5
After that incident, Susan started acting strangely close to me in the dorm. She would save me a seat ir class, bring me food, and even cover for me when I wasn’t feeling well. She was always there, a constant
presence,
She would post every little thing she did for me in the group chat.
[Studying with my bestie!]
[Got Leah her favorite bubble tea.]
[Bought Leah’s favorite food for dinner.]
In the group chat, we looked like inseparable friends.
I didn’t know if she was trying to suck up to me or just get closer to my friends. She would badmouth our other roommates to me, always speaking in whispers, and would immediately stop if they came back, maki- ng it seem like we were gossiping about them.
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Chapter 2
I didn’t want to be a part of it, so I never responded. But I still fell into her trap.
One day, I walked into the dorm to find Susan and our other two roommates laughing hysterically. The mo ment they saw me, they went silent.
“What are you guys talking about?” I asked.
No one answered. They just avoided my gaze.
From that day on, I felt like an outsider. They would go out for meals together and never invite me. They changed the topic of our group project for a class, and I was the last to know. On the surface, they were polite, but there was a palpable distance between us.
But in the group chat, Susan continued to post about my life as if we were the best of friends. Sometimes wanted to correct her, but I didn’t know where to start. We looked so close online, but in reality, if you asked what was wrong, it was all just a series of small, insignificant things that would make me sound petty if I brought them up.
Until one day, I noticed my makeup had been used. I casually asked about it in the dorm.
Susan suddenly burst out, her voice full of grievance, “Yolie was just trying to be helpful and moved it for you! How could you accuse her of stealing?”
The other two roommates chimed in, their voices full of anger.
Just as I was about to speak, the text flickered in front of my eyes.
[Don’t fall for it, Leah. They’re trying to provoke you so they can spread rumors that you fly off the handle ove small things and are difficult to get along with.]
[The social butterfly’s sudden distance is an act for the other roommates, to make them think you’re so arro- gant that even she can’t handle you.]
[She’ll post all of this in the group chat. This is the second step in her takeover: testing your friends‘ loyalty to you.]
[This is just the beginning. Once she sees that your friends are on her side, she’ll steal your speech for the English competition.]
[Everyone will think you’re difficult. Your friends will ultimately believe the social butterfly. Your reputation will be ruined, you’ll drop out of school due to depression, and you’ll end your own life.]
The words sent a cold sweat down my spine. I remembered an article I had read that day: Covert bullying in the dorm room starts with everyone telling you you’re wrong.
Step one: They test you with small things.
Step two: When you push back, they band together and call you dramatic.
Step three: They collectively gaslight you until you lower your boundaries and start to believe you’re the one
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Chapter 2
at fault.
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Susan was leading the charge, getting my roommates and classmates to isolate me. Once she stole my speech, she would turn around and accuse me of stealing it from her. With the arrogant, standoffish image
she was building for me, I would be defenseless. More people would believe her.
I realized then that just ignoring her wasn’t enough. I was her prey. If I didn’t fight back, I would be devoured.
