Chapter 1

During my freshman year, I regularly eat at a restaurant near campus. One day, I order a sandwich, but the owner insists on serving me a more expensive seafood stew instead.

I tell her, "I'm allergic to seafood."

She turns on me instantly. "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to ruin my business? If you can't afford to eat here, don't come in pretending you're something you're not!

"College kids these days are the worst. The broke ones always cause the most drama. You show up here looking all fancy, yet you can't even spring for a 45-dollar stew. On top of that, you want to act like you're somebody!"

I walk out.

Back at the dorm, my roommate, Paige Weston, lectures me from her self-appointed moral high ground.

"The owner's a single mom! Do you know how hard she has it? You really had to embarrass her like that in front of everyone, huh? How do you think that made her feel? You're so selfish and small-minded, Gemma!"

I roll my eyes. "You're insane."

But Paige doesn't let it drop. She steals my 3,000-dollar designer bag and hands it to the restaurant owner as an apology on my behalf without my permission.

My other roommates take her side, telling me, "It's just a bag. We're all roommates here, so just let it go."

I scoff, pick up my phone, and dial 911. Paige can explain herself to the cops.

Chapter 1

Right after the semester started, I ate at this particular restaurant, Marco's, all the time because it was so close to campus.

The owner, Ruby Friday, was a woman in her 40s, sharp as a tack, always sizing up the students who walked through the door and calculating exactly how much she could squeeze out of each one.

That day at lunch, I ordered a ten-dollar sandwich and sat with my earbuds in, going over flashcards. A few minutes later, a steaming, greasy-looking bowl of something called the "house special seafood stew" was slammed down onto my table.

I blinked and pulled out my earbuds. "Excuse me. You've got the wrong table. I didn't order this."

"Oh, no, it's yours!" Ruby flashed me a slick grin and pushed a fork into my hand.

"Sweetheart, I see you in here all the time, always dressed so nice, carrying all those nice things. Someone like you isn't going to miss a few extra bucks.

"This is our brand-new signature special. I had the kitchen whip it up just for you because I like you. It's got lobster and jumbo shrimp, super nutritious stuff.

"Just try it. You won't regret it. And it's only 45 dollars!"

I looked down at the bowl. It was swimming in murky reddish oil, with shrimp that hadn't even been properly deveined. My jaw tightened.

Never mind how disgusting the hard sell was. The real problem was that I was severely allergic to seafood.

"Sorry. I don't eat seafood. I'm allergic."

I pushed the bowl back toward her, my voice cold. "I'm only paying for what I ordered. Take this back, please."

The smile dropped right off her face. Her voice, warm and cozy just a second ago, shot up loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! What's wrong with you, young lady?

"I already had the kitchen make this, and now you don't want it? Are you trying to ruin my business? If you can't afford to eat here, don't come in pretending you're something you're not!

"College kids these days are the worst. The broke ones always cause the most drama. You show up here looking all fancy, can't even spring for a 45-dollar stew, but you want to act like you're somebody!"

The other students in the restaurant started glancing over, whispering among themselves.

I watched her throw her little tantrum and couldn't even be bothered to get angry. I calmly pulled 15 dollars out of my wallet and slapped it down next to my untouched sandwich.

"Ten dollars for the sandwich. Keep the change. And just so you know, forcing a sale on a customer is a consumer protection violation. I can report you anytime I want.

"As for this meal, I'll chalk it up to a loss."

Chapter 2

I grabbed my bag and walked out of Marco's without looking back.

Once I was outside, I blocked the restaurant on every app I had. I was never setting foot in that place again.

It should have ended there, just an annoying little incident. But when I got back to the dorm, I barely had time to pour myself a glass of water before my roommate, Paige Weston, started in on me.

Paige was our department's student council ethics representative and had built her entire persona around being the "scrappy kid who clawed her way up from nothing" and the self-appointed moral authority of our floor.

Her favorite thing in the world was showing off her empathy and her "big-picture thinking" at every possible opportunity.

"Gemma, that was way out of line." Paige turned to face me, looking absolutely devastated on someone else's behalf.

"I just went to Marco's for lunch, and the owner was practically in tears telling me what happened. She's a single mom with a kid in high school, working herself to the bone every single day. All she did was bring you an extra dish.

"You've got plenty of money. Would it have killed you to just pay for it? You really had to humiliate her in front of everyone like that? The poor woman was on the verge of crying. How can you be so selfish and small-minded?"

I was so angry I actually laughed. I set down my glass and looked at her.

"Paige, are you out of your mind? She tried to force a sale on me, and I'm supposed to feel sorry for her? I came here to go to school, not to run a charity.

"And by the way, I'm allergic to seafood. If I'd ended up in the hospital, whose fault would that have been? If you've got all this sympathy to spare, why don't you go buy the dish yourself?"

"You… You're just making excuses!"

Paige sputtered for a second, her face flushing red, then immediately pivoted.

"The owner is always so sweet to us students. She gives us free chips and salsa all the time! You're just a spoiled little princess who looks down on working people.

"Don't burn your bridges, Gemma. With that sharp tongue of yours, it's going to come back to bite you someday."

I stared at her, and it finally clicked.

The reason Paige was so worked up was because she loved mooching off Marco's. Those free appetizers were her way in with Ruby, and she milked that connection to show everyone how "down-to-earth" and "relatable" she was.

Now that I'd embarrassed Ruby, the woman had probably fed Paige some wildly exaggerated version of what happened, and Paige came running back like a loyal little attack dog to do her bidding.

"If you love her free chips so much, go ahead and ask her to adopt you."

I was done with the conversation. I pulled the curtain around my bed. "And stop trying to guilt-trip me with your fake moral compass. I don't want any part of it."

That was the line that set Paige off for good.

From that day on, she launched a full campaign to turn my other two roommates against me. Tessa Rowe was a spineless follower who went along with whoever talked the loudest, and Nina Perry was a timid people-pleaser who avoided conflict at all costs.

Between Paige's manipulation and constant pressure, the two of them started freezing me out.

They'd pick up food for each other and deliberately skip me. They'd sit around the room loudly raving about how great Marco's was. Whenever I walked through the door, the conversation went dead.

None of it fazed me. I went to class, spent my afternoons at the library, and FaceTimed my family at night. My life was full enough without them.

I figured it was just the usual dorm drama that every college student dealt with, the kind of thing that would blow over in a couple of weeks.

But I seriously underestimated how far Paige was willing to go. And I underestimated just how twisted someone could be when they were used to standing on moral high ground.

It was an ordinary weekend. I went home Friday afternoon for a family matter and didn't come back until Sunday night.

When I pushed open the dorm room door, Tessa and Nina were sitting in their chairs streaming something on a laptop. Paige was off doing laundry.

I walked over to my desk to set down the books I'd brought back.

Then, I froze.

The bag I kept in its dust cover on top of my closet was gone.

Chapter 3

That bag was a limited-edition designer piece my father flew all the way to Avenelle to buy for my 18th birthday. He stood in line for hours to get it. The bag alone was over three thousand dollars, and with everything else the store required him to buy first, the total came closer to five thousand dollars.

The design was a little flashy for everyday use, so I rarely carried it. I kept it stored away in its dust cover.

I took a deep breath, forced down the rage building in my chest, and turned to face the room. "Who touched the dust cover on top of my closet?"

Tessa and Nina both looked blank and shook their heads.

Paige stopped what she was doing, dried her hands, and walked back in with that signature self-righteous smile on her face. "Oh, that bag? I took it."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You took it? What gave you the right to touch my things? Where is it?"

Paige rolled her eyes and settled into her chair like she had all the time in the world.

"Relax. What's the big deal? You've got so many designer bags your closet can barely hold them all. You're not going to miss one. I went to Marco's yesterday, and the owner was still upset about what you did.

"We're all part of the same neighborhood, and honestly, you went way too far. It was making our school look bad. So, I gave her the bag as an apology on your behalf.

"Think of it as me doing you a favor. You don't want people calling you heartless when you're out in the real world."

I stared at that shameless face of hers, and something in me snapped. She gave it away? As an apology on my behalf?

So, she took my three-thousand-dollar property and used it to play the saint.

I was so furious I laughed. "Paige, do you seriously think wrapping yourself in some moral blanket changes the fact that you're a thief?"

"How dare you! Who are you calling a thief?" Paige jumped to her feet and jabbed a finger in my face.

"I was doing you a favor! It's just a bag. Is it really worth all this drama? Your family's loaded, so why do you even care about one bag? You're nothing but a cold-blooded little trust-fund brat!"

Tessa chimed in weakly from the sideline, "Yeah, Gemma… Paige meant well. It's just a bag. Let it go. We're all roommates here."

"Meant well? Let it go?" I pulled out my phone and looked around the room, my voice ice-cold.

"Taking someone else's property and being generous with it isn't kindness. It's robbery. And taking something without asking isn't borrowing. It's theft."

I didn't waste another word. I dialed 911.

"Hi, I need to report a theft from my college dorm room. The stolen item is a limited-edition designer bag worth over three thousand dollars. The suspect is currently here and has already admitted to taking it and giving it to the owner of an off-campus restaurant.

"Yes, it's a significant amount. Please send someone. The address is…"

The room went dead silent after I hung up.

Every drop of color drained from Paige's face. She clearly never expected me to actually call the police. In her mind, as long as she waved the "I did it for your own good" and "we're all classmates here" flags, I'd just swallow the loss and move on.

"Gemma Loring! Have you lost your mind?"

Paige lunged for my phone, screaming at the top of her lungs, "You actually called the cops? Over something this small? Are you trying to destroy me?"

I grabbed her wrist and shoved her hand away, looking at her like she was trash.

"I'm not the one who's going to destroy you. The law will. Three thousand dollars is more than enough for a felony charge. So, sit tight and pray that your 'good intentions' are enough to convince a judge."

The police arrived quickly. Ten minutes later, two officers knocked on our door.

The moment they flashed their badges, Paige fell apart completely. Her lips trembled, tears and snot streaming down her face as she frantically tried to talk her way out of it.

"Officer, I didn't steal it! I borrowed it!

"We're roommates. How's borrowing something from your roommate stealing? I was just trying to help her resolve a conflict!"

Chapter 4

The officers didn't budge.

"Whether or not it was stolen, you can sort that out at the station. The victim is clear that she never gave you permission, and the value of the item meets the threshold for a criminal case. You're coming with us."

After that, the police put me in the car too and drove over to Marco's.

When the cruiser pulled up in front of the restaurant and the officers walked in to demand Ruby turn over the stolen property and cooperate with the investigation, every last trace of that woman's usual bravado vanished from her face.

"I… I didn't know it was stolen! That college kid shoved it on me and said it was some kind of compensation for emotional distress!"

Her legs nearly gave out under her. She scrambled into the kitchen and came stumbling back with the designer bag clutched to her chest, shoving it at the officers like it was burning her hands.

"Officer, I swear I had nothing to do with this! I'm a victim here too! I barely even know her!"

So much for Paige's beloved, warm-hearted, salt-of-the-earth working woman. The second she was staring down actual consequences, she threw Paige under the bus faster than she could flip a menu.

At the station, our student advisor, Mr. Ross Harmon, showed up in the mediation room, sweating through his collar. Tessa and Nina had obviously called the school.

The moment he walked in, he defaulted to smoothing things over.

"Now, now, Gemma. This is all just a misunderstanding. Roommates borrow things from each other all the time.

"Paige is a model student and an outstanding member of the student council. You're blowing this way out of proportion. If this actually goes on her record, her entire future is ruined.

"Show a little grace here. Just let her apologize, and we can all move on. Please, take my advice and drop the charges."

I sat in my chair and looked calmly at Mr. Harmon, who was mopping his forehead like his life depended on it, then glanced over at Paige, who was a sobbing wreck.

"Mr. Harmon," I began, slowly. "First, this isn't borrowing. It's theft. Second, the thing that's going to ruin her future isn't me calling the police. It's the fact that she put her hands on someone else's property.

"And third, if you think a three-thousand-dollar theft is no big deal, I'm happy to call the district superintendent's office right now and ask whether it's standard practice at Riverton for student advisors to cover for criminals."

Mr. Harmon went pale and didn't say another word.

The investigating officer walked back in with the appraisal report and fixed Paige and Ruby with a hard look.

"The purchase receipt for the bag checks out. The verified value is 3,100 dollars. Under state law, that qualifies as grand theft, carrying a sentence of three to ten years."

He turned to Ruby. "And you, if you knowingly accepted stolen property, you're looking at criminal charges of your own."

Paige dropped to her knees right in front of me. She grabbed at my hands, mascara running down her face in black streaks, her voice raw and desperate.

"Gemma, I'm sorry! I was wrong! I was so wrong! Please forgive me. Please, I'm begging you, just tell them to drop the charges!

"I can't go to prison. My family is counting on me to graduate and support them. Please, just let me off this once. I'll do anything you want—anything!"

Ruby shrank into the corner, nodding frantically. "She's right! She's absolutely right. You're clearly the bigger person here. You've got your bag back. Just have a heart, please!"

I looked down at the bag in my hands. Because it had been shoved into a greasy kitchen, the delicate leather was smeared with oil stains, and there was a visible scratch running across the surface.

Three thousand dollars meant nothing to me. But if someone like Paige only got a slap on the wrist and a lecture, she would never learn. Worse, she'd walk away thinking I was an easy target.

What I wanted was to strip away every last shred of that righteous, holier-than-thou mask she wore and grind it into the floor.

"You want me to drop the charges?"

I looked down at Paige. "Fine."

A spark of hope flashed in Mr. Harmon's eyes and in Paige's too.

"But I have three conditions."

Chapter 5

I held up three fingers and spoke at an even, measured pace, "First, the leather is damaged. You owe me a thousand dollars for depreciation and cleaning. Second, you're going to write a full confession by hand, admitting that you stole my personal property.

"And third, you're going to sign a promissory note and transfer the money to my account within three days. If you can't do that, I'll take you to court."

"A… A thousand dollars?"

Paige's eyes went wide. "Gemma, are you insane? I don't have that kind of money!"

"You sure love being generous with other people's things." I let out a cold laugh.

"Funny how it stings when it's your own wallet, huh? That's your problem. Borrow it, take out a loan—I don't care. If you don't pay, you can wait for your arraignment. As for you…"

I turned to the woman cowering in the corner. "You got lucky this time. But if you ever come at me again, I'll make sure you never run another business in your life."

Under the watchful eyes of the police, and paralyzed by the very real threat of prison, Paige choked back sobs as she wrote out a humiliating handwritten confession with trembling hands and signed a promissory note for a thousand dollars.

Once I had everything, I submitted a conditional statement of forgiveness, and the police filed it as a civil resolution with an administrative penalty on record.

The night air was cool when I walked out of the station. Paige trailed behind Mr. Harmon, and the look she shot me was pure venom, seething with resentment and wounded pride.

I knew this wasn't over. Someone like Paige, who had that kind of narcissistic personality, would never accept a loss this big without finding a way to hit back.

But if there was one thing I wasn't afraid of, it was someone trying to come at me from behind.

…

Sure enough, the very next morning, a bomb went off across campus.

Riverton's student forum and even the local community boards all blew up at the same time with a series of lengthy anonymous posts.

The headline was pure bait.

"Riverton's Rich Mean Girl Exposed! Bullies Her Struggling Roommate, Forces Her to Grovel, and Terrorizes a Single Mother Running a Small Restaurant!"

The post told its story in the most pitifully manipulative, playing-the-victim tone imaginable, twisting every fact completely inside out.

"I'm a low-income student barely scraping by on financial aid. My roommate G comes from money and lives like she's above everyone else. She's always looked down on people like me.

"A few days ago, G went to a restaurant near campus run by a single mom. She blew up over nothing, screamed at the owner, and even threatened to trash the place.

"I felt so bad that I took one of G's old bags, one she never even used, and brought it to the owner as an apology to try to smooth things over.

"G didn't just refuse to appreciate it. She used her family's connections to file a false police report. She had the cops force me to grovel and beg for forgiveness, made me sign a fake confession, and even extorted a thousand dollars out of me!

"I honestly don't know if I can keep going. Is this what money gives you the right to do? Just trample all over someone who has nothing? Does justice even exist anymore?"

The post included a handful of blurry photos. One showed me at Marco's, stone-faced, pushing the bowl away. Another showed Paige crouching on the ground outside the police station, crying.

It was precision-engineered to hit every nerve, from class resentment to sympathy for the underdog to outrage at the rich, and it worked.

Within hours, the post had been shared tens of thousands of times. The comments section was a wildfire.

"This makes my blood boil! Just because she's got money, she thinks she's untouchable? She should be expelled!"

"Find out who G is! Riverton doesn't need trash like her!"

"Dox her! Let the whole world see who she really is!"

"I stand with the original poster! The rich are absolutely disgusting!"