Chapter 2

After we finished registering, Yvette insisted on taking the whole dorm out for dinner.

At the restaurant, she held her head high, a queen addressing her subjects. "My goal," she announced, "is to be the most desirable woman in this university. I'm going to have one hundred boyfriends by the time I graduate."

"Someone as charming as me," she continued, "shouldn't hide their light under a bushel."

The other two roommates and I exchanged frowns.

Sophie Blake, who never minced words, spoke up, "Uh, isn't that a little messed up? It's like you're playing with people's feelings. And isn't Ryan your boyfriend? You're saying this right in front of him?"

Before Yvette could respond, Ryan retorted, "You don't get it. It's about freedom and being open-minded. That's what I love about Yvette. She's so liberated, and it's magnetic.

"Besides, I'm her main boyfriend. Everyone else is just a fling. As long as her heart is with me, what do I care?"

He took her hand, and they shared a sickeningly sweet smile.

My roommates and I just smirked at each other. It was hard not to. Ryan was totally pathetic.

I shook my head. I used to think Ryan was so smart and kind. What had happened to him? A pang of regret hit me. I honestly couldn't remember what I ever liked about him.

Yvette launched into the details of her grand plan.

"There are eight departments at this school. I'll get ten boyfriends from each, leave a few slots for guys off-campus, and if I can snag a professor or two, even better.

"It's only fair, right? That way, everyone gets a chance with me."

I knew arguing was pointless. I just nodded along, praising her "brilliant" strategy.

"You'd better be careful," Sophie warned. "With that many guys... if you get pregnant, it could get really complicated. And abortions are no joke."

Yvette just waved a dismissive hand, clarifying, "I never use protection. The experience is better without it. Don't worry. I won't get pregnant."

I feigned shock, blurting out, "Why not? Do you have a condition or something?"

She shot me a dirty look, yelling, "Of course not. I just won't get pregnant if I don't want to. It's that simple. I have a secret weapon."

Her eyes flicked to my wrist, and a smug smile spread across her face when she saw the crystal bracelet there.

What she didn't know was that the bracelet I was wearing was a cheap knockoff I had bought from a street vendor. The real one was currently sparkling on her mother's wrist.

That night, neither Yvette nor Ryan came back to the dorm. The rest of us in the room didn't need to say a word. We wouldn't bother her with a text, and we certainly weren't going to cover for her. Whatever happened next was on her.

At midnight, a message popped up in the freshman group chat. It was from Yvette.

[The beds at the hotel near campus are so hard! My whole body aches.]

Attached was a photo of her, draped in a bathrobe, half-lying on a bed in a suggestive pose.

The chat exploded with comments from guys.

[Damn, girl, you trying to keep us up all night?]

[You sure it's the bed that made your legs weak?]

After letting the reactions and replies build to a fever pitch, she posted her Instagram handle. A new message appeared: [Slide into my DMs. Anyway, I'm bored.]

That night she spent with Ryan, Yvette was supposed to be running a recruitment event for her sorority. Her absence was a huge deal, and she ended up getting fined and put on social probation by her own sisters.

Naturally, Ryan decided I was the villain.

"She's your roommate, but you couldn't just help her out?" he snapped. "Or are you just bitter because I chose her instead of you?"

He sneered, "Take a look in the mirror. You're not even in her league. You have no right to be mad."

I just rolled my eyes and walked away.

A week into the semester, Yvette was already on her third boyfriend. Every evening, I would see her making out with a different guy under the dorm entrance, their kisses sloppy and desperate.

Our classmates had noticed. Some called her trashy, but others thought she was cool.

A well-meaning girl in our class tried to offer some advice. "You could get sick, you know. You should take better care of your body."

Yvette just laughed it off, arguing, "I'm perfectly healthy. You don't need to worry about me."

After that, no one bothered her about it again.

She was right, of course. She would never get sick. In my last life, all her illnesses had become mine. I had practically lived at the student health center.

This time, I wondered how her dear mother would handle it.

For the next two weeks, Yvette continued her three-day boyfriend rotation, barely ever sleeping in our room.

Then, one afternoon, my phone rang. "Lily Carter," Yvette said, her voice tight with anxiety. "My mom's sick. Can you come to the hospital?"

My gut told me this wasn't just a bug. This was something else. And I was going to be there to watch it all go down.

When I got to the hospital, Yvette and Ryan were pacing anxiously in the hallway.

The first thing they did was check my wrist for the bracelet. Seeing it there, they both visibly relaxed.

"What happened to your mom?" I asked, feigning concern.

Yvette sighed, explaining, "The doctor said she's two weeks pregnant. And she has a really bad infection. They said it's from being with too many partners.

"When my dad found out, he screamed at her and left. They're not even sure if she can carry the baby to term."

I glanced into the room. Grace was lying in bed with a blissful smile on her face as she gently caressed her belly.

Yvette suddenly grabbed my arm, her eyes wide with a new thought.

"Lily, have you been feeling okay? Anything unusual?"

I nodded slowly and replied, "Actually, yeah. I think I've gained a little weight. And my period is super late this month. It still hasn't come.

"Since I'm already here, I'll ask the doctor for something."

The tension drained from Yvette's shoulders.

I hid a smirk. I had gained a few pounds, but only because the restaurants near campus were amazing.

And my period wasn't late. It had just synced up with my other roommates, shifting from the end of the month to the middle.

In the end, Grace lost the baby. At her age, the pregnancy was high-risk.

The doctor lectured her about safe sex and hygiene, warning her of even more severe consequences if she wasn't careful.

It was clear neither she nor her daughter was listening.