Finding a Place

By Monday morning, Jess was running out of time. She couldn’t stay in Kevin’s dorm, and sneaking into the frat house wasn’t an option. If she didn’t find a place fast, she’d be sleeping in her car—not that she even had her keys anymore. Apparently, Kevin had a solution.

“There’s always the bulletin board,” he said as they walked into the student union.

The board was a chaotic mess of flyers—textbooks for sale, tutoring ads, someone offering psychic readings for five bucks. Kevin scanned the listings until his eyes lit up.

“Boom. Roommate wanted.” He yanked the flyer down and read it aloud. “Campus apartments. Two bedrooms. Looking for a chill roommate. Call if interested.”

Jess hesitated. “You sure this is a good idea?”

Kevin smirked. “Unless you want to crash in a sorority house and risk getting your makeup done in your sleep, I’d say this is your best bet.”

Jess groaned. “Fine. Call them.”

That evening, Jess found herself standing outside apartment 3B, stomach twisting.

Kevin nudged her. “Relax. Just be normal.”

“Yeah, because this is normal,” Jess muttered.

Every part of this felt like playing dress-up in a stranger’s skin. Her name wasn’t hers. Her body didn’t move right. And now she was supposed to pretend she belonged?

Kevin knocked. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a blonde girl in yoga pants and a hoodie. She had a bright smile and wide brown eyes that instantly lit up.

“Hey! You must be Jess!” she said cheerfully.

Jess forced a smile. “Uh, yeah. That’s me.”

“I’m Hannah. Come in!”

Jess stepped inside, Kevin close behind. The apartment was small but cozy. It felt like someone else’s life. Fairy lights, vanilla candles, easy laughter. None of it matched the static humming in her chest.

Another girl, a brunette in pajama shorts and a tank top, looked up from the kitchen. Her eyes widened when she saw Jess.

“Oh, hi! I’m Olivia.”

Jess could feel them both studying her.

“So, Jess,” Hannah said, flopping onto the couch. “Tell us about yourself.”

Jess froze. For the first time in days, someone was asking her to be a person. Not a quarterback. Not a mistake. Just someone. And she had no idea who that was anymore. She hadn’t exactly planned a backstory.

“She’s my cousin,” Kevin jumped in smoothly. “Just transferred from… uh, UCLA.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? What made you come here?”

Jess shot Kevin a glare before forcing a shrug. “Uh, family stuff.”

Hannah nodded sympathetically. “Well, we’re super chill. You’ll love it here.”

Jess exhaled, relieved. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

Then a third voice spoke from the hallway, “She’s moving in?”

Jess turned—Jess turned—and the world dropped out from under her. It was the girl from the party. The one who changed everything. Her eyes were just as sharp. Her smile, gone now, had been a weapon. She was standing there, arms crossed,

Leanna knew exactly who Jess was, and by some strange turn of fate, they were going to be roommates.