All Chapters of No Free Rooms This Time: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stood in the classroom doorway and looked at all those familiar faces.My stomach turned.I remembered every one of them from my last life.When my family's hotel was buried under online lies and eventually forced to shut down, not one person in this room had spoken up for us.It had started with Natalie Reed, my best friend, our class president.Natalie had posted online that the Hayes Grand had been doing construction in the middle of the night during the statewide college entrance exams. According to her, the drilling and pounding had kept her awake and ruined her score.The post exploded.Tens of thousands of likes. Tens of thousands of shares. Two full days trending across social media.My parents had never cheated anyone in their lives. They were ordinary business owners who had spent years building one good hotel.But once the accusation went viral, the phones never stopped ringing.Cancellations. Complaints. Abuse.City licensing officers came to investigate. Build

Whispering broke out behind me.I didn't turn around.As I stepped into the hallway, I heard Chloe say, "What's wrong with Julia today? She looks terrible. Did she not sleep?"Then Natalie's soft, gentle voice followed."She's probably stressed about the entrance exams."How thoughtful.I almost laughed.Instead, I quickened my pace and headed downstairs.The cafeteria was packed. I got my food and found a table in the corner.Eating alone felt strange.I used to eat every meal with Natalie. We'd sit across from each other and talk like we could never run out of things to say.Now I wondered how much of that endless conversation had been friendship and how much had been setup.I took a bite.It tasted like nothing.When had I started trying so hard to make everyone like me?Probably freshman year.I had brought pastries from the hotel kitchen to field day, and everyone loved them.That feeling - being liked by everyone - had felt amazing.Too amazing.After that, gen

For one second, the room was silent.Then it erupted."Sold out? How?""It's exam weekend. Hotels near testing centers sell out weeks ahead. That's normal.""But... we haven't booked anything yet!""You never told me you were booking."My tone stayed calm.Natalie's smile froze.She opened her mouth, closed it again, and stared at me with an expression I'd never seen before."Julia."She came down from the front of the room and stopped beside my desk.When she spoke again, her voice was low enough that only I could hear."Why didn't you say that earlier? I just stood up there talking to everyone."I looked up at her."You didn't ask."Her expression shifted.Annoyance gave way to something more uncertain.Her eyes reddened. Her lips pressed together like she might cry."Julia, are you mad at me?"Her voice trembled."You've been avoiding me all day.""I'm not. You're imagining things.""Then why are you sitting in the back? You always sit next to me.""The front

"If you can help, you help."That was my father.He had spent his entire life treating people well because it never occurred to him that some people would repay kindness with cruelty.In my last life, he'd given my classmates the best rooms and moved himself into a staff room so there would be enough space.And what happened?The hotel was investigated and shut down.He was in his fifties, and his hair turned gray almost overnight."Dad, they already found places. Don't worry about it.""Oh. Good, good."I could hear the relief in his voice."Then focus on studying. After exams, I'll take you somewhere great.""Okay."I ended the call and finished lunch.At the tray return, I ran into a girl from the next class.She didn't know me.I knew her.In my last life, she was one of the very few people who had defended us online.She'd written, "I'm in the class next door. I stayed at that hotel during the entrance exams too. I never heard any construction noise."Hundreds of

Three questions in a row.Each one sounded hurt.I looked at the face I'd known for three years.Pretty, gentle, thoughtful.Whenever I did badly on a test, Natalie was the first person to comfort me.Whenever I missed school sick, she copied the notes and brought them to my house.I had believed our friendship could last forever.This was the person who destroyed my family."Natalie."My voice stayed calm."I already answered you about the hotel."It's sold out."You asked. I answered. You decided not to believe me."What exactly am I supposed to do about that?"She went still."As for moving to the back, I wanted somewhere quiet to study."And lunch? I wanted to eat alone."Do I need your permission for either of those things?"Her face went pale."Julia, that's not what I meant. I just...""Just what?"I cut her off."You thought my family had money, so we should give fifty rooms to the class for free?"You thought because I'm your friend, I should solve every