I switch to my conversation with Thea instead.
Lexi:I should transfer out of here.
I hit send before I can second-guess it.
Her response comes immediately.
Thea:NO. Don’t you dare.
Thea:I’m serious. I will die.
Thea:You’re not running away. We’ll figure this out together. I promise I’m going to make this the best college experience ever. Trust me.
I sigh, toss my phone onto the bed, and stare at the ceiling.
Scarlett’s already gone to class. The room is too quiet, too still. I should get up, get dressed, go to my morning lecture. But I can’t make myself move.
Instead, I grab my laptop and start doing research.
I pull up the website for the university I turned down—the one in California with the better dorms, the better campus, the better everything. I find the financial aid office number and dial before I can talk myself out of it.
It rings three times before a woman answers. “Financial aid, this is Gloria.”
“Hi, um, I was wondering if it’s too late to—” I pause, trying to find the right words. “I was accepted for this fall semester, but I declined. Is there any way I could still enroll?”
Silence on the other end. Then, “What’s your name, hon?”
“Lexi Kane.”
I hear typing. More silence.
“I’m sorry,” Gloria says, her voice gentle but firm. “Enrollment closed August first. We can’t process late applications. We’re full.”
My heart sinks. “Are you sure? There’s no exception or—”
“I’m sorry. But you’re welcome to apply again for spring semester if you’d like.”
Spring semester. Four months away. An eternity.
“Okay. Thank you.”
I hang up and drop my phone onto the bed.
Of course it’s too late. Of course I’m stuck here.
My phone buzzes. Thea again.
Thea:I’m talking to housing today. We’re getting you out of that room with Boring Beige Barbie and into mine. Mark my words.
Despite everything, I smile.
Lexi:You’re the best.
Thea:I know. Now get your ass out of bed and go to class.
I don’t go to class because I don’t have one until this afternoon.
So for the good part of the morning, I rot in bed, scrolling through social media. I’m only on Instagram to stalk influencers—girls with perfect lives, perfect bodies, perfect boyfriends. I don’t post. Don’t interact. Just watch from the shadows like a ghost.
