Chapter 2

The next morning, Silvia came back to the dorm loaded down with snacks.

She walked straight up to me, a fawning smile pasted on her face.

"Jenny, I'm really sorry about yesterday. It was my fault."

"I had no idea that stuff was so expensive. Let me treat you today, okay? Don't be mad anymore."

Paige jumped in at once, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Silvia, you're just too nice. Why are you even apologizing to someone like her?"

Bianca crossed her arms and shot me a look.

"Right. No class, cheap as they come. Can't even stand to let anyone touch her precious snacks."

"You can tell she's broke and just putting on a show. Terrified someone might get one over on her."

Silvia hurried to grab their arms. "Stop it, both of you."

She picked up a bag of chips and held it out to me, bowing low.

"Jenny, have some. Consider it my apology."

I glanced at the packages on the table, picked up a bag at random, and checked the date.

Near expired.

Then I looked at the ones next to it. Even worse.

Sbriet soda, premium mixed-nut trail mix, Ore-No cookies, Snickas bars. Every single one a knockoff.

I set the bag back down. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

That set Paige and Bianca off.

Bianca snatched up the chips and chewed them loudly on purpose.

"Silvia's being nice enough to treat you, and you're acting all high and mighty?"

Paige tore open a pack of spicy snack strips too. "Right. These are delicious!"

"Some people just don't know good food when they see it."

I leaned back in my chair and quietly enjoyed it.

All appetite, no thought for the aftermath.

They'd get theirs soon enough.

Sure enough, before evening study hall even started, the three of them were taking turns running to the bathroom.

"My stomach hurts…"

"Don't shove, I'm going first!"

"Oh God, I really can't hold it!"

The bathroom door opened and shut, shut and opened.

I sat on the edge of my bed flipping through a book, their muffled complaints filling my ears the whole time.

"It had to be that takeout at lunch. It wasn't clean."

"It's so unfair. How does Jeanette, that snack hog, come out of this fine?"

"Right. There's no justice in the world."

It wasn't until study hall was about to start that the three of them came back, propping themselves up against the wall.

Their faces were slick with cold sweat, their legs shaky.

Silvia clung to the doorframe, lips gone pale.

Paige and Bianca glared at me, seething.

"Jeanette, don't you sit there gloating!"

"This time we just ate too much!"

"Oh?" I looked up at her and couldn't hold back a smile.

Paige grabbed an empty package off the bed and hurled it hard to the floor.

"Jeanette, don't get too pleased with yourself."

Bianca clutched her stomach, wrung out from all the running to the bathroom but still forcing out a threat.

"Just you wait. This isn't over!"