The second I stepped into Room 501, that clean, crisp book smell hit me.

My three roommates sat at their desks, quietly turning pages.

The place was spotless. No clothes or makeup everywhere. No disgusting, trashed bathroom.

No one would slap me awake at night.

No one would send me out for food mid-study.

No one would knock my teeth loose over socks.

Even if these girls looked like they had their own quirks—

But this?

This was the college life I wanted.

Free. Bright. Wide open.

I slid my suitcase into the closet. Worried I smelled, I ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

The second I opened the door—

Bang!

A party popper went off over my head.

My roommates stood there with a cake, grinning. "Welcome to the 501 bookworm dorm!"

Their bright, open faces made my eyes sting. The cake was small, "501" written on top, a little crooked.

"Before this, nobody wanted to room with us. Said we were depressing. Study monsters." A pause. "We hope you stay with us a long time, Mia."

I swallowed it down and took the cake. "Of course. I really admire smart people."

We spread a blanket on the floor and sat in a circle, sharing the cake.

We traded hometowns, school stories, future plans.

The weight that'd crushed me for four years finally lifted, like it blew away.

My new life had started.

That night, lying in bed, I saw Chloe's post.

A secondhand LV bag.

Caption: [Rich dorm roomie is way too generous. Grabbed her food, got an LV in return. I love 502!]

Of course she didn't stop to wonder why rich girls would choose a four-person dorm.

Not my problem.

I turned off my phone and let the quiet sink in. Sleep hit fast.

In both lives, it was the best sleep I'd had in four years.

***

Early the next morning, someone started pounding on the 501 door.

Chloe screamed from outside, "Mia, get out here. Mia, you tramp, get out here."

I opened it. She stormed in.

"Why didn't you tell me those three rich girls are disgusting? They don't even flush. Used pads everywhere. Bras and underwear all over the place. And they smoke in the bathroom with no fan. I opened the door—it was like a chimney. I couldn't even open my eyes."

Yeah, their families were rich.

But they were all abandoned.

One was an illegitimate child. One grew up without a mom, mean down to the bone. Another had been abused since she was a kid—unstable.

They'd picked up twisted habits.

No normal person could deal with them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of a skirt through 502's cracked door.

Listening. Of course they were.

I took a small step back. "Chloe, what are you talking about? I don't get it. I've never even talked to anyone in 502. How would I know what they're like? It's the start of the semester—people need time to adjust. Calling them disgusting is a bit much."

Chloe let out a sharp laugh. "Can you stop pretending? Aren't those bookworms driving you insane too? Is the pressure getting to you? Just say it. I can comfort you."

Before I could answer, one of my roommates stepped in. "What goes on in our dorm isn't your business."

Chloe opened her mouth—

The door to 502 creaked open.

A cold voice drifted out. "Chloe, had your fun? Come back."

Her back went stiff. She forced a smile and walked off.

The voice belonged to Nadia Holloway—the one who ran 502. The most twisted of the three. She liked treating people like dogs.

When I first moved into 502, she'd send me out on timed errands.

Make it back on time? Cash.

Late?

She'd slap a collar on me, sit on my back, make me crawl.

Once, she said her family had a pony with eyes just like mine.

The pony threw her.

So she gouged its eyes out.

Then she asked if I'd throw her too.

I was so scared I pressed myself flat to the floor, curling in even tighter.

Sure enough, Chloe skipped class that morning. The professor called—no answer.

Meanwhile, I sat with the top students of 501, walking into my first class without fear.

In my last life, Chloe never stopped complaining about 501.

Too suffocating. Too intense.

Always studying. Always competing.

Like if they skipped one day, they'd drop dead.

But now?

This felt like a dream.

My three roommates were top scorers from three different states.

Their SAT scores didn't even show how good they were—the test was the limit, not them.

After moving into 501, I realized it wasn't just hard work.

They were straight-up brilliant.

One spoke four languages. One was deep into AI. The last? A math prodigy, basically locked in for a physics PhD at an Ivy.

I'd basically scored three private tutors—for free.

I could wake up laughing.

Especially Emma Dawson.

Every time she caught me doing calculus, she'd frown over my shoulder.

"You're still getting this wrong? Why use such a stupid method? You're wasting time. I can't even watch."

I instantly held up my book like an offering. "Please. Teach me."

Like she'd been waiting, Emma snatched my pen.

One calc problem—she solved it four different ways. Clearer than any professor.

Once Emma started tutoring, the other two jumped in.

That's when I realized—they'd already finished all four years of coursework.

Now they were bored. So they taught me, constantly pushing harder.

I slept six hours a night, fully living that "bookworm" life Chloe hated.

To her? Torture.

To me?

Heaven.

I soaked it all up like a dry sponge.

I didn't have time to care about Chloe—her cars, her gifts, her parties.

By the end of the semester, I even landed a scholarship.

It wasn't even one-thousandth of what I'd made running errands in my last life, but I was happy for days.

Because this time, I earned it.

I was figuring out what to get my roommates when Chloe finally cornered me in the library.

In just over a month, she looked wrecked.

Her eyes were unfocused, her hair dry and yellowed. She'd dropped at least fifteen pounds.

She grabbed my hand, tight. "They're all insane. All of them. At night, they play cards. If someone loses and gets mad, they burn me with cigarette butts. And I can't make a sound, or they slap me."

The burn marks flashed in my head.

That was Reina Brooke's thing.

Richest of the three—and the most average-looking.

Jealous of anyone prettier. Loved ruining pretty things, slowly.

Last time, she said my skin was like silk—and burned a heart into it.

This time, she said Chloe's legs were straight and pale. Like porcelain.

So when I saw the neat row of burns on Chloe's thigh—

Yeah.

Not surprising at all.

Chloe went on, "I'm going crazy. I really am. Mia... what if we switch back?"

I scoffed inside but put on a look. "But don't they give you five grand a month? Most people can't touch that. You really want to switch? I mean... I wouldn't mind."

At "five grand," her eyes dimmed.

"What are you talking about? I'm just venting. Rich people have quirks, right? Why make it a big deal?"

Now it sounded like I was the one complaining.

I didn't argue. I wasn't the one suffering.

She didn't bring it up again. Just walked off, dazed.

I watched her go, oddly relieved.

That five grand a month?

It wasn't pay.

It was blood money.

The three girls in 501 were deep into some patent project—and somehow, they dragged me in too.

I didn't get any of it.

Emma just shrugged. "You're the room mascot. You could literally do nothing and we'd still want you here."

That didn't sit right with me.

I couldn't touch the technical stuff, but I handled everything else—digging up materials, organizing steps, double-checking their process. I also basically ran the dorm. When they got locked in, they forgot things like... eating.

Not me.

With memories from my last life, I hit the cafeteria every day and grabbed BBQ ribs. Consider it payback for all the tutoring.

That's when I kept running into Chloe.

She hauled around huge bags of food.

So did I.

The difference? Those three rich girls didn't even eat it. They just liked watching Chloe scramble like it was a show.

Chloe looked me over, full of disgust. "What are you, their dog? Running errands every day?"

I glanced at her bags and smirked. "And you're not?"

Her face went red fast. "I get fifty bucks every run. Can those broke girls pay you that? Look at you. You think you can compete with me? Even if you get into grad school, so what? You making five grand a month? At least I get paid to bring food. What do you get?"

I let out a cold laugh and tucked the takeout closer, already ready for whatever kind of reaction Chloe was about to throw. Then I shot back, "I don't want money. I like doing it. Got a problem? Someone like you wouldn't understand friendship. If you want to be a dog, go ahead. Just stop barking in public."

Her face went full tomato. She shrieked and flung the food everywhere.

People nearby backed off like she might snap.

In my last life, Chloe was all soft smiles and easy kindness.

Now? Total public meltdown.

The smallest thing set her off. Everyone stayed on edge around her.

I walked off without a glance at the food all over the floor.

Still, a chill crept up my spine.

She still didn't get how those three vipers worked.

She'd just dumped the takeout.

Which meant she was late.

And with them? That never ended well.