Chapter 2
472 Words
The days passed one by one. I moved between the three of them like a diplomat navigating rival factions.
When Sloane asked me to go to the dining hall with her, I went. When Celeste asked me to pick up a package for her, I did. When Iris wanted to talk at night, I stayed up with her.
But I never called anyone by name.
Sloane eventually started testing me. "Don't you think Celeste is kind of fake?"
I smiled. "Everyone has their own personality."
Celeste asked me, "Has Sloane been talking behind my back?"
I scratched my head. "Not that I've heard."
Iris quietly asked me, "Are you scared of the two of them?"
I shook my head. "I'm here for college, not to be scared of anyone."
The first month passed without incident.
By the second month, Sloane was losing patience. "Why do you never call any of us by name?"
"We're close. Using someone's full name feels too formal."
I turned a page in my book.
Celeste pressed the issue. "Do you think I'm less popular than Sloane?"
"Not at all. We're here to study, not to compete over who has more friends."
She made a small, dismissive sound.
Iris didn't ask anything, but the way she looked at me grew harder to read with each passing day.
I knew this balancing act could only hold for so long. But I had no other choice, because no matter whose name I said first, I ended up dead. So I chose none of them.
The night before Saturday.
None of the three were asleep.
In the dark, Sloane spoke first. "Vivienne, out of the three of us, who are you closest to?"
I lay perfectly still in my bed, pretending to be asleep.
Celeste said coolly, "Don't bother. Your breathing hasn't changed. You're not sleeping."
Iris said softly, "Just pick one. We won't mind."
I opened my eyes and stared at the pale white wall.
The images came flooding back: the car in the first life, the staircase in the second, the cloth strip in the third.
I took a slow breath and spoke.
"I'm equally close to all of you."
Sloane's voice sharpened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," I said, sitting up, my voice quiet but each word deliberate, "I didn't come to college to be anyone's best friend. Whoever treats me well, I'll be close to. Whoever doesn't, I'll keep my distance from. It's that simple."
The room was silent for a full minute.
Then Celeste turned over. "Suit yourself."
Sloane muttered something under her breath and went quiet.
Iris said nothing.
That night, I lay with my eyes open until the sky turned light.
I didn't know whether what I'd said had been enough.
But at least tonight, I was still alive.
That was enough.
- Writer
