Chapter 1
For my birthday, my friend gave me a designer handbag.
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When my roommate saw it, she couldn’t stop gushing about how generous my friend was and begged me to
introduce them.
I let her join a game with us, and then she pestered me to add her to our group chat.
Just as I was about to add her, a line of text flashed before my eyes:
[Don’t do it. The social butterfly roommate will take over your entire friend group.]
[You’re about to be frozen out by both your friends and your roommate.]
[In the end, you’ll die by suicide due to depression.]
I slowly lowered the phone I had just picked up.
And replied to her:
“My friends don’t like playing with strangers.”
1
Seeing my refusal, my roommate, Susan, didn’t let up.
“How do you know if you don’t try? I’m so good with people, I’m sure they’ll love me. My best quality is that I
can get along with anyone.”
Susan continued to sing her own praises, but my attention was fixed on the text floating in front of me.
The social butterfly roommate will take over your entire friend group. Was that about me? Was Susan the ”
social butterfly roommate“?
Frozen out by both your friends and your roommate?
Whether it was real or not, I decided to be cautious.
Ever since she saw the birthday gifts my friends gave me, Susan had been clinging to me, begging for an
introduction. As an introvert, I hated having new people suddenly thrust into my friend group. I had already
refused her twice.
The third time, I was in the middle of a game when she started pestering me to join. My friends were urging me to get online. Suddenly, she leaned over and shouted into my headset, “Hi! I’m Leah’s roommate, and I love playing Valorant too! Can I join you guys?”
My friends were in a hurry to start. “Sure, sure!” one of them said cheerfully. “We’re short one player anyway.
The more the merrier!”
Susan dominated the voice chat, shouting and laughing. Every time I tried to say something to my friends,
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Chapter 1
her voice would cut in. I eventually just gave up and stayed quiet.
After the match, she had the nerve to criticize my performance.
“Leah, your skills are terrible. Don’t worry, I’ll carry you for a few more rounds.”
“Add me to your group chat,” she demanded. “That way I’ll be online whenever you guys want to team up.”
I hesitated. Just as I was about to give in, the strange text appeared. I changed my mind. “My friends don‘ like strangers,” I said.
But I should have known Susan’s “social butterfly” nickname wasn’t for nothing.
I had just come out of the bathroom when Susan waved my phone at me triumphantly.
“Leah, I asked your friends, and they all really like me! They said it’s fine for me to join your group.”
My eyes narrowed. “Did you go through my phone without my permission?”
She rolled her eyes. “I just borrowed it. If I had their contact info, I wouldn’t have needed to!”
I was about to argue when another line of text appeared overhead:
[Ugh, I’m gonna be sick. Taking something without asking is stealing. She’s really desperate to get into this friend group.]
[Just watch. If Leah doesn’t add her, she’ll just do it herself secretly.]
[That’s right. Tonight, she’s going to use Leah’s phone to add herself to the group chat, then claim Leah beg- ged her to join.]
Reading these lines, an idea began to form.
I ignored Susan, took my phone back, and walked out of the dorm. She stomped her foot in frustration behi-
nd me.
That night, I went to bed early. I hid my old phone on a bookshelf, positioning it to record the room, and left my current phone on my desk, pretending I’d forgotten it.
In the middle of the night, I heard a rustling sound from under my bed.
