Chapter 2
Among the stream of vile messages lighting up my screen, I first noticed one from a friend at our university.
“Kyra, you should check out… the Campus Forum. What’s going on there?” The message stood out because this friend normally never cared about campus gossip, so the fact she was directing me to the Campus Forum meant this had blown up significantly.
After opening my social media, 1 quickly scrolled until finding the viral post that had captured everyone’s attention:
“We are Kyra’s roommates, and at the request of those involved, we’ve taken these photos (attached).”
“We’re extremely reluctant to believe our roommate is such a heartless and greedy person.”
Below the text was nine photos showing various branded bags and expensive gifts, each appearing quite valuable. They had specifically marked out one item with a detailed caption: “This bear pendant–we checked–is smaller than a fist but costs $800, and Kyra has FIVE of them.”
The post continued with damning accusations: “As far as we know, Kyra’s family isn’t wealthy. Where she got the money for these luxury items is obvious. We only learned the truth today–Rylan wanted to save money with you out of love, and this is how you treat your joint savings? Especially now when he’s in danger, you turn a blind eye. We’re exposing all this today, and we no longer want to be your roommates.”
The post had already sparked intense discussion, and now, with my roommate explaining the ins and outs, it has further ignited my classmates‘ anger.
“Damn, this girl is so selfish!”
“This proves couples should never mix finances.”
“God, how could he do this to himself? That guy is so skinny, yet she spends money so
“Terrifying. I’m afraid to date now–scared of being treated like an ATM.”
Some took the opportunity to make broader generalizations: “Women have
frivolously, like a parasite…”
it so easy making money. If I were a woman dating ten guys, I’d be loaded.”
“Money for $800 charms and thousand–dollar bags, but none for her boyfriend’s medical bills? A woman drowning in vanity.”
Yet compared to my private messages, the comments section was actually tame–merely sharp criticisms rather than the truly disgusting messages flooding my inbox.
There, people who didn’t know the full story hurled insults at me indiscriminately, especially the guys who put themselves in Rylan’s shoes. Even though they had never gone through anything like this themselves, they now banded together, full of righteous indignation.
With a heavy sigh, I finally returned to my dorm, only to find my clothes and bags thrown on the floor and covered in dust. Several of my sheer dresses had new holes, and my bags displayed obvious scratch marks across their surfaces.
Meanwhile, my three roommates sat inside, busily with their phones and makeup, deliberately acting as if I didn’t exist.
As I surveyed the damage to my belongings, my expression darkened: “You’re damaging someone else’s property. I can call 911.”
Without even turning her head, Lisa continued applying her makeup, admiring herself in the mirror from different angles. “Go ahead, call them,” she sneered while blending her eyeshadow. “While you’re at it, why don’t you explain exactly where these things came from and whose money bought them? Let’s see who ends up paying compensation–us or you.”
Her voice dripped with contempt, without a trace of guilt or hesitation.
Another roommate immediately chimed in, crossing her legs dramatically as she lounged on her bed. “Hmph, now I understand how you afford showing off new things every day–you’re spending someone else’s hard–earned money. No wonder you treat everything so carelessly,” she remarked with a mocking smile.
The third roommate didn’t even bother acknowledging my presence, completely ignoring the confrontation.
Seeing their completely unbothered attitudes, I stopped arguing and instead walked directly to their closets, throwing the doors open with purpose. Without hesitation, 1 grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting through their clothes methodically.
