She Wants What's Hers

The last box was in. I’d just finished helping my sister, Hannah, move into her dorm when I collapsed onto her bed, scrolling through my phone. A trending post on the campus forum caught my eye:
[Help! I'm falling for my roommate's boyfriend.]
The original poster was vowing to make a move on him.
Wow, kids these days are bold, I thought with a smirk. Just as I was thinking that, I looked up.
And there she was. Hannah’s beautiful roommate, Ava.
She knelt, her voice a soft melody.
“Thank you so much for all your hard work today.”
“You look exhausted. I have some muscle relief patches. Should I get a couple for you?”

1
[Help! I'm falling for my roommate's boyfriend.]
[It’s move-in day. My roommate showed up with her boyfriend, and it turns out he’s the guy I had a massive crush on in high school. I was heartbroken when I heard he’d gone to study abroad. Now he’s my roommate’s boyfriend? She’s not as pretty or as thin as me. How did she land someone so handsome and kind? I just feel like she doesn’t deserve him at all.]
I raised an eyebrow.
Was this for real?
I kept scrolling. The comments were flooding in—some flaming her, others fanning the flames.
[“Not as pretty or as thin as me.” Classic. OP, your confidence is blinding.]
[OP replied: Aesthetics are subjective. I just think I’d look better standing next to him.]
I couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. Where did this girl get her nerve? Probably just another case of unwarranted self-confidence.
[If you like him, go for it. All’s fair in love and war.]
[OP replied: Mmm… I don’t want to ruin their relationship, but I really, truly believe I could treat him better.]
My lips twitched. The sheer audacity was almost impressive. A masterclass in passive-aggressive maneuvering.
[Go for it. Win him over, kick your roommate to the curb. You’d be a way better girlfriend, right?]
[OP replied: You’re right. I’m going to talk to him right now. But just to be clear, he was my high school crush, not yours. You might want to watch your tone.]
This poster was something else. I was completely hooked, utterly fascinated by the unfolding drama. The comment section was a goldmine of absurdity.
As I was laughing, I looked up and froze. Someone was standing by the bed.
It was my sister’s gorgeous roommate.
Ava, I think her name was.
I cleared my throat and sat up, smoothing my voice. “Hey, what’s up?”
A small smile played on her lips, her beautiful eyes crinkling at the corners as she crouched down to my level.
“Thank you so much for all your hard work today,” she said softly. “You look exhausted. I have some muscle relief patches. Should I get a couple for you?”
Her voice was so sweet, so different from the way Hannah usually shrieked my name like a banshee. This girl was a breath of fresh air.
I found myself acting a bit more reserved. “Oh, no, it’s fine. But thank you.”
Ava’s expression faltered for a second, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. Then she smiled again, though it seemed a little forced.
“Your hands are all red and scraped up. If you don’t treat them, they’ll hurt more tomorrow.” She placed the patches on the nightstand. “Well, I’ll leave them here. Just use them if you need to.”
With that, she walked back to her own desk. I watched her go, a strange sense of melancholy hanging around her.
Nah, I’m probably just imagining things, I thought, shaking my head. Time to get back to the post.
I flopped back onto the bed and saw the OP had updated.
[Update: I just went over and talked to him. He seemed a little cold and didn’t accept my offer of help. I guess he doesn’t remember me…]
So, the first attempt was a failure.
[Don’t give up, OP! To be the other woman, you gotta have thick skin. I support you!]
[OP replied: You’re right, thank you. I shouldn’t let one little setback get me down. I’ll keep trying!]

2
When it was time for dinner, I offered to take Hannah and her roommates out. I was determined to be the best big brother ever and help her get along with her new friends.
I picked a nice restaurant near campus and told them to order whatever they wanted. Hannah, never one for subtlety, proceeded to order half the menu.
While we waited for the food, I pulled up the post again. Another update. My interest piqued, I started reading.
[I’m so mad for him. My roommate is basically using his money for everything. I just don’t get what’s so great about her. If he wanted a gold digger, I’m way more qualified.]
The comments exploded again.
[Honey, if she can get him to pay for everything, that’s her skill.]
[OP replied: I don’t think I’m any worse than she is. Anything she can do, I can do better.]
A small laugh escaped me. Now this was the kind of drama I lived for. Let the games begin.
[Am I the only one worried about the roommate?? What if they’re actually in love? This is a savage move, OP…]
[OP replied: You sympathize with her weakness. I sympathize with his exhaustion. We are not on the same level. You clearly don’t understand true love, but I don’t have time to explain it to you.]
[Disclaimer: This post is for sharing and discussion only. Anyone who tries to sabotage my future relationship with him is not welcome. I will delete your comment on sight.]
Sure enough, a few seconds later, that critical comment vanished.
I was so absorbed I was shaking with suppressed laughter, my throat suddenly parched. I reached for my glass of water, but my hand slipped, knocking it over. Water spilled across the table, rushing toward the edge.
Just before it could drench my pants, a hand shot out, quickly sopping up the mess with a stack of napkins.
I let out a breath of relief and turned to thank my savior. It was Ava again.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile. The more I saw of this girl, the more I liked her.
She nodded, her voice as smooth and pleasant as ever. “No problem. Watch your pants.”

3
The food arrived, and I put my phone away. I ate a few bites and then stopped, wanting to make sure the girls had enough.
Hannah, however, was stuffing her face while simultaneously piling my plate with all the things I hated. “This is so good, you have to try it! Eat up!”
“…”
I bit back a retort, deciding to give her a pass. Getting into a brawl with my sister on her first day with new roommates probably wasn’t the best look.
The girls were hitting it off, chatting away. I couldn’t really jump in, so I went back to my phone. And what do you know, the OP had updated again.
[Major progress! He accidentally spilled his water during dinner, and it almost got on his pants. Luckily, I was quick enough to clean it all up with a napkin. He even smiled at me when he saw it was me!]
I raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence.
[He’s treating all of us to dinner… and my roommate is just burying her head in her food, not paying any attention to him at all. He does so much for her. I feel so bad for him.]
The rest were just comments from other users. The OP hadn’t posted anything else.
I sighed, a little disappointed. As I was about to close the app, my thumb slipped and I accidentally opened the OP’s profile page.
Hmm?
The background photo looked familiar. It was a picture of the tree-lined path in front of my old high school.
So we were alumni. Interesting.
I was about to look for more clues when a sharp pain shot through my wrist. Probably from hauling all those boxes this afternoon. I suddenly remembered the muscle patches Ava had given me, which I’d shoved into my pocket.
I fished them out and stuck one on. Just then, my phone screen lit up.
[New update on a post you’re following: ‘[HOT] Help! I'm falling for my roommate's boyfriend.’]
I tapped it open.
[I’m so happy! He put on the muscle patch I gave him! So amazing… His girlfriend is the worst, making him do all that heavy lifting. If I had a boyfriend as amazing as him, I’d never let him lift a finger.]

4
I froze.
This was too much of a coincidence.
Holding my breath, I kept my eyes glued to the screen, but I snuck a glance at Ava across the table.
She didn’t have a privacy screen on her phone. I could just make out what looked like a forum page.
Could it be…?
My suspicion growing, I glanced at her a few more times, then casually typed out a comment.
At the same instant, Ava’s phone screen lit up.
She looked down, a slight frown on her face, and then her fingers started flying across the screen.
When she stopped, I refreshed the post.
Sure enough, there was a new reply.
[I don’t believe you. You’re just jealous of your roommate.]
[OP replied: You can’t talk about the ocean with a frog in a well. You’ve probably never experienced real love, so you can only interpret it as jealousy. It’s okay, I don’t blame you.]

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