She even pulled me and another roommate into a planning session.
“Sarah, you’re the brainiac of our dorm—you’ve got the sharpest mind. Help me think: how can I keep people engaged during the stream?”
Our other roommate, Kelly Brown, timid by nature, looked nervously at the jar of leeches and whispered, “Linda, is this really safe? Maybe you should just forget it.”
Linda immediately scowled. “What do you mean, not safe? Melissa did it. Kelly, you’re just too timid—you’ll never achieve anything big.”
Then she turned those expectant eyes on me.
I closed my book, adjusted my glasses, and said, “I think, if you want it to be effective, you have to be real. Just show your most authentic self—that’s what the audience loves.”
“Authentic?”
“Yeah. For example, talk about how much research you did, how much effort you put in. And when the leeches latch onto your skin—does it hurt, what does it feel like? Just say it all directly. The more real it is, the more shocking the effect.”
“Yes, yes—Sarah, you’re like my strategist. That’s exactly what I’ll do.”
She didn’t notice my fingers, under the table, quietly lighting up my phone screen.
This time, I wasn’t going to stop her.
Linda’s ambition went far beyond a quirky dorm livestream.
She had her eyes set on surpassing Melissa, the campus queen.
“She used a high-definition camera? I’ll buy one too. And that soft lighting ring—yeah, I need that as well.”
Linda piled professional streaming gear into her online shopping cart, then pushed her phone in front of me.
“Sarah, look—this all adds up to over three thousand. I’m a little short right now. Can you cover me? We’re best friends, aren’t we?”
In my past life, I’d heard this countless times.
From a cup of Starbucks to dresses worth thousands, she always used the words “best friends” to emotionally blackmail me—and I always gave in.
I paid her bills again and again, only for her to tell others behind my back that I was stingy, that even though my family had money, I never spent a dime on her.
This time, I looked at the expensive equipment in her cart and hesitated.
“Linda, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but my mom just paid for my next quarter’s tutoring classes last month. I really don’t have much money left in my account.”
“Sarah, what do you mean? You just don’t want me to succeed, do you?”
“You’re jealous of me—jealous that I’m going to be an influencer, that I’ll outshine you.”
“I’m not. I really don’t have the money. If you don’t believe me, I can show you my account balance.”
I reached for my phone, but Linda grabbed my hand.
“Enough. Stop pretending. You’re just afraid that once I blow up, Ethan Johnson will only have eyes for me, aren’t you?”
Ethan, our college’s golden boy, was also Linda’s secret crush.
In my past life, because I was a bit closer to him, Linda targeted me both openly and in the shadows.
But now, having lived again, I had long lost interest in a man who only cared about appearances.
I pulled my hand free and said, “You’re overthinking it. I’m not interested in your Ethan. I really don’t have the money. Figure out the equipment yourself.”
Then I put on my headphones and ignored her.
Linda shot me a glare before storming out and slamming the door.
Kelly leaned toward me and whispered, “Sarah, did you and Linda fight?”
I shook my head. “No. I just finally figured some things out, that’s all.”
Not long after, Linda came back.
She was holding a brand-new phone and a full set of streaming equipment.
