HIS ROOMMATE

WHEN DO I GET TO MATER?

CHAPTER 15

VALERIE'S POV

My eyes went glassy, tears spilling over. How could he say that? He is my boyfriend, I should be the only one he care for like that not Kai. I hate Kai so much.

"Are you saying I'm being unreasonable for being possessive about my own boyfriend? Adrian she's a girl she can go find her own boy and stop trying to steal mine. You barely know her up to a month, but you are choosing her" I yelled, already in tears.

He ran a hand through his hair. God, like this was mess he does not want to deal with. "Valerie, stop. I've known Kai since we were ten. A month? Try eighteen years. And I'm not 'choosing' her. I'm making sure she doesn't spiral alone in that room after what happened to her."

"After what happened," I repeated bitterly. "Right. The drugging. The hospital. I get it, Adrian. But where do I fit in all this? When do I get to matter?"

I stood there in his hallway, tears already ruining my mascara. I hated that I looked like this. Hated that I was crying over another girl in front of her.

Kai opened her door a sliver. Blanket around her shoulders like armor. She looked small. Broken. Nothing like the loud, sarcastic girl Adrian always talked about.

"Adrian... don't fight with her because of me. She's right. You should go with her," she said, voice barely there.

And Adrian? He didn't even hesitate. He took a step toward her. "No. I'm not leaving you."

My chest caved in. See? You just proved my point.

The hallway went quiet except for me trying not to sob out loud. I felt stupid. Possessive. Ugly. But I also felt invisible.

I'd spent all week with him. Dinner. Movies. Late-night calls. I was his girlfriend. Or at least I thought I was.

But one bad night and Kai became the whole world.

Kai's eyes met mine from the doorway. Not smug. Not triumphant. Just... tired. And scared. For a second I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

"Valerie," Adrian said, and his voice wasn't angry anymore. It was exhausted. "I'm not choosing her over you. I'm choosing to make sure my best friend doesn't break tonight. Can you understand that? Even a little?"

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to be the cool, understanding girlfriend. The one who'd wait patiently while he dealt with his traumatized best friend.

VALERIE'S POV

But all I could hear was: *She needs me more than you do right now.*

The words burned. And before I could stop myself, they came out ugly.

"Kai you are enjoying the attention aren't you? It must feel great watch my boyfriend choose you right?" I said with disgust. My voice shook, but the words were sharp.

Kai stared at me for a while with a frown. She looked exhausted, pale, like she hadn't slept in days. But her eyes were clear. Steady.

"We're not friends and maybe we would never be but I would advise you don't call me out. I'm not in the mood to talk.... I've told you a thousand times I'm not interested in Adrian."

I scoffed at what she said. Loud. Bitter. "Right. Sure you're not. That's why he's been on the floor outside your door all night. That's why he canceled on me."

Adrian stepped between us like he was afraid I'd lunge at her. "Valerie, enough. She's not okay. She doesn't have to prove anything to you."

"Then why does she get to take you from me?" I snapped, tears falling again. "You think I don't see it? Every time something happens to her, you forget I exist."

Kai pulled the blanket tighter. She didn't look at Adrian. She just looked at me, tired and done. "Valerie, I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be drugged. I didn't ask for him to stay. So stop acting like I planned it."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

For a second, the hallway wasn't about Adrian. It was just me and her. Two girls, both hurting, both convinced the other one was the problem.

I wanted to believe her. I really did. But the jealousy was louder.

Adrian put a hand on my arm, gentle but firm. "Valerie. Please. Not like this. Not today."

I jerked away. "Not today? When, Adrian? When do I get to matter?"

Kai closed her eyes looking like a frustrated woman. She looked older than she was in that moment. Tired in a way makeup couldn’t hide.

She pulled out her phone with shaking hands and dialed a number. The person picked after a while.

"Hey," her voice was small and exhausted. Like all the fight had drained out of her. "I'm fine, I just wanted to tell you that I'm ready. Please come quickly. Okay thanks."

She hung up and looked at me. No anger left. Just... done.

"If this makes you feel better and at peace, I'm moving out today," Kai said.

I blinked. That wasn't what I expected. I thought she'd fight back. Throw my words in my face.

Adrian froze. His eyes snapped toward Kai. "What are you saying?"

"I was planning to tell you later but I guess this is the right time for that," Kai said, voice flat. "By the way this was our agreement. I was supposed to stay until I'm able to rent a place. This way your barbie girlfriend will be at peace."

"Barbie girlfriend?" I glared at her. The words stung more than I wanted them to.

But she just rolled her eyes, already done with this conversation, and walked back to her room and shut it. Click.

The hallway went dead quiet.

Adrian didn't look at me. He stared at her closed door like she'd punched him. "Moving out? Today? Kai, we talked about next month. You said you needed more time to—"

From behind the door: "I found time."

My stomach twisted. This was what I wanted, right? Her gone. My boyfriend back. No more choosing.

So why did it feel like I lost something too?

Adrian dragged a hand down his face. He finally looked at me, and his expression wasn't angry. It was disappointed. "Valerie. Do you hear yourself? A girl gets drugged, she's trying to recover, and you're celebrating because she's leaving?"

"I wasn't celebrating—"

"You were," he cut in, quiet. "And that says a lot."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. From Kai's room I heard her dragging her suitcase out. The sound of zippers. Of her packing her life into boxes because I couldn't handle sharing space.

Adrian leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "I need a minute."

I stood there, arms crossed, pretending I wasn't shaking.

I got what I wanted. So why did I feel so awful?

"You should go Val," he said, eyes still closed. His voice was flat. Drained.

For a moment I was shocked. "You are asking me out of your house because of her?" I asked in disbelief. My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.

Adrian opened his eyes then. And for the first time since I’d known him, he looked at me like I was a stranger.

"Enough Valerie!" He finally snapped. The calm was gone. "She is already leaving, what more do you want? Can't you at least give me a little time to think?"

The words hit harder than if he’d yelled.

From Kai's room, the sound of tape ripping as she sealed a box. She wasn't even trying to be quiet about leaving. Like she’d been ready for this fight to end her.

I hugged my arms around myself. "So that’s it? You’re picking her feelings over mine? I’m the one who’s been here for you every day, Adrian. Not her."

"I’m not picking anyone," he said, but he didn’t look at me. He was looking at Kai’s door. "I’m asking you to give me space. Kai’s moving out today because of this mess. Because you couldn’t wait. Because I couldn’t be in two places at once."

Because you couldn’t wait.

The accusation hung there.

Tears burned my eyes again, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of him. Not now. "Fine," I whispered. "I’ll go."

I grabbed my bag from the couch. My hands shook. I wanted him to stop me. To say I was overreacting. To say I mattered more than the boxes being packed down the hall.

He didn’t. He just leaned his head back against the wall, eyes closed again.

The door clicked behind me. And just like that, I was outside in the hallway, alone.

Kai got what she wanted too. Her space. Her exit.

So why did winning feel exactly like losing?

TBC