Chapter 2

"You're so selfish, Chloe," Olivia said, her voice low and venomous. "You only ever think about yourself. Your comfort. Your needs. What about the rest of us?"

Brenda took a step forward, cracking her knuckles. It was a clear, intimidating gesture. "Yeah, what about us? You think you're better than everyone?"

Chloe felt a surge of helpless anger. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, a frantic drum of fear and frustration.

"That's not true," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "I paid the last two bills without asking for a cent. I buy the groceries most of the time. I'm trying to be fair."

"Fair?" Olivia let out a short, incredulous laugh. "You want to talk about fair? Is it fair that you get to go to this school without worrying about money while the rest of us have to work part-time jobs and take out loans?"

Her words were sharp, targeting a vulnerability Chloe rarely showed. Her family had money, but her relationship with her father was strained, almost non-existent. He paid her tuition and a basic living stipend, and that was the extent of their contact. Her roommates saw the surface, the perceived wealth, and resented her for it.

"If you're so poor," Olivia sneered, her eyes scanning Chloe with contempt, "then what's all this?"

Before Chloe could react, Olivia moved to her desk. With a sweep of her arm, she grabbed Chloe's small makeup bag.

"Hey! Don't touch my things!" Chloe lunged forward, trying to get her bag back.

Brenda moved faster. She stepped in front of Chloe, putting a heavy hand on her chest and shoving her backward. Chloe stumbled, catching herself on the edge of her bed. She was trapped.

Olivia unzipped the bag and dumped its contents onto the dusty floor. A bottle of foundation rolled under the bed. Lipsticks scattered like colorful little soldiers. A pressed powder compact hit the ground with a sickening crack, shattering into a thousand useless pieces.

Chloe stared at the mess, her mess. It wasn't expensive stuff, mostly drugstore brands she'd bought with her allowance, but it was hers. The sight of it broken and scattered on the floor felt like a personal violation.

Olivia bent down and picked up a tube of red lipstick. She uncapped it and examined the color.

"This is cheap crap," she declared, but her eyes betrayed her interest. "The color's not bad, though. I think I'll keep it."

She slipped the lipstick into her pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chloe cried out, her voice filled with outrage.

"I'm taking what's mine," Olivia said calmly. "Or what will be mine. Here's the deal. You can 'sell' us the rest of this stuff"-she gestured to the remaining items on the floor-"for, say, twenty bucks. Or Brenda can step on it. Your choice."

It was blatant extortion. They weren't just trying to take her money anymore; they were trying to humiliate her, to break her down piece by piece.

"No," Chloe said, her voice firm despite the fear. She pushed herself off the bed and tried to get around Brenda. "You can't do this."

This time, Brenda didn't just shove her. She grabbed Chloe's arm, her fingers digging into the soft flesh of her bicep. Chloe cried out as Brenda twisted her wrist. A sharp, searing pain shot up her arm.

"I think she said no, Brenda," Olivia said with a mock-pout.

Brenda's grip tightened. Tears welled in Chloe's eyes from the pain. She could feel the bones in her wrist grinding together. She was completely overpowered. The room, which had seemed like a haven just a few weeks ago, now felt like a cage.