After my roommate Cecelia Turner stepped out, the tablet she had left on the table suddenly lit up. I glanced at it absentmindedly and saw the group chat name—Free Riders Club.

'Celebrating this month's huge payday!'

Several cash drops flooded the chat in quick succession.

My interest was piqued. So, I tapped in to take a look. Besides Cecelia, the group included our landlord and the other two roommates.

'Thanks, Cece! We couldn't have saved up so much money if you hadn't come up with the idea of overcharging Ziegler on the rent!'

'Exactly! Honestly, having Madison as a free live-in maid means we even save on housekeeping and takeout!'

The chat was filled with laughter as everyone chimed in to thank me for my "free services." Although they were thanking me, I was the only one who wasn't included in that group chat.

Seven Thousand for a Lie

My fingers trembled slightly as I kept scrolling up.

Cecelia was the group owner, and the group was created on January 12, 2023. That meant that she had already been plotting against me the day after I received my offer and shared the good news with her.

It meant that she'd known the landlord for a long time.

'Leonard, I found us a cash cow. She's my college roommate. She's naive, loaded, and all she does is study.'

'Not bad, Cece. We'll handle it the usual way,' the landlord replied instantly.

They didn't correspond very often. It was mostly Leonard asking Cecelia when she was moving in and if she needed anything.

Then, two more people joined the group after Christmas, specifically on December 28th. Those people were none other than Lillian Lauder and Isabel Corbin. They were both from Cecelia's hometown.

'Girls, welcome to the Free Riders Club.' Cecelia sent a celebratory emoji.

'Cece, can we really freeload here?' Lillian asked curiously.

'Of course! The sucker already paid the deposit.'

'Cece, you're amazing!'

'I love this group name.'

'Wow, we should've met sooner.' Isabel texted and followed with a "wish we'd known each other earlier" GIF.

'From now on, we'll be one big happy family!' Leonard chimed in as well.

I stared at those glaring lines of text, forcing down the nausea churning in my stomach, and quickly pulled out my phone to record the entire chat history.

Since Lillian and Isabel had just joined, they kept their conversations fairly restrained. Most of what they discussed was how to handle the rent and how payments would be made.

'I put this whole thing together, so I'm taking the master bedroom. No objections, right?' Cecelia asked.

'Isabel and I will share,' Lillian added. 'So, we'll take the larger secondary bedroom on the east side.'

'But we haven't talked about how the rent's being split,' Isabel reminded.

Cecelia promptly elaborated, 'The place is fully renovated. The market price is between 12 and 16 thousand. I told Ziegler it's 21,000 total, so that's 7,000 each for me, you two, and Ziegler.

'But the actual rent is 12,000. We'll split the remaining 5,000 among ourselves. Since I set this up, I'll pay 2,000, and you two can split the remaining 3,000.

'As for utilities, internet, and management fees… I'll hike up the prices for those too. We'll split it 4-4-2 for whatever extra we get. Leonard and I will take four each, and you two will take two. What do you think?

'Not only are you living for free, but you might also as well be paid to live here.'

'I'm game,' Isabel replied. 'Lillian, what about you?'

'I'm good with it too.' Lillian texted. 'This apartment is located in such a convenient area. I have no complaints.'

The rent was 12,000, and I had been paying 7,000. Worst of all, I was stuck in the smallest bedroom on the west side.

They really outdid themselves!

'Click.'

The sound of the door unlocking snapped me back. I slipped my phone into my pocket and exited WhatsApp.

Cecelia set down a package, picked up the tablet, and resumed watching her drama series. "Maddie, is dinner ready yet?" she called toward the kitchen.

"Almost," I replied, turning into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

Just like always, I plated the dishes and called everyone to the table.

Playing the Fool

"Wow, the meat stew smells amazing," Lillian commented with an exaggerated sniff.

"Maddie's cooking is always the best," Isabel chimed in.

I looked at their fake smiles and felt my stomach churn.

"I made it without scallions because I know Cece doesn't like them."

"You really know me best." Cecelia beamed.

"Come on, eat before it gets cold." I sat down and picked up my cutlery.

"Maddie, the landlord said we need to pay next year's rent on the first of March," Cecelia said casually between bites.

"What? Didn't we always pay every six months before?" I asked, surprised.

"The landlord said this place is in a great location, so he's not worried about finding tenants. There are plenty of people willing to pay even more, and they all pay a full year upfront. This time, he's only keeping the price the same because of me.

"However, we'll have to pay for a full year."

My hand paused mid-air as I was serving myself some food.

The messages from the group chat flashed through my mind. Nevertheless, I decided to play dumb and go along with it for now.

"Okay… I only prepared for half a year. I'll have to figure something out," I said, lowering my head as I quietly ate, not wanting to look at her.

"That's good. I was worried you wouldn't be able to afford it," Cecelia sighed. "I'm living paycheck to paycheck. Honestly, I can barely afford dirt at this point. Just the thought of paying a whole year's rent gives me a headache."

"Seriously, money's hard to earn these days," Lillian echoed.

As I listened to them whine about being broke, all I could think about was the cash drops flooding that group chat.

I'd been paying the rent, so they'd been practically living here for free.

The meal tasted like cardboard in my mouth, but they ate with relish. They even finished the stew down to the last drop.

Cecelia collapsed onto the couch after dinner. "Ugh, I'm so full. Maddie, do the dishes, will you? I still have an episode to finish."

…

Meanwhile, Lillian and Isabel slipped back into their rooms without a word.

My eyes fell upon the mess covering the table. Yet, I said nothing and quietly started clearing the dishes.

The water from the sink was cold, but it wasn't as cold as my heart.

Once everyone had retreated to their rooms, I closed my bedroom door and locked it. I closed my eyes and leaned against it. As a long sigh escaped my lips, I pulled out my phone, put on my earphones, and opened the video I had just recorded.

The group chat was like a blade. Each message cut straight into my heart.

The memory took me back to before Christmas in 2025.

We had agreed to do a full apartment cleaning. Yet, that morning, Cecelia had been curled up on the couch, clutching her stomach and rolling in pain. "Maddie, my cramps are killing me. I can't get up."

When I saw how pale she looked, I went out of my way to brew her some ginger and turmeric tea and told her to rest.

Not long after, Lillian called, saying her boyfriend couldn't make it back. Then, Isabel texted me saying her company had suddenly assigned her group a major project and everyone had to work overtime.

I was the only one left in that huge three-bedroom apartment for four tenants. In the end, I had no choice but to clean everything myself as the holidays were just around the corner.

Yet, what did I get for my contributions? All I got was Cecelia posting a photo of me kneeling and scrubbing the floor in the group chat.

'Look at our free maid working so hard.'

'Haha, she was born to be on her knees,' Lillian replied instantly.

'I'm at the mall right now. Do these shoes look good?' Isabel sent a picture.

'They look great. Send me your location. I'll come check them out too,' Lillian responded.

'Having someone wait on you feels amazing,' Cecelia added a smug emoji.

I stared at the photo on the screen, my nails digging uncontrollably into my palm.

That day, I had been so exhausted I didn't even eat dinner. Meanwhile, they mocked me freely in the group chat.

I took a deep breath, wiped away my tears, and kept scrolling.

Last Thanksgiving, I had been burning with a fever of over 102°F. My whole body had been aching so badly that I couldn't even get out of bed.

I had sent Cecelia a WhatsApp message, asking her to pick up some fever medicine from the pharmacy at the complex entrance…

Rent Trap

However, Cecelia rejected my request. 'I'm busy today, Maddie. I'll likely be working overtime. Why don't you get it delivered?'

In the end, I had to drag myself into a cab just to get to the hospital.

I was stuck on the IV drip for four hours.

No one checked in on me at all.

Later on, Lilian sent a picture in the group chat around 1 p.m. It was a photo of a luxurious seafood feast worth hundreds.

'The rent just got paid. Let's have a feast today,' she messaged.

I was burning up with a fever in the hospital.

Meanwhile, they were having a feast on my dime.

I kept scrolling.

Last year, on the 18th of October, which was my birthday, I had left work early that day, hoping to celebrate with the group.

I had happily cooked up a feast and sent a photo of it to the group chat.

…

At least 30 minutes passed before Cecelia replied, 'Sorry, Maddie. I have to work late tonight.'

'Me too. My boss is glaring at me again,' Lillian added.

'I'm still in a meeting with a client. You can eat first,' Isabel said in refusal.

That evening, I sat alone at the dining table.

I stared at the table laden with cold food.

As for what they had been doing?

Cecelia posted a selfie of herself in a fine dining restaurant.

Lillian and Isabel were grinning in the photo.

'Cheers! Congratulations on another free meal!' Cecelia wrote in the caption.

Lillian sent a mocking emoji. 'That fool is likely waiting at home for us.'

Isabel seized the chance to twist the knife. 'Her cooking is so bad. Not even dogs would eat it.'

Those words hurt my eyes.

They burned.

I thought we were best friends.

I thought we would take good care of each other.

In the end, I was nothing but a jester they would poke and prod.

I did my best to calm myself, holding my tears back.

I downloaded a copy of the videos and took screenshots of the entire conversation, as well as the detailed information about the messages.

I sat before my laptop, tallying up the incidents, post by post, message by message.

The more I read, the colder I felt.

Before I knew it, a week had passed.

Finally, I had most of the screenshots and statistics matched up.

I walked over to my window.

In the world beyond, lights shone and flickered with warmth.

However, I felt as though I'd been doused in ice in my tiny west-facing bedroom.

I refused to let them leech off of me anymore.

I refused to allow them to get away with this!

My phone buzzed on the table. It was a message from Cecelia.

'Maddie, are you asleep? I'm hungry. I'm craving the toast sandwiches sold just outside the gates.'

She even sent a begging emoji.

I ignored her, pretending I didn't see her message.

Later on, she started banging on my door.

I chose to ignore her once more.

After a few long moments, I finally heard Cecelia leave the apartment.

I snuck into her bedroom to check on what they would be saying.

'Why is the fool so silent today? I'm starving.'

'She likely fell asleep.'

'She sleeps like the dead. I banged on her door for so long, yet she didn't wake up. Now, I have to head out to buy food myself.'

Cecelia sent a sighing emoji before continuing the conversation.

'We'll have to pay for next year's maintenance fees next week.

'I want to force her out after she pays. Then, my boyfriend will move in. He said he'll pay the rest.'

The moment those messages were sent...

The group chat came alive with chatter.

Lillian sent three thumbs-up emojis in a row. 'That's an amazing idea, Cece!'

'Now, I can even see a hottie all day long.' Isabel sent a few GIFs to express her excitement.

Only now did I understand why she wanted me to pay a whole year's rent in one go. That was her goal.

After I recorded everything, I snuck back to my room and continued verifying the rest of the data.

They wanted to cheat me out of my money?

They wanted to kick me out?

Dream on!

However, something felt off when I thought about Cecelia's reminder to pay a full year of rent and the messages in the group chat.

The landlord had to play along with their ruse, sending out false invoices for the rent along with the rest of the utilities for this entire scheme to work.