I Used to Yield, Now I Keep My Spot

The financial aid selection was underway when my roommate, Bianca Sterling, came to me with red eyes and a desperate grip on my wrist. "Iris, my family went under. My grandmother is in the ICU. Please, I need you to give me your slot." In my last life, I had let her have it. She took the grant money and bought a designer handbag and then posted an exposé accusing me of fraud. The school expelled me on the spot. I walked out of the gates in a daze, and a runaway truck ended everything. I opened my eyes to find Bianca clutching my hand with tears streaming down her face. "Iris, I have nowhere left to turn..." I shook her off, pulled out my phone, and hit record. "Fine. Show me the bankruptcy filing and your grandmother's ICU records." Bianca froze mid-sob. Her gaze scattered in every direction, never once meeting the black lens of the camera. "Iris, what are you doing?" Her hand reached out to block the phone. I took a half step back, and her fingers caught nothing but air. "You said your family went bankrupt. You said your grandmother is in the ICU." My voice stayed flat and even. "No proof, no slot." She bit down on her lower lip until it turned white, her eyes going glassy again. "My grandmother is still in critical condition. How am I supposed to go digging through medical records right now?" I let out a short, cold laugh. "You don't have a single electronic record? Is she in an ICU or on a movie set? No documents, and this slot stays with me." Her face twisted. She swiped at her tears, and her voice spiked high and shrill. "Iris Vane, do you have a heart at all? My grandmother is in intensive care!" Her finger jabbed toward my face. "Are you really this cold? Are you even human?" "It's school policy." "Policy?" Her sharp laugh echoed off the dorm walls. "Even the law makes room for basic decency. Does school policy override the law?" A rustling sound came from the bed across the room. Paige Holloway stuck her head out from behind the curtain. "Iris, Bianca's family is falling apart. Our classmates have already raised thousands for her. Can't you just let her have the slot?" Rachel set down her makeup brush and joined in. "We're all roommates here. Why are you being so rigid about this?" Bianca nodded along frantically, tears still clinging to her lashes. I pulled in a slow breath. "Paige, do you remember what happened last semester with the girl in the next room? She gave up her slot to a roommate who turned out to be faking everything. They both got publicly disciplined." Paige's body went still. "I was there. That girl said she trusted her roommate. The friendship didn't even last until the end of the hearing." I brought my gaze back to Bianca. "So now every financial aid application requires official documentation. And while we're on the subject, that money everyone donated. Was it really going toward a hospital bill?" Something pale flickered across Bianca's face before she replaced it with a surge of red. "My grandmother is absolutely in the hospital! I would never joke about my own grandmother's life!" "Then producing the records shouldn't be a problem." "Why should I have to show you anything?" Her eyes burned with venom. "You don't trust me. You don't trust someone who has hit rock bottom." The energy in the room shifted. Paige was looking at me with undisguised contempt. Bianca's sobs started up again. "I just wanted to use that money to pay her medical bills." She buried her face in her hands, shoulders heaving. Rachel frowned and muttered, "Iris, it's not a big deal. Why do you have to make it into one?" "I'm following the process." I cut her off. "No documentation, no application. The school set these rules." Bianca's hands dropped from her face. The tears were still there, but underneath them her eyes had gone hard. "Iris, you're just jealous of me, aren't you?" I raised an eyebrow. "Jealous that people actually like me. You keep to yourself all the time, and you can't stand seeing someone else get support." The roommates exchanged looks, their judgments settling into place. Bianca's voice climbed higher with every word. "I've met people like you before. You hide behind rules because you can't stomach watching anyone else catch a break. You have no idea what real desperation feels like, so you take it out on people like me." She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "You're also jealous that I dress better than you. Is that what this is about? I earned these clothes. If you have a problem with that, just say it. Leave my grandmother out of this." Her righteous indignation vibrated through the window glass. "I'll say it right now. My grandmother is in the ICU. If you don't believe me, then you're just a twisted person." I watched her stumble through her performance and slid my phone back into my pocket. "Fine. No records, no slot. I'm submitting my own application tomorrow." The eager anticipation on her face collapsed into something dark. A heavy textbook slammed against her desk with a dull thud. "Iris, that's enough!" Paige's voice was rigid with anger. "Rules are rules, but people are people. Her grandmother is fighting for her life, and you're going to block her over paperwork?" I straightened the papers on my desk without looking up. "I'm protecting my own application by avoiding unnecessary risk." Her finger came within inches of my face. "Her family went bankrupt. Even if she doesn't have the records on her, so what? Who would hold that against someone who has lost everything?" Bianca sniffled on cue. "Give Bianca the slot right now. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility." Paige thumped her chest with her palm. I paused for a beat. "Paige, I can't give it up." "I'm the head of this room, and I say you can." Her voice was ice and stone. "Are you going to do it or not?" Arms crossed over her chest, Bianca's lips curled into a satisfied little smirk. "No." Paige's expression went dark. "Fine. Iris. Fine." The words came through clenched teeth. "You think this room can't function without you?" She spun around and grabbed Bianca's wrist. "Come on. We're taking this to Mr. Holt." Bianca fell into step behind her. At the door, she glanced back, her eyes gleaming with defiance. "Iris, you're going to regret this."