My Roommate Stole A Trap

I sold my custom-built Alienware laptopthe one that cost me three thousand dollarsfor fifty bucks of scrap metal.

I did it because of my past life.

In that life, my roommates computer had crashed right on the eve of our senior thesis submission deadline. I still remembered the sheer panic in her voice.

Izzy, the portal closes in an hour! Please, you have to let me borrow your laptop!

I had agreed immediately, wanting to be a good roommate. But Bella had forgotten to save her work, downloaded some sketchy formatting software that turned out to be ransomware, and wiped her entire capstone project. Because of that, she had to take an extension, failed to graduate on time, and lost her post-grad fellowship.

Her parents showed up at the university with half their extended family, screaming that I was jealous of her fellowship, that Id maliciously infected my own laptop with malware to sabotage her.

The story went viral on TikTok and Twitter. I became the internet's favorite villainthe bitter, toxic roommate.

My dad tried to defend me. He went on camera to clear my name, only to be cornered outside his office by a mob of self-righteous vigilantes. They beat him so badly he died of a brain hemorrhage.

After that, my life became a living hell. No one would hire me. The depression swallowed me whole, and eventually, I jumped from the roof of our apartment building.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Right on the eve of our thesis defense.

I had just gotten rid of the laptop when Bella came bursting through the door, tears streaming down her face.

Izzy, my hard drive just crashed! Let me borrow your Alienware, please!

I didn't even look up from my phone. "Go to the campus library computer lab if you need to write. What does that have to do with me?"

Bellas tears stopped instantly. She stared at me, dumbfounded.

Izzy how can you be so cold? The library lab closes at ten, and my draft is due first thing in the morning!

She reached out to grab my sleeve, but I slipped out of her reach.

At the other desk, Courtney paused her game and pulled off her headphones, looking at me with disapproval.

Come on, Izzy, thats harsh. Were roommates. Its a laptop, not your kidney. Bella is literally having a panic attack. Youve got that three-thousand-dollar rig just sitting there. Why are you being so selfish?

I packed my notebook and water bottle into my bag and pointed at Courtneys desk. "You have a laptop right there. Why don't you lend her yours?"

Courtney rolled her eyes. Mine is a desktop setup, and Bella hates mechanical keyboards. Plus, my guild is doing a raid tonight.

So your gaming raid is more important than her thesis, but Im the one who has to hand over my property?

Bella's eyes welled with tears again, looking utterly pathetic.

Izzy, I know youre bitter about the department fellowship. But that was the committees decision, not mine. You cant sabotage my entire future just because you didn't get selected!

She raised her voice, making sure it carried. A couple of girls passing by in the hallway stopped, peering into our room.

Megan from next door leaned against the doorframe, chewing on a piece of gum. "Wow. Talk about petty. The fellowship is based on merit, Izzy. Don't take it out on her laptop."

"Yeah, she's rich anyway. The richer they are, the stingier," another girl muttered.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and let out a cold laugh. "How you actually secured that fellowship, Bella? You and I both know the truth. Don't make me spill it right here."

Bellas face paled slightly, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt, but she quickly recovered her self-righteous look.

Don't you dare slander me! Ive had a perfect GPA every semester. I earned that fellowship!

Great. If youre so accomplished, use your scholarship money to buy your own computer. Leave me out of it.

I shoved past the crowd blocking the doorway and walked out.

Behind me, Bella stamped her foot and screamed, Isabel, if you walk out that door, we are completely done! Three years of friendship, gone!

Suits me fine. I was getting tired of the company anyway.

I didn't look back, letting the door slam shut behind me.

As I reached the lobby, my phone started vibrating relentlessly. Hundreds of notifications flooded our class group chat.

Bella was playing the victim, heavily implying I was withholding my laptop right before her deadline out of pure jealousy.

Courtney had posted three angry emojis, tagging everyone to side-eye me: Always thought she was quiet, but turns out shes just toxic. Cant stand to see someone else succeed.

Justin, the student rep, immediately jumped in to play savior. Dont worry, Bella. Ive got an old MacBook you can use. Don't let petty people get to you.

Bella replied instantly: Thank you, Justin. Glad to know there are still decent people left. Not like some black-hearted snakes.

My thumb hovered over the "Leave Group" button, but I paused and pulled it back.

Leaving now would be too easy on them.

The cyberbullying, the threats, the relentless harassment my father and I endured in my past lifethis time, I was going to make them choke on every single word.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Mr. Conrad, our academic advisor.

"Isabel, I need you in my office. Right now." His tone left no room for negotiation.

When I arrived, Bella was already sitting across from Mr. Conrad, sobbing quietly into a tissue.

Mr. Conrad frowned deeply as I walked in, gesturing for me to sit beside her.

"I've been watching the group chat, Isabel," he said, sounding like a disappointed parent. "You're classmates, and you're about to graduate. Why does it have to be this toxic?"

I remained standing. "Mr. Conrad, my laptop is my personal property. Choosing not to lend it out doesn't violate any university policy, does it?"

"It doesn't violate policy, no, but it violates basic decency. If Bella can't submit her capstone, her graduation will be delayed. Are you prepared to take responsibility for ruining her career?" He set his mug down heavily on the desk.

Bella sniffled, playing the peacemaker. "Mr. Conrad, please don't blame Izzy. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let my computer crash and stress her out."

"You see that, Isabel? Look at her maturity, then look at yours!" He pointed a finger at me. "Go back to the dorm, get the laptop, and let's put this behind us."

I stared at them, amused by their little routine.

"Mr. Conrad, if you're feeling so generous, why don't you lend her your office desktop?"

"That's entirely different! This is university property, loaded with sensitive department records!"

"And my laptop has my senior thesis and private personal data. Why is my privacy worth less than yours?"

Mr. Conrads hand shook with anger. "You... you are being utterly unreasonable! This is a severe character issue!"

Suddenly, Bellas phone rang. She pressed speakerphone, and a middle-aged man's voice boomed through the office.

"Bella? Did that little brat Isabel give you the laptop yet? Who does she think she is, treating my daughter like this?"

"Dad, please don't get upset. Mr. Conrad is trying to talk to her," Bella whimpered.

"Talk to her? She's just a jealous, bitter girl from a family of nobodies. I know her type. You waityour mother and I will be at the campus tomorrow to handle this ourselves!"

The voice was loud enough to echo into the hallway.

Mr. Conrad shifted uncomfortably but didn't say a word to stop him.

Outside the door, several students who had come to turn in papers were whispering and peeking in.

"Isabel is taking this way too far. Even the advisor told her to lend it."

"I heard her family struggles. No wonder she guards that Alienware like it's made of gold."

I looked directly at Mr. Conrad.

"Mr. Conrad, Bellas father just verbally harassed and threatened me over the phone. As my advisor, you didn't intervene; instead, you're helping them pressure me. I've recorded this entire conversation, and I will be sending it directly to the Dean's office to ask if the university condones bullying and extortion."

Mr. Conrad turned pale. He lunged across the desk to grab my phone.

"What do you think you're doing? Delete that! You want to blow a minor roommate dispute out of proportion to the Dean?"

I stepped back, slipping my phone into my pocket.

"Whether it's minor is for the Dean to decide. As for my laptopI've already sold it. Even if you try to squeeze the life out of me, I don't have an Alienware to give her."

I turned and walked out, ignoring the shouts behind me.

When I reached the dorm lobby, Courtney sent a photo to the group chat.

It showed my personal locker, the lock completely smashed, the metal door bent out of shape.

Hey Izzy, thought you said you sold your laptop? Then whats this sitting in your locker? Youre a pathological liar.

I rushed back to the room. It was a complete mess.

Courtney was sitting at her desk, casually playing her game.

"Oh look, the liar is back. I thought you were too scared to show your face."

I marched over to my locker. It was empty. The black backpack Id left in the corner was gone.

"Where is my bag? Who took it?" I demanded.

Courtney didn't look up from her screen. "Bella took it, obviously. She has a thesis to write. And honestly, you deserve the broken lock. Saying you sold it when you were just hiding it? That's low."

"She broke my lock and stole my property. That is grand theft, and you're defending her?"

"Oh, please. 'Theft'? Were roommates. She's borrowing it. You'll get it back when she's done."

Megan peeked her head in. "Seriously, Izzy, don't make a federal case out of this. Bella was desperate. If you hadn't been so petty in the first place, none of this would have happened."

I pulled out my phone, taking high-definition photos and videos of the smashed locker.

"If you all think breaking and entering is perfectly fine, I'll keep this as evidence."

Courtney slammed her mouse down, glaring at me.

"Delete that! What, are you going to call the cops on Bella now? You are unbelievably malicious."

"We'll see who's malicious when the police get here."

I turned and left.

I didn't call the police right away.

In my past life, Bella had used this exact trickcrying to the campus security and the police that it was just a "roommate misunderstanding over a borrowed item," and they let her off with a warning.

This time, I was going to make sure she was exposed in front of everyone.

I walked straight to the computer science department's main lab.

Today was the final day for seniors to format and submit their graduation capstones. The lab was packed with students.

As I approached the entrance, I heard Bella's voice.

"Justin, thank you so much. If you hadn't helped me carry this heavy thing over here, I never would have finished the formatting in time."

Justin stood beside her, scratching his head with a proud smile.

"No problem. This Alienware is a beast, but the specs are incredible. Running the formatting software will be a breeze."

I pushed through the crowd. Resting on the desk in front of Bella was a heavy, dark-gray laptop.

An Alienware.

Except it wasn't my laptop. It was a completely dead, gutted chassis Id bought for ten dollars from a recycling yard yesterday. I had stuffed it with two heavy red bricks to match the weight, and the motherboard inside was nothing but melted copper and ash.

When Bella saw me, she instinctively pulled the laptop closer to her chest. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly forced herself to stand tall.

"Izzy! What are you doing here?"

"I'm telling you right now, I took this from your locker, and I'll return it once I submit my thesis. Don't even think about taking it back right now!"

The surrounding students stopped working and turned to look.

"Izzy, seriously, she's already using it. Just let her finish."

"Yeah, tracking her down to the lab over a laptop? How embarrassing."

I crossed my arms, looking down at her. "Go ahead. Use it. I'll just stand right here and watch."

Bella gritted her teeth and pressed the power button.

Nothing.

She pressed it again, harder this time. The screen remained pitch black. Not a single LED indicator blinked.

"What... why isn't it turning on?"

Panic crept into her voice. She looked at Justin.

Justin leaned in to check the power cord. "Maybe the battery's completely drained. Plug it in."

Bella frantically plugged in the charger and hit the power button again. Still, absolute silence.

She whipped her head up, glaring at me with raw hatred.

"Isabel! What did you do to this laptop?"

"What did I do? It was locked inside my locker. You smashed the lock and stole it. Now it won't turn on and you're blaming me?" I scoffed.

Bella's hands were shaking as she repeatedly slammed her palm onto the keyboard.

"This is impossible! It's a high-end gaming rig! It can't just be dead! You did something to it to ruin my life!"

Sweat poured down her face as she yanked her USB flash drive out of the port.

"My thesis... my fellowship paper is on this flash drive! When I plugged it in, the light flashed once and went dead. You infected this computer with a virus to destroy my drive!"

The lab erupted into whispers.

"Oh my god, did Izzy seriously leave a malware trap in her locker?"

"That's not just petty, that's criminal. Sabotaging someone's career is sick."

Justin pointed a finger at me, shouting, "Isabel, this is too far! If Bella can't graduate, you're going to pay for this!"

Just then, the glass doors of the computer lab were pushed open.

A middle-aged couple stormed in, followed closely by a young woman holding a selfie stick with a phone streaming live.

"Where is she? Where is that toxic little snake Isabel?"

Every eye in the room landed on me. Bellas father spotted me instantly.

With a roar, he lunged forward, swinging his open hand at my face.

I took a quick step to the side. His momentum carried him forward, and he nearly crashed into a desk.

"Dad! You're here!" Bella threw herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically. "Izzy put a virus on her laptop! My thesis is gone! I can't graduate!"

Her mother rushed up, screaming right in my face.

"You classless piece of trash! You couldn't get the fellowship so you had to ruin my daughter's life? If you don't recover her files right now, I swear to god I will tear you apart!"

The influencer immediately pointed the camera at my face.

"Hey guys, we are live on campus! This is the toxic roommate I was telling you aboutthe one who set a trap to destroy her roommate's future. Keep sharing the stream, let's make this viral! People like this shouldn't be allowed in society!"

The live chat on her screen was scrolling at lightning speed.

Dox her!

Expel her immediately!

The commotion drew the attention of the department Dean and several faculty members, who came rushing into the lab.

Mr. Conrad followed right behind the Dean, pointing at me.

"Dean Henderson, this is Isabel. She has a history of hostile behavior in the dorms, and now she's pulled this incredibly malicious stunt."

Dean Hendersons face was dark.

"Isabel, this is a disgrace to this university. I am officially revoking your honors graduate status, and we will be moving forward with your immediate expulsion."

Bella sniffled, her voice trembling. "Dean Henderson, expulsion isn't enough. She ruined my life. I want her to get down on her knees and apologize to me in front of the entire student body!"

"Yes! Kneel! You're not leaving this room until you kneel!" Bella's father grabbed a heavy metal lab chair, brandishing it threateningly.

The crowd watched, waiting for my breakdown.

When I didn't move, Bella's father raised the chair, ready to swing it at me.

At that exact moment, the massive projector screen at the front of the lab flickered to life.