No Second Chances for the Wicked

1 My roommate, Kendall Price, intentionally slipped into the deep campus retention pond, and in my past life, I tore my muscles fighting the freezing water to drag her back onto the embankment. During mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, her split, bleeding lip pressed against mine. That single act of mercy infected me with HIV. The moment she was stable, she turned around and put me on blast across every social media platform she had. “Nora Hayes deliberately pushed me into the deep water, then put on a sick show of playing hero to save me.” “She did it just so she could infect me with HIV during CPR.” “She couldn't stand seeing me succeed, so she decided to ruin my life forever.” The internet tore me apart with a savage fury. Without even running a basic investigation, the university board expelled me to protect their public image. It was only much later that I uncovered the hideous truth: the entire tragedy had been an orchestrated performance by Kendall. She had already contracted HIV months prior after recklessly juggling eight different partners. Her theatrical dive into the dark water was nothing more than a desperate attempt to drag someone down to hell with her. I gathered medical timelines and proof, pleading my case to anyone who would listen, but the public had already cast me as the monster. Nobody believed a word. My parents, desperate to clear my name, were killed in a violent highway collision on their way to the state prosecutor's office. Drowning in grief and rage, I tracked Kendall down into the secluded mountains, doused us both in gasoline, and struck a match. When I opened my eyes again, the damp night air of the campus quad hit my lungs. I was standing right beside the stone railing of the retention pond. A few feet ahead of me, Kendall was casually staring down at her phone, subtly edging her heels closer and closer to the slick, moss-covered verge. The next second, her foot slid. Kendall let out a piercing scream, tumbling headfirst into the black water. She thrashed wildly, sending violent ripples across the surface as her heavy winter coat began dragging her down. "Help! Somebody help me!" "I can't swim!" Hearing that familiar, terrified shriek sent ice water straight through my veins. In my previous life, the moment I saw Kendall plunge into the pool, I didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. I had been a competitive swimmer since childhood and served as the captain of our varsity swim team. Within seconds, I had sliced through the water and reached her flailing arms. “Nora… save me…” she had sputtered, before feigning unconsciousness in my grip. I hauled her dead weight back to the slippery stone bank, collapsing on my knees to start rescue breathing. I had only given her two breaths when her eyes fluttered open. Before I could process anything, a sharp, metallic warmth smeared across my mouth. I wiped my lips and saw dark crimson—Kendall’s lower lip had been freshly torn open. “Nora… am I alive?” she had whispered, reaching out a trembling hand. I squeezed her fingers, out of breath and naive: “You’re safe. I got you.” Crowds of students rushed over, tossing their jackets over our shivering shoulders, and campus emergency services swarmed the scene within minutes. That single impulse of pure goodwill became the catalyst that burned my entire existence to ash. A few days later, Kendall went live on TikTok, sobbing hysterically into the camera: “My roommate pushed me into the freezing pond on purpose.” “After she forced mouth-to-mouth on me, the hospital ran blood work… and I tested positive for HIV!” “She destroyed my future!” Her tear-streaked accusations detonated across the student body and viral algorithms alike. “Jesus Christ, is she even human?” “The rescue was totally staged! She weaponized a virus!” “Rot in prison, psycho!” The university issued an immediate summary expulsion. My parents, driving through a torrential downpour to petition the district attorney’s office, were crushed when an eighteen-wheeler jackknifed across the median. They died before paramedics could even pry open the sedan. Standing in the morgue, looking at their mangled remains, something inside my skull shattered completely. Under cover of darkness, I kidnapped Kendall, dragged her deep into the dense woods behind the county line, and poured fuel across the cabin floor. Staring into my bloodshot, hollow eyes, Kendall didn't look afraid. She threw her head back and laughed—a high, manic screech that rattled the timber. “You had it coming, Nora Hayes!” “Who told you to play the righteous savior?” I gripped the lighter, silent, my knuckles white. “I jumped on purpose!” she sneered, her eyes gleaming with venom. “I wanted a scapegoat. I wanted someone to suffer with me! I never dreamed my lucky victim would be you. Tell me, Nora, how does it feel knowing my blood is rotting inside your veins right now?” “Blame your own stupid, bleeding heart!” “You didn't just ruin yourself. You killed your mommy and daddy, too!” “Hahahahaha!” Her cackling echoed through the trees until the flame dropped. As the roaring inferno consumed our skin, the only thing left in my soul was a suffocating, boundless regret. If God ever gave me another breath, I promised myself I would never show a shred of mercy again. Bzzzt. The vibration of my phone in my coat pocket snapped me back to reality. I looked up. The dark pond was right in front of me. Kendall was still in the middle of the water, splashing frantically, screaming for a savior. Without a single word, I spun on my heel and walked briskly toward the dormitory quad. A sudden autumn drizzle began to fall, pattering against the pavement, quickly turning into a heavy shower. Groups of students walking along the path pulled their hoods up and broke into a jog. Someone in the crowd slowed down near the tree line: "Hey, did you hear something back there?" "Forget it, man, the rain is pouring! If we don't run now, we're gonna get soaked!" "Yeah, come on, let's go. I'm not catching a cold out here." Footsteps hurried into the distance. Nobody turned back. The roar of the downpour completely swallowed the muffled splashing and desperate cries coming from the pond. Since Kendall Price loved throwing herself into deep water so much, she was more than welcome to stay down there and enjoy every single drop. 2 By early the next morning, our class group chat was blowing up with non-stop notifications. “Did you guys hear? Kendall Price spent the whole night trapped in the campus pond!” “What? How is that even possible? Nobody pulled her out?” “Apparently she slipped and fell in. The rain was pounding so hard last night that nobody heard her shouting.” I stared at the glowing screen of my phone, a cold smirk touching the corner of my mouth. It was almost a shame she hadn't drowned. A moment later, Marcus, our class representative, tagged everyone: “A group of us are heading over to St. Jude’s Hospital this afternoon to visit Kendall. If anyone has free time, feel free to join.” My first instinct was to ignore it completely. But on second thought, skipping out without an excuse would look overly conspicuous and give people unnecessary room to speculate. When we walked into the hospital ward that afternoon, the air was thick with the sterile bite of antiseptic mixed with the faint, metallic stench of dried blood. Kendall had just come out of facial debridement surgery. Because of the blinding rain the night before, she had landed face-first against the jagged riprap stones lining the basin. Her face was an unrecognizable mess. Lying in the bed, thick gauze wraps covered her entire head, stained with fresh pink seepage, leaving only a pair of venomous, bloodshot eyes exposed to the room. Several classmates stepped forward, placing fruit baskets and bouquets on the nightstand, offering quiet words of sympathy. "Kendall... how are you holding up?" Her voice came out through cracked, swollen lips, terrifyingly dark: "I'm fine. Except my face is completely destroyed." The entire room froze. The awkward silence was suffocating; nobody knew how to respond to that raw hostility. Suddenly, Kendall’s eyes locked onto me, standing near the back of the group. "Nora Hayes! Why didn't you pull me out?!" Her voice rose into an ear-splitting shriek. "You were right behind me! You saw me fall into the water! Why the hell did you just leave me to die?!" The sudden outburst made everyone in the room jump back in alarm. I took half a step forward, my face completely smooth, gazing at the bandage-swathed wreck in front of me. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't see you." "You're lying!" she screamed, thrashing against her pillows. "You were standing three feet behind me! You saw me go under! You did it on purpose—you wanted me dead!" She grew more hysterical by the second, her chest heaving violently. The students who had been gathered near the bed backed away in genuine fright, unnerved by her unhinged demeanor. "Kendall, I genuinely didn't see you," I said calmly, my tone measured. "When the rain started, Hailey was right next to me. We ran back to the dorm together. If you don't believe me, ask her." Hailey, standing beside me, nodded immediately. "Yeah, she's right. The storm hit out of nowhere. Nora and I bolted back together—we were both completely drenched by the time we hit the lobby." Hearing someone provide an airtight alibi for me, the murderous rage in Kendall’s exposed eyes burned even hotter. Too bad for her. I had already died once; her little demonic glares didn't scare me in the slightest. Afraid that her screaming would tear open her surgical stitches, Marcus quickly stepped in, muttering a few polite parting words before ushering our group out of the ward. As we passed the nurses’ station near the elevators, we saw several attending physicians and charge nurses walking briskly toward Kendall’s room with specialized PPE. "Honestly, you'd never guess just by looking at her... someone so young contracting that kind of disease." "Is that the girl in Room 402?" "Yeah. No wonder they ordered a strict private isolation room immediately. What a disaster." Our classmates halted in their tracks, exchanging glances of sheer bewilderment and whispered shock. I stood in the center of the hallway, quietly curling my lips upward. This time around, the vile secret she had guarded so desperately was going to be exposed to the broad daylight. The very next morning, right after our lecture let out, a middle-aged woman charged into the lecture hall like a hurricane of fury. "Which one of you is Nora Hayes?!" Marcus looked up from his notebook and pointed hesitantly toward my desk. "Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you?" Brenda Price didn't bother answering. She marched straight up to my desk, drew back her arm, and slammed a vicious slap across my cheek. Crack! The sharp sting exploded across my skin, and the left side of my face instantly flushed red and swollen. The entire lecture hall erupted into chaos. Several of my classmates quickly stepped between us, shielding me. "Who the hell are you?! You can't just come in here and hit people!" Brenda didn't show a speck of shame. She planted her feet, glaring at me like a feral dog. "Who am I? I'm Kendall Price’s mother!" "That still doesn't give you the right to put your hands on a student!" another classmate yelled back, disgusted by her behavior. "If it wasn't for this little monster, would my daughter's face be mutilated?!" Brenda shrieked. "Kendall told me everything! Nora saw her drowning and deliberately left her to rot! She's the reason my Kendall is ruined!" I held my hand against my throbbing cheek, staring at her with cold, steady eyes. "Mrs. Price, do you have any actual proof to back up that slander?" She glared at me, her chest puffing out. "Proof? My daughter's word is my proof!" She lunged forward, clawing her acrylic nails toward my hair. "You jealous little bitch! You couldn't stand how pretty my Kendall was! She told me how you've been bullying her in the dorm, making her life miserable every single day! And then you took your chance to shove her into that pond so she’d be permanently disfigured!" The moment those words left her mouth, the classmates who had been shielding me hesitated, their expressions shifting into uncomfortable doubt. Right at that moment, Marcus returned, leading our department advisor, Mr. Fletcher, into the room. Mr. Fletcher squeezed through the crowd, putting his hands up. "Ma'am, please calm down. I’m the academic advisor for this cohort." Seeing a faculty member arrive, Brenda turned the theatrics up to maximum volume. "Mr. Fletcher, you got here just in time! Your university needs to expel this sociopath immediately! She shoved her own roommate into deep water out of pure jealousy! She's a public menace!" Mr. Fletcher adjusted his glasses, turning toward me with a heavy frown. "Nora... what on earth happened? Did you really push Kendall into the pond?" 3 I shook my head firmly. "No, Mr. Fletcher. I didn't push her. I didn't even see her out there." "You lying little snake!" Seeing that I refused to roll over, Brenda swung her heavy leather handbag straight toward my skull. I didn't flinch. I reached up, caught her wrist in a vice grip, twisted her arm back, snatched the bag out of her fingers, and hurled it out the open second-story window. Thud. The heavy purse smashed onto the concrete courtyard below. The entire lecture hall fell dead silent. "Let me make something clear to you," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a frozen blade. "I showed you basic respect because you're older. But if you touch me again or keep spitting unhinged slander without evidence, I will call the police and press charges for assault and defamation on the spot." My cold, unyielding tone stunned everyone into silence. Brenda’s hand hung frozen in mid-air, trembling with shock. "You... you just wait, Nora Hayes!" she stammered, backing away. "I'm going to make sure you pay for what you did to my daughter!" Dropping her threat, she scrambled out of the classroom to retrieve her bag from the courtyard. Mr. Fletcher patted my shoulder, letting out a tired sigh. "Go down to the health center and get some ice for that cheek. Don't let yourself get dragged down by this." I nodded politely and walked out. Once I reached the quiet stairwell, I pulled out my phone and dialed a private number. "How's the background check coming along?" Listening to the detailed confirmation from the other end of the line, a sharp, merciless smile curled on my lips. "Excellent," I murmured. "Make sure every document is airtight. I want to give her the grand finale she deserves." Three days later, Kendall was discharged from the hospital. The very first thing she did was camp out in front of our residential hall, waiting for me to return from class. "Nora Hayes! Why?! Why would you do this to me?!" She planted herself in the middle of the walkway, screaming at the top of her lungs, tears and snot smearing over the medical tape on her face. "Why did you give me that filthy disease?!" It was noon, and the central plaza was packed with students heading to the dining hall. Within seconds, a massive circle of onlookers formed around us. "What's going on?" "Did someone catch something?" Seeing that she had captured an audience, Kendall launched into her prepared performance. She clutched her chest, looking like a martyr on the verge of collapsing from pure heartbreak. "Everyone, listen to me! I wanted to keep this private, but this is a serious public health hazard, and I have a duty to warn the campus!" "As everyone knows, Nora and I share a dorm suite. Last month, I ran out of supplies and borrowed some feminine hygiene products from her desk." "Right after that, my body started showing awful symptoms. I was planning on getting tested at the clinic this week, but then..." Her voice rose into a dramatic shriek. "Nora lured me out to the retention pond that night and pushed me in because she wanted to drown me and silence me forever!" The plaza erupted into gasps and murmurs. "Is that real?" "No way, Nora always seemed so quiet and studious." "Wait, but Hailey said they walked back together that night..." Skeptical and judging eyes bore into me from all directions. I stood perfectly still, crossing my arms, watching her spin her web without offering a single word of interruption. I wanted her to climb as high as she possibly could. "I couldn't understand why my own friend would try to kill me!" Kendall sobbed, milking every ounce of drama. "Until I woke up in the hospital and saw the lab work! Nora Hayes has an active STD, and she tried to murder me to cover it up!" The word STD dropped like a bomb in the middle of the crowd. "Holy shit..." "Are you serious?!" "That's horrifying... she's carrying an infection?!" The students who had been standing within five feet of me scrambled backward as if I were radiating toxic waste. Kendall wept so hard she could barely catch her breath: "My life... my entire future is destroyed because of her!" Marcus immediately stepped out from the crowd, his face grim. "Nora, you need to pack your things and move out of the dorms immediately. For everyone’s safety." Others quickly chimed in. "Yeah, get her off campus!" "That's a biohazard!" Seeing the mob turn on me so effortlessly, a flash of smug triumph gleamed behind Kendall’s tear-stained eyes. Right on cue, Brenda Price arrived, escorting Dean Henderson from Student Affairs into the center of the crowd. "There she is!" Brenda pointed a shaking, accusatory finger at my face. "That's the diseased psycho! Quarantine her and expel her right now!" Dean Henderson’s expression was thunderous. He looked at me with open disgust. "Nora Hayes, this institution holds its students to the highest moral and community standards. What you have done is an absolute disgrace." "Effective immediately, your enrollment is suspended pending formal expulsion, and all your institutional scholarships are revoked." Looking at his self-righteous, arrogant face, an icy wave of familiarity washed over me. In my past life, this same dean had signed my expulsion papers without looking at a single piece of evidence, casually throwing my life into the trash just to sweep a scandal under the rug. "Look... I really didn't want to make this public," Kendall whimpered, stepping forward with faux humility. "Nora did something monstrous, but if she's willing to get on her knees right now, apologize publicly, and pay one hundred thousand dollars toward my reconstructive surgeries and medical care... I might consider dropping criminal charges and asking the university for leniency." The surrounding crowd was instantly swayed by her "magnanimity." "Kendall, you're too nice to her!" "Seriously, after what she did, you're still giving her a way out?" Someone began clapping, and within moments, a wave of scattered applause rippled through the onlookers. Kendall bathed in the praise for several long seconds before slowly turning her gaze back to me, dripping with condescension. "Nora, I'm telling you this for your own good. Go get treated, and stop sleeping around with random men." "Have some self-respect as a woman. Don't be so cheap." Her subtle insinuation painted me as a reckless, promiscuous pariah. Disgusted whispers broke out all around us. I looked at her, and suddenly, I burst into laughter. Kendall blinked, startled. Before she could open her mouth to insult me again, the sharp wail of sirens cut through the air. Two campus police cruisers and a marked county health vehicle pulled up along the pedestrian plaza, and several uniformed officers and clinical personnel marched directly toward our circle. Kendall’s triumphant smile instantly vanished. Her skin lost every drop of color.