Chapter 2

The news spread like wildfire.

By 7:00 pm, someone had already posted anonymously in our year's group chat.

"Something major happened in the Building 3 women's dorm. Someone transmitted an infection to her roommate."

"I heard it happened over a borrowed sanitary pad."

"Seriously? That's disgusting!"

When I got back to the dorm, the door was ajar.

The room fell instantly silent the moment I stepped inside.

Nancy sat on her bed, while Judy stood by the closet.

When the two of them saw me, they looked at me as if I were carrying a biohazard.

I dropped my books onto the desk, and Judy immediately jerked back a step.

"Calista, don't touch the shared table," she blurted out.

I stared at her. "Why not?"

Judy looked slightly sheepish. "That's not what I meant. It's just that nothing has been cleared up yet, so we should all exercise some caution."

Nancy chimed in softly, "Maddie is already going through enough as it is. She cried all afternoon, saying her life was completely over."

She hesitated, then added, "She's only 20 years old."

I pulled out a chair and sat down. "So?"

Nancy froze.

I continued, "Does that mean she gets to pin a malicious lie on me just because she's suffering?"

Judy frowned. "Can you quit being so heartless? She tested positive for HIV. You can't seriously treat something like this as a joke."

"So until I test negative, you're all just going to assume I'm guilty?" I asked.

Nobody answered. The only sound in the room was the low hum of the ceiling fan.

A little while later, Madison came back.

As soon as she walked in, Nancy rushed over to support her. "Maddie, why did you come back? Didn't the doctor tell you to rest?"

Madison shook her head weakly.

She looked over at me, and tears spilled instantly from her eyes. "Calista, I really don't want to blame you. If you didn't mean to do it, I can find it in my heart to forgive you."

The moment those words left her mouth, Judy shot me a look of pure hostility.

I smiled. "If you don't want to blame me, then keep my name out of your mouth entirely."

Madison choked back a sob. She clenched her fingers tightly around the hem of her shirt.

"I'm just telling the truth," she muttered.

"Then provide some evidence to back it up," I retorted.

The room fell dead silent.

Ten minutes later, Percy posted a formal notice in the class group chat. He wrote, "To protect the health and safety of our student body, Calista Lambert will be temporarily relocated from her current dorm room until further arrangements can be made."

Several students quickly replied to acknowledge receipt.

Nancy saw the notification and let out an obvious sigh of relief.

Judy said quietly, "It's better for everyone."

That was what they kept saying.

I had heard those words far too many times in my past life. They said it was better for everyone when they forced me out of the dorm.

When they stripped away my research position, they claimed they were doing it for the collective safety.

They used that exact same justification when they pressured me into taking a leave of absence.

Calmly, I packed two changes of clothes and my laptop into a bag. I didn't bother taking anything else, knowing full well this was only the opening act.

Even the downstairs dorm supervisor, Marika Lance, looked at me differently.

She handed me the key to a temporary dorm room, her voice dropping to a nervous whisper. "Calista, don't hold a grudge against the school. Parents are panicking right now."

I took the key from her hand. "Okay."

"If something really is wrong, get treatment right away. Don't wait," she said.

I looked up at her, and she hurriedly looked away.

I lugged my bag toward the far end of the hallway. The temporary quarters were tucked around a corner on the first floor, right next to the janitorial storage room.

The air inside smelled thick and damp.

I set my bag on the bed.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Percy.

"Your scholarship application has been suspended pending investigation."

I turned off my phone and sat beside the damp bed.

I remained completely unfazed.

Madison thought she had won the first half of the battle by getting me banished here.

She had no idea.

I was waiting for her to take this as far as she could.