2. Roommates From Hell

-- ♡ - Narrated by Halena -♡ --

The first thing I realized about being class representative was that it was basically a full-time job I wasn't getting paid for.

The second thing? It wasn't helping my friendship problem.

Sure, people now knew my name. But not in a let's-be-best-friends way. It was more of a...

> "Halena, can you tell the professor we need an extension?"

"Halena, do we have homework?"

I had become a walking notice board.

This was not the social life I had envisioned.

So, I decided to fix it myself.

-- Mission: Find a Roommate --

After an entire month of loneliness, I cracked.

I stormed into the hostel office, fully prepared to fight for a shared dorm.

The lady behind the desk barely looked up. > "You want to leave a VIP single room... to share with others?"

> "Yes," I said firmly.

She raised an eyebrow. "You do realize they're noisy? Messy? Annoying?"

> "That's fine."

"Some snore."

"I'll wear earplugs."

She sighed, sliding a waiting list toward me.

A waiting list?! For tiny dorm rooms?!

I signed my name anyway. Because desperation.

And then, the very next morning...

> "Room 606 is available. You can move in today."

Victory!!!!!

Or so I thought.....

-- Welcome to Chaos --

Caira, my ever-so-helpful classmate, gave me a look when she heard where I was moving.

> "Room 606? Bad idea."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She smirked. "Your new roommates? Let's just say, they don't welcome newcomers."

> Uh-oh.

I arrived at Room 606, bracing myself for mild awkwardness.

What I got?

-- Complete and utter disaster --

The door creaked open, revealing what looked like the aftermath of a tornado.

Clothes everywhere. Empty snack packets littering the floor. Music blasting from someone's phone.

Then....

silence.

Five girls turned to look at me.

I froze.

This was worse than introducing myself in class.

-- Meet the Monsters --

Let's break them down, shall we????

Iris - The one leaning against the bedframe, arms crossed. She had that I'm the boss here aura and was watching me like I was a failed experiment.

Sophia - Curly-haired, lazily scrolling through her phone, barely acknowledging my existence.

Ivy - Sitting by the window, looking expensive, rich, and completely uninterested in my presence.

Nxy - The tomboy, cracking her knuckles like she had personally decided to dislike me on sight.

Anna - The only one who gave me a tiny smile. Probably my only chance at survival.

I swallowed hard. "Uh... hi?"

Iris raised an eyebrow. "Cool. Another one."

Another one?!

What was I, a lost puppy?!

I wheeled my suitcase inside, pretending I wasn't internally freaking out.

-- Lonelier Than Ever --

Having roommates didn't magically fix my loneliness problem.

They weren't outright mean, but they weren't friendly either.

I tried making conversation.

Me: "So... what do you guys do for fun?"

Ivy: Silence.

Me: "What's the best place to eat around here?"

Sophia: Silence.

Me: "...Anyone?"

Finally, Anna took pity on me. "The café near the library is good."

Progress!

Then Nxy added, "But don't go there alone at night. Creeps hang around."

Well..... That was not ominous at all.

Still, I felt like a guest in my own room. They weren't ignoring me on purpose, but they had their own inside jokes, their own routines.

I was just... there.

-- The Curry Catastrophe --

One day, during lunch, disaster struck.

I was balancing a tray full of food, trying to find a seat when... BAM!

I crashed into someone.

A very tall, brooding, and extremely unamused someone.

And my tray?

It flipped, sending curry all over him.

Gasps filled the cafeteria. Conversations stopped.

I looked up.

Ethan.

The quiet, mysterious guy everyone avoided.

The guy who sat in the corner of the library like a villain plotting revenge.

And now, he was standing there, covered in curry, staring at me like I had personally ruined his life.

I panicked.

So, naturally, I blurted out.....

> "Oh no... my food."

Silence.

Ethan's expression darkened. "You're worried about your food?"

> Oops. Wrong thing to say.

Before I could apologize, John ever the hero rushed in, handing Ethan a napkin and dragging him away before I could make things worse.

The entire cafeteria erupted into laughter.

And just like that, I was officially The Girl Who Spilled Curry on Ethan.

-- Roommate Rebellion --

That night, I came back to my dorm, still mortified.

To my surprise, Anna actually spoke to me.

> "Don't worry about it," she said. "Nobody likes Ethan anyway."

Iris smirked. "Yeah, I heard he's cursed."

Sophia looked up from her phone. "What kind of curse?"

Iris shrugged. "I don't know. Just... cursed."

I frowned. "He doesn't seem that bad."

Nxy snorted. "Give it time."

Well. That wasn't ominous at all.

-----

To be continued...