Chapter 3

In just twenty minutes, I was back with the white box marked with a logo, and I put it on Sue's desk.

Sue looked up at me, smiling even though her eyes were still beady. "Thanks, Zoe."

I said nothing and simply returned to my desk, picking up my bottle for a swig.

Sue happily opened her box, scooped a spoonful, and chomped on it.

"Oh, it's so good," she sighed, her eyes closed in utter bliss.

Tiffany scoffed, "You're too nice, Sue. I'd have snapped long ago if I had to deal with 'that'."

She really emphasized the word 'that', but Sue put down her spoon and turned to smile at her. 'It's nothing. We're all roommates and we all should get along. And she did buy it for me…"

She then resumed eating, and suddenly slowed down after the third scoop, dropping her spoon with a clatter.

She then closed the box, her fingers paling as she squeezed it.

Tiffany asked, "What's wrong?"

Sue didn't answer immediately. "It's nothing. I need to go, something urgent…"

She then stood up and threw on her coat, still holding on to the box of cake.

And with that, she was gone, slamming the door shut behind her.

Tiffany muttered, "What the heck? It's very late, and it's dangerous out there."

Bobo's eyes were on her screen as she replied casually, "What could happen anyway? She'd call us if there's trouble."

I alone was silent as I took my phone and lay down in bed.

It felt like every second since then slowed down, all the way until 2am.

Every light in the dorms was out, with Tiffany's curtains pulled up while Bobo's bunk was dead silent too.

Only my phone screen was still glowing, as I was sipping through my school group.

Eventually, a new post with three images attached popped up.

The first image was a dimly lit hallway in the hospital.

The second was a toxicology report, with all the highlights marked in red.

The third was a white box with a pink ribbon.

The logo was blurred out with mosaic, but I recognized that box—it was the same box I had put on Sue's desk.

And the caption of the image post was: [Midnight trip to the ER. Got sick from the tiramisu my roommate bought for me.]

My fingers paused, my eyes apathetic under the screen's glow.

I eventually swiped down to the comments section, which obviously blew up.

[What?! Your roommate poisoned you?!]

[Is the stall's tiramisu the problem? OP, please clarify!]

[Learn to read. OP said 'the tiramisu her roommate bought'. It wasn't the stall.]

[Who's the roommate? Please clarify!]

[Whoa, OP is a candidate for postgraduate admission. Don't tell me…]

[No censors! Never protect criminals!]

[Zoe Jackson, foreign language faculty. No need to thank me.]

The post was made an hour ago, but the comments had reached 3,000.

The shares and reposts were still continuing, with the number of likes still climbing.

[Bored of studying and wanting to try life as a criminal?]

[She looks so down-to-earth too. Those types are the scariest.]

[Rumor has it she was on bad terms with the victims. Probably just jealous.]

[Elaborate on that, please?]

[I was in the next room—the girls were fighting and they were all defending Sue, but Zoe doubled down.

I kept swimming down.

[The toxicology results were 'industrial alcohol'. That stuff leaves you blind—Sue is lucky to walk away with illness.]

[Did you call the cops? You really should!]

[Is OP alright? Is she alive?]

Sue eventually replied: [Thank you everyone for your concern. I'm hooked up to an IV after dialysis. I didn't call the cops because I'm scared… Zoe was always good to me…]

With the crying emoji attached behind, the comment section blew up again.

[Call the cops! You have to!]

[You'd be complicit in murder if you don't!]

[No settlements! Who knows when she will do it again!]

[@MontjieuEdu You have to deal with this.]