Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
At the start of the semester, our dorm set a rule: whoever landed a boyfriend first had to treat everyone to dinner.
Logan Hayes and I had been high school sweethearts and stayed together after graduation. Naturally, I was the first one in a relationship.
Because we were long-distance, we scheduled the dinner for a weekend.
The second my roommate Tiffany Miller met him, she blurted out:
"Long-distance relationships never work. Guys are surrounded by too much temptation out there. He’s bound to cheat."
I kicked her foot under the table.
Logan just looked at her with a calm smile:
"If I ever betray Riley, I hope my entire future burns to ashes and I never graduate college."
Hearing that warmed my heart, so I let her snide comment slide.
A few days later, while scrolling through our anonymous campus forum out of boredom, a viral post caught my eye.
[What should I do? I fell in love with my roommate’s boyfriend!]
She ranted shamelessly:
[Why does she get to have all the money AND true love? Life is so unfair!]
[Since she’s already rich, what’s wrong with sharing her man with me?]
[Give me ideas, everyone! How do I steal him from her?]
Amidst a sea of outraged comments, one reply stood out:
[If you feel so entitled, why don't you just DM your roommate and tell her to dump him for you?]
The very next second, my phone buzzed. It was a SnapChat message from Tiffany:
[Riley, why don’t you just hand your boyfriend over to me?]
I stared at the screen for three solid seconds before typing back:
[Are you out of your mind?]
Once I hit send, total silence followed.
I waited for over half an hour, but the chat remained dead quiet.
I was furious at first.
Then I thought about it. Tiffany loved scoring small favors and mooching off people, but she wasn't completely unhinged enough to openly steal someone's man, was she?
She probably just lost a game of Truth or Dare and was acting crazy.
I flipped my phone face down on the desk and put it out of my mind.
At eight that evening, I walked back into the dorm. Before I could even say a word,
Tiffany looked at me with red-rimmed eyes.
"Riley, you're finally back!"
Sniffling, she pulled out her phone.
"My SnapChat was hacked this afternoon."
"That disgusting scammer went around sending random junk to everyone."
"If you received anything weird, please, don't take it seriously!"
I froze, suspicion creeping into my chest.
Don't account hackers usually mass-text people asking for money?
What kind of scammer has so much free time that they go around begging for someone's boyfriend?
Yet, seeing our other two roommates hovering around her, offering comfort,
I swallowed the interrogation on the tip of my tongue.
Since she had handed herself an excuse, and we still had to live under the same roof, I didn't want to create an ugly scene right then and there.
"Fine. Just be more careful next time,"
I replied flatly, turning toward the balcony to wash up.
Just as I picked up my toothbrush, Logan sent a SnapChat message.
[Babe, that roommate of yours, Tiffany, tried to add me on SnapChat this afternoon.]
Immediately after, Logan sent over a screenshot.
2:30 PM.
Tiffany had sent him a friend request.
The verification note read: [Logan, I’m Riley’s roommate, Tiffany. It’s an emergency, please add me!]
Logan hadn’t accepted it.
[I ignored it. What possible emergency could she have with me?]
Looking at the screen, I let out a dry, angry laugh.
What a convenient "hack."
The scammer stole her account not just to ask for my boyfriend, but also specifically searched for and added him?
Was this hacker moonlight as a matchmaker?
I picked up my phone, marched over to Tiffany’s desk,
and shoved the screen right in front of her face.
"Tiffany, your hacker sure is dedicated."
"How did they manage to pinpoint my boyfriend’s exact username?"
The room fell dead silent.
Tiffany instantly slapped both hands over her mouth.
"Oh my god! How could that scammer do this?!"
"Riley, is your boyfriend okay? Did they scam any money from him?"
She looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes.
"I swear I have no idea how that happened. Maybe the hacker saw his username in our group chat?"
I scoffed, shaking my head.
"My boyfriend's username is a random string of letters and numbers."
"Did your hacker suddenly develop psychic powers and memorize it?"
Tiffany bit her lower lip, tears welling up on command.
"Riley, what are you trying to say?"
"Are you accusing me of lying?"
"What would I even gain from that?! I’m already talking to someone else. Why on earth would I add your boyfriend?!"
She cried like a delicate victim, and the other two roommates couldn't stand it anymore.
"Riley, drop it. Tiffany got hacked, she’s a victim here too."
"Yeah, Logan didn't even add her anyway. Just let it go."
I looked at the three of them.
One actress, two backup singers. What a lovely little drama.
I locked my phone.
"It better be a hacker."
"Because if I ever find out someone is playing dirty behind my back, I won't hold back."
Tiffany shrank her neck and didn't dare say another word.
I climbed up to my bunk. I lay in the dark for a long time, tossing and turning.
Picking up my phone, I refreshed the campus forum.
That familiar viral thread had been updated.
[He’s so cold. He actually rejected my friend request.]
[The colder he acts, the more obsessed I become.]
[It’s fine. What you can’t have is always the most thrilling, isn't it?]The next morning, right after I finished washing up,
Tiffany slid over, holding a warm cup of milk in her hands.
"Riley, about yesterday... I'm sorry. I lost control of my emotions."
"Take this milk as an apology. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"
She smiled with pure, unadulterated sincerity.
If I hadn't read her forum update last night, I might have actually fallen for it.
I didn't take the cup.
"No thanks. I'm lactose intolerant."
Her hand froze, but she didn't lose her composure. Instead, she set it casually on her own desk.
"What about lunch? What do you want? I can pick it up for you."
"I'm good."
Over the next few days, Tiffany basically turned into my personal maid.
She fetched warm water for me, saved seats in class, and even dove to pick up pens whenever I dropped them.
Our other two roommates couldn't stop praising her.
"Riley, Tiffany already admitted she was wrong. Don't be so cold."
"We all live together. Let's just keep the peace."
I stayed silent. When someone acts completely out of character, there’s always an ulterior motive.
The nicer she acted, the higher my guard went up.
That weekend, a package arrived for me while I was swamped with an assignment.
Tiffany volunteered enthusiastically to run down to the campus mailroom and grab it.
When she came back, she held a large cardboard box.
"Riley, you bought so much men's skincare! Is Logan's birthday coming up?"
I answered casually without looking up, "Next Wednesday."
"Oh," she murmured, setting down the box before slipping out of the room.
Wednesday afternoon, right in the middle of my lecture,
Logan sent me a photo.
[Babe... is this your idea of a birthday surprise?]
[Because with this color and style, there is no way my legs are going anywhere near it.]
I tapped on the picture.
It was a pair of neon pink men's boxer briefs, stamped with a tacky print of two intertwined lovebirds.
Next to it was a small pink card.
Written in neat handwriting: "May this hold you close and keep you warm in my place—From someone who truly understands you."
Looking at those words made me physically nauseous.
I typed back instantly:
[That wasn't me! Do you think I've lost my mind?!]
Logan's call came through immediately.
"I knew it wasn't you. The size is completely off anyway."
"Is there a sender name on the shipping label?" I asked.
"No, it was sent anonymously."
"The return address is from the postal locker right outside your campus."
Everything clicked. Tiffany's bizarre behavior over the past few days flashed across my mind.
No wonder she had been so eager to do chores and grab my packages.
She was digging for his details.
What was her goal?
To disgust me with these pathetic, trashy tactics?
Or did she genuinely believe a cheap pair of pink boxers could seduce someone else's man?
I spilled everything to Logan—her weird behavior in the dorm, her fake apology, and that anonymous forum post.
On the other end of the line, Logan was silent for a long moment.
"Is this girl completely unhinged?"
"Babe, don't stress. I'm driving down to see you this weekend."
"Let's see what kind of circus she tries to pull next."
I nodded.
"Okay. I'll wait for you."When Tiffany found out Logan was coming down this weekend, she was more excited than I was.
Early Friday morning, she tore through her closet.
After trying on seven or eight outfits, she settled on an ultra-tight, low-cut slip dress.
Then she sat in front of the vanity for two whole hours putting on a full face of makeup.
The other two roommates couldn't resist gossiping: "Tiffany, dressing up so pretty! Going on a hot date?"
Tiffany slicked on bright red lipstick, glancing at me through the mirror.
"I'm meeting someone very important. If things go well, I might not come back tonight."
I was packing my backpack and didn't even bother looking up.
She could sleep with whoever she wanted, as long as she stayed away from what was mine.
At four in the afternoon, Logan texted saying he was almost at my dorm building.
Just as I put on my shoes to head downstairs, Tiffany abruptly stood up.
"Riley, I need to run downstairs to buy some things anyway. Let's walk together."
Strutting in four-inch heels, she swayed her hips, walking ahead of me.
The moment we stepped outside, I saw Logan standing under the shade of a tree, holding his suitcase.
Before I could even call out his name,
Tiffany suddenly accelerated, sprinting straight toward him.
Half a meter away from him, she let out a delicate gasp.
"Ah!"
Feigning a loss of balance, she threw herself deliberately into his chest.
Logan’s reflexes were terrifyingly fast.
Without even registering who was lunging at him, he instinctively took a massive step to the side.
At the same time, he jerked his rolling suitcase right in front of him like a shield.
Tiffany caught nothing but thin air, crashing hard onto the rough concrete.
Passing students stopped dead in their tracks, pointing and whispering.
"What is she doing? Fake fall?"
"Looked like she threw herself at that hot guy, but he dodged her completely."
"Yikes. Dressed like that in broad daylight, throwing herself at a man? That’s embarrassing."
Tiffany’s face burned scarlet. She scrambled up clumsily, trying desperately to save face.
"Logan, you're here! The ground was so slippery..."
She forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Let me treat you two to dinner tonight. Consider it an apology for the misunderstanding earlier."
Logan looked her up and down, pure disgust dripping from his eyes.
"No thanks. I'd rather not lose my appetite."
Tiffany froze, then spun around and grabbed my wrist.
"Riley, I just want to buy you guys dinner to make amends. You have to give me a chance, right?"
I yanked my arm back forcefully.
"Do you not understand plain English? We said no!"
With that, I looped my arm through Logan’s and walked away without looking back.
We left Tiffany standing alone on the sidewalk, gnashing her teeth in humiliation.
That night, Logan and I had dinner off campus.
He had booked a room at an express hotel right next to the university.
When we reached the dorm entrance, he slipped the hotel keycard into my jacket pocket.
"Tomorrow's Saturday. Sleep in as late as you want before coming over. Don't wake up early."
I nodded, watched him walk away, and headed upstairs.
The second I pushed the dorm door open, Tiffany’s snide voice drifted over.
"Well, look who's back. Your boyfriend traveled all this way, and he didn't even keep you for the night?"
"Does he really not care about you that much, or is he just too cheap to spend money on a room with you?"
I didn't bother responding to her pathetic provocation.
I took off my jacket, grabbed my clean clothes, and headed straight for the shower.
When I stepped out, only the other two roommates were in bed, wearing headphones and binge-watching shows.
Tiffany was gone.
I walked over to my desk to grab my phone from my jacket to text Logan goodnight.
I reached into the pocket.
The hotel keycard was gone.
I paused, turning the pocket completely inside out.
I searched the floor around my chair.
Nothing.
I looked up at the bunk. "Did you guys see where Tiffany went?"
One roommate pulled off an earbud. "Right after you went into the shower, she rushed out in a hurry. She didn't even grab a coat."
Her snide comment from earlier echoed in my head.
Oh no!
I whipped out my phone and messaged Logan on SnapChat.
[Are you in your room?]
One minute passed. No reply.
I dialed his number.
The line rang repeatedly until it went to voicemail.
Dread exploded in my chest.
Logan never ignored my calls—unless his phone was completely out of reach.
Without waiting for my wet hair to dry, I threw on a hoodie and bolted out the door.
I sprinted all the way to the hotel.Bursting into the lobby, I rushed straight to the front desk.
"Hi, my boyfriend is upstairs. He isn't answering his phone and I'm terrified something happened. Can you tap me up on the elevator?"
I rattled off his phone number and name.
The receptionist verified the reservation, grabbed a master keycard, and escorted me upstairs.
The elevator doors chimed open, and I raced down the hallway toward Logan’s room.
When I arrived, the door was slightly ajar.
I shoved it open.
The scene inside turned my blood to ice.
A men's dress shirt was tossed onto the carpet, right next to Tiffany's four-inch heels.
Tiffany was sitting on the floor, wearing a skimpy, revealing lace slip dress.
Her hands covered her face as she sobbed hysterically.
Logan stood by the window, six feet away from her, with only a white bath towel wrapped around his waist.
Seeing me walk in, Logan took an urgent step forward.
"Riley! Let me explain!"
"I just stepped out of the bathroom and she was already on the floor! I have no idea how she got in!"
Before I could open my mouth,
heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Two uniformed police officers burst into the room.
The second she saw the uniforms, Tiffany let out a piercing shriek.
"Help! Officer, help me!"
Her trembling hand pointed straight at Logan.
"It’s him! He lured me into this room and tried to rape me!"
Logan stood frozen, his eyes widening in pure shock.
"What the hell are you talking about?! You broke in here yourself!"
"You started stripping the second you stepped inside! I told you to get out, and you threw yourself on the floor and refused to leave!"
Tiffany trembled, weeping uncontrollably.
"Look at him! He ripped off my clothes! All I have left is this slip... and he’s still lying..."
An officer stepped forward, shielding Tiffany.
"We received a 911 dispatch regarding an attempted sexual assault."
"Put some clothes on, son. You're coming down to the precinct with us."
Logan’s face went chalk-white. He looked at me desperately.
"Riley, I swear I didn't touch her. Please believe me."
I ran over and gripped his hand tightly.
"I believe you."
Logan swallowed hard, squeezing my hand back.
Seeing this, Tiffany’s wailing grew even louder.
"Officer! She’s his girlfriend! Of course she’s going to cover for him! You can't listen to her!"
She pulled a plastic card from behind her back and held it up high.
"Logan gave me this room keycard himself!"
"He told me to come here, saying he wanted to talk."
"The minute I walked in, he came out of the bathroom and started putting his hands all over me..."
Logan couldn't contain his rage anymore and roared:
"You stole it! I gave that keycard to my girlfriend, and you stole it out of her jacket!"
The officer raised a hand, cutting off the shouting.
"Whatever happened, someone called 911. By protocol, you have to come with us."
With a click, the handcuffs locked around Logan’s wrists.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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