“No way! You need to get checked at the hospital first. What if Roberta wasn’t completely honest and she’s been poisoning you all along? You already drank that contaminated water…”

With that thought, Ivy slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried out of the dorm room.

She left so quickly she didn’t notice Roberta, who hadn’t really gone anywhere. Roberta was sitting downstairs in the little courtyard, settled into a wicker chair among the garden shrubs, watching as Ivy rushed out the front door.

Once she was sure her roommate had left her alone, Roberta let out a long breath of relief, secretly hoping Ivy would just move out.

Honestly, she could have kept everything to herself. Ivy didn’t suspect a thing. She’d changed her mind, decided not to go through with it, and if she just stayed quiet now, it would be as if nothing ever happened.

Still, she’d chosen to confess–partly for her own reasons. She knew her boyfriend was completely taken with their annoyingly gorgeous roommate, and she’d been hoping Ivy would move out so he’d stop running into her and acting like a lovesick puppy. But why would Ivy just leave without a good reason? Who would have thought fate would lend a hand, and someone else would come along and pay her to do Ivy harm?

After all this, Roberta knew Ivy well enough–she’d definitely be moving out. Who’d be able to sleep soundly in the same room with someone who’d once tried to hurt them? No one could be that carefree. Once Ivy was gone and out of sight, her boyfriend would have no more excuses to chase after her…

Ivy made her way to the nearest hospital, had blood drawn, and got a full panel of tests done. Thankfully, the results showed only mild anemia–nothing more serious. Roberta had told the truth. She’d come to her senses just in time and pulled back from the edge.

Still, Ivy couldn’t bear the thought of staying in that dorm room any longer. After grabbing lunch nearby, she returned to campus and started scouring the bulletin boards for apartment rentals. But after a round of searching, nothing seemed right. The rooms were either too tiny, the furniture was ancient, or the place was above a noisy grill joint.

By evening, Jamison called. Ivy was still wandering outside. He’d been busy all day, and she hadn’t mentioned the “poisonous roommate” incident yet. As his call came in, Ivy found a quiet bench under the trees on campus, sat down, and braced him: “I need to tell you something, but promise me you’ll stay calm. Don’t freak out.”

Jamison instantly knew it wasn’t good news. His first guess: “Did Emma cause trouble again?”

Ivy was caught off guard–he really was sharp.

“It does have to do with Emma, but she didn’t come after me herself. She got in touch with my roommate and tried to bribe her to set me up…”

“What? Your roommate tried to hurt you? Where are you right now? Are you okay?” Even though Ivy had tried to prepare him, Jamison’s voice rose with anxiety.

“Calm down and let me finish!” Ivy quickly interrupted, hurrying to explain, “My roommate didn’t actually do anything–she confessed everything to me. But she did think about hurting me, so I can’t stay in the dorm anymore. I spent the afternoon looking for an apartment near campus, but I haven’t found anything yet…”