Chapter 2
That evening, Kelsey returned to the dorm, shot me a sideways glance, and then turned to the other two roommates.
"Brianna, Anissa, I'm moving out," she announced.
The two roommates looked surprised.
"Why?" Anissa Mason asked.
Kelsey started showing off. "I've got a boyfriend now. His parents bought him a place near campus, and there's an extra bedroom. He wants me to move in.
"I've already checked it out. It's huge and gorgeous. The bathroom's super spacious, and there's no lights-out rule at night. It's seriously comfortable."
Anissa looked envious. "That's awesome."
Brianna Gordon was just as jealous. "Kelsey, your boyfriend must be loaded. You should introduce us to him sometime."
"Sure thing. I'll have my boyfriend treat you guys to dinner," Kelsey replied.
Anissa and Brianna nodded eagerly.
Kelsey wasn't exactly close with Brianna or Anissa. Maybe there were some genuine moments between them, but those were pretty rare.
As for me, I was even less close to the three of them. My best friend, Claudia Holmes, lived right next door in the other dorm.
When Kelsey saw that Brianna and Anissa were both busy with their computers, she walked over to me and whispered, "Denise, guess you finally realized you should break up with Jamie.
"Jamie and I are moving off-campus. We're going to rent a place tomorrow.
"From now on, Jamie's going to take care of me every day. He says he'll cook for me and make me nutritious soups. Bet you're jealous, huh, Denise?
I'd been sitting sideways to Kelsey the whole time, and now I casually picked up my cup from the table and spilled the water to the side, acting like it was an accident.
Kelsey's clothes got wet, and she immediately jumped back two steps.
"Denise, you..." she started, flustered.
I stood up and met her gaze directly.
"Sorry, guess my hand slipped," I said. "Besides, why would I be jealous of a mistress?"
Brianna and Anissa glanced over, curious.
"Mistress? What are you talking about?" Brianna asked, frowning.
Kelsey panicked, her face turning pale.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing. Denise and I were just talking about a TV show." She tried to cover up.
Brianna just said, "Oh."
I took the opportunity and told Brianna and Anissa, "Jamie and I broke up."
They looked surprised at first, but their faces quickly went back to normal.
"Honestly, it's for the best. I never thought Jamie was good enough for you," Anissa said.
"Yeah, Jamie's kind of a creep. Last semester in that big lecture, there was this girl wearing a ripped shirt. He couldn't take his eyes off her the whole time," Brianna said.
Kelsey shot Brianna a fierce glare.
I could tell Kelsey was fuming inside, but she didn't dare say anything.
After all, if she came clean about her relationship with Jamie, everyone would know they cheated on me.
I grinned and chimed in with Anissa. "Yeah, Jamie's not just a creep. He's a total jerk."
Brianna suddenly got curious. "Denise, did Jamie ever do you dirty or anything?"
Kelsey quickly cut in. "Brianna, are you done with those hangers I lent you last week? I need to start packing."
"Yeah, they're on the balcony. Hold on, I'll grab them for you," Brianna said, heading out.
And just like that, the topic was dropped.
*****
Two days later, Claudia and I were leaving class together when Jamie suddenly stepped right in front of me.
"What do you want?" I asked coldly.
Jamie turned to Claudia and said, "You go ahead. Let me talk to Denise for a minute."
Claudia knew we'd broken up, but she wasn't sure if there was still any drama between us. She glanced at me, waiting for my cue.
I gave Claudia a nod, letting her know she could go.
Claudia gave me a worried look before nodding. "Denise, I'll wait for you at the next intersection."
"Okay," I replied.
Once Claudia left, Jamie started going off on me, his voice full of anger.
"Was it really necessary? We just broke up, and you blocked me everywhere. What are you supposed to do when you see me in lectures?" he snapped.
"I'll just treat you like stray," I retorted.
"You..." Jamie was so pissed he could barely spit out the words.
He hesitated, then shot at me, "Your dad's assistant stopped sending me money. He said the support's been cut off. Was that your doing?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Denise, are you out of your mind?" Jamie barked. "Just because I don't love you anymore, this is how you get revenge?"
He glared at me and demanded, "Call your dad right now and tell him to keep sending me money. I'm broke. I need his support."
I stared at him, totally speechless, then couldn't help but laugh.
What kind of dumb logic was that? It seemed I had really spoiled him way too much before.
I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face, then replied coolly, "You're the crazy one. Sure, I'm taking revenge on you. We're over, so why should my dad keep bankrolling you?
"My family doesn't owe you a damn thing. And your money problems? Not my problem."