Chapter 1

The helpless look on my roommate Lily Carter's face froze instantly.

She stared at me, clearly not expecting that answer.

"Jamie Lane, what is wrong with you?" She kept her voice low, but there was no hiding the irritation in it. "I'm just going to a walk-in clinic to get some ibuprofen. Why would you call an ambulance? Are you trying to get our advisor involved?"

I slipped the attendance sheet back into my backpack and zipped it shut. "Campus housing rules require residents to notify the dorm staff before leaving campus overnight."

I met her eyes. "You're saying your cramps are so bad that you need to leave campus in the middle of the night. If it's that serious, I'm not taking responsibility for letting you walk out of here alone. And if something happens to you after you leave, who's going to answer for it?"

Lily clenched her jaw. Tears immediately welled in her eyes.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? If you call Ms. Dawson now, she's going to lose it! Just check my name off the sheet. Nobody's going to know. Jamie, you always act like such a goody-two-shoes. How can you be this heartless when I actually need your help?"

Still crying, she reached for my backpack. "Give me the sheet. I'll check myself off!"

I slapped her hand away.

The sharp smack echoed through the room.

Lily yelped and jerked her hand back, staring at me in disbelief. "You hit me?"

"I'm teaching you to keep your hands to yourself," I said coldly.

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

Our other roommate, Sophie Reed, walked out with a sheet mask still on her face. "What is going on out here? It's the middle of the night. Some of us are trying to sleep."

Lily immediately rushed over as if she'd finally found a source of support and grabbed Sophie's arm.

"Sophie, tell me if I'm being unreasonable here. My cramps are killing me, so I wanted to run to a clinic and get some medicine. All I asked Jamie to do was cover for me during the room check.

"But not only did she refuse, she also threatened to call an ambulance and drag Ms. Dawson into it!"

Lily thrust out the hand I'd slapped. "And she hit me!"

Sophie peeled off her face mask, and her expression immediately changed. She looked me up and down before giving an irritated scoff.

"Seriously, Jamie? That's a little much, don't you think? We're roommates. What's wrong with helping each other out once in a while? You're just the floor rep. It's not like they handed you a badge and made you campus police. Don't let it go to your head."

With someone finally taking her side, Lily immediately found her confidence again. "Exactly! Keep acting like this, and I'll get everyone on the floor to vote you out tomorrow."

I looked at the two of them and almost laughed.

They really had no idea what was coming.

The comments popped up one after another.

"Don't give in! She's trying to guilt-trip you!"

"Her phone has buzzed three times already. Mr. Miller is outside losing his mind waiting for her."

"The second you mark her as present, you're screwed. By tomorrow morning, when the whole campus will find out about the affair, you'll be the one who falsified the room check to help cover it up."

I folded my arms and stared Lily down.

"Save the guilt trip. You want roommates to help each other? Fine. You said you're going to a clinic, right? Which clinic? Who's the doctor on duty? What are they going to give you for the pain?"

I pulled out my phone. "Since I'm the floor rep and apparently take my responsibilities way too seriously, why don't I call the clinic right now? We can get a doctor on video and have them check you out before you even leave."

Lily faltered. "I… I haven't been there yet. How am I supposed to know which doctor is working?"

"Then how did you know the clinic was still seeing patients?" I shot back. "It's 11:00 pm. Which clinic in Brookhaven is even open this late?"

Sophie frowned. "Why does it matter which one is open? Jamie, are you seriously interrogating her over this?"

"Interrogating her?" I laughed.

I walked up to Lily and took a pointed look at her face.

She was wearing a full face of makeup, right down to the false lashes.

"You're supposedly in so much pain you're about to pass out, but you still had time to put on your best red lipstick?"

My gaze dropped to her feet. "And you're barely able to stand, but you're heading to the clinic in three-inch heels?"

Lily took a step back, one hand flying to cover her mouth. Her eyes darted away. "I… I put this on earlier. I went out this afternoon and forgot to take my makeup off!"