entire dorm over nothing. But looking at the black screen of my phone, I didn’t regret my choice. There are some parties you can skip, and the only consequence is missing out on some gossip. But there are other parties where, once you sit down at the table, you never get to leave. The next morning, I was sitting with my mom in the waiting room of the outpatient testing center. The hallway was packed, smelling faintly of bleach and cheap coffee. My mom was reading through her pre-checkup paperwork. My phone had been completely powered down since yesterday afternoon. After a night of peace, the self-doubt started creeping back in. Was I really overthinking this? Maybe Chloe actually did win some money, or maybe she genuinely just wanted to thank us? Was it way too dark of me to assume the absolute worst about her just because she was cheap? I picked up my phone, staring at it for a long time. To turn it on, or not? I took a deep breath of the sterile hospital air. Running away wouldn’t solve the mystery. I needed to know the answer. I held down the power button. The moment the lock screen illuminated, the entire device began violently vibrating. BZZZZ—BZZZZ—BZZZZ— It jumped in my palm so aggressively I almost dropped it. Notifications, pop-ups, and missed call alerts cascaded down the screen like a digital avalanche. It felt like I was holding a live grenade. Missed calls: 78. They were from Maya, Harper, Lily, and even my advisor, Ms. Davis. Chloe’s name was in there too. But only once. The little red notification badge on my iMessage app read “99+”. My heart slammed against my ribs. The blood rushed straight to my head. Something happened. Something really, really bad happened. With trembling fingers, I opened my chat with Maya first. The screen was a solid wall of frantic texts and voice memos. “STELLA! WHERE ARE YOU?!!” “CALL ME BACK RIGHT NOW!!” “WE ARE SO SCREWED!!!” Her most recent message was followed by a string of sobbing emojis. “YOU ARE SO LUCKY YOU DIDN’T COME!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT CHLOE DID TO US?!” My fingertips went ice cold. My lungs felt tight. I didn’t reply to her. Instead, I backed out and opened the dorm group chat. “Suite 4B Girlies 💕” The name felt like a sick, twisted joke now. The chat looked like a war zone. “What do we do?! Is this actually legal?!” “My parents are going to literally kill me!” “CHLOE! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW! ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?!” “She’s gone! She cleared out her half of the room! SHE RAN AWAY!!” I scrolled frantically up through the panic. Until I hit a photo. And my breathing completely stopped.
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