And if people bought that, the money thing from before would be even easier to believe.

One of our roommates sighed:

"No idea where it went. The door's been locked the whole time, the window was shut—nobody from outside could've gotten in…"

The implication couldn't have been louder.

The thief had to be someone already inside the room.

I didn't take the bait. I walked straight to my desk and sat down.

A few minutes later, Susan drifted over.

"Rebecca, it's just us in here, right? I've already gone through everyone else's stuff."

"So… you don't mind if I peek in yours too? That way we can all just clear the air and nobody feels weird."

I said nothing.

This was obviously a setup.

But the second I hesitated, the whispers started buzzing around me.

"Right? Like, just let her look. If you won't even open it, that kind of says something."

"An innocent person wouldn't think twice. Just pop it open and prove everyone wrong—what's the problem?"

I knew that if I refused to let her search, the label "thief" would land on me right here, right now.

When Susan saw I wasn't pushing back hard, a flash of triumph slipped through her eyes.

She didn't wait for permission. She reached over and yanked my drawer open.

She knew exactly where to look—fingers diving straight to the very back, digging around—

Her expression stiffened.

I stood beside her with my arms crossed.

"Find anything?"

She pulled her hand back empty.

Nothing. She'd found nothing.

I'd expected this. The moment I noticed something extra had been planted in my drawer, I'd thrown it away.

Susan wasn't about to let it go that easily.

She suddenly crouched down, scooped up a black lipstick tube from under my chair, and held it up with exaggerated shock.

"Isn't this my lipstick?!"

"Wasn't the one you lost supposed to have a silver case?"

Susan faltered for a second, then went shrill.

"I just realized this one's missing too! So you stole two of my lipsticks, Rebecca!"

I watched her perform. Not a flicker of guilt in me—I knew I hadn't touched her stuff.

"I don't know anything about it. I didn't take them."

"No idea which lowlife shoved it under there."

Susan's expression couldn't hold together anymore, so she pulled out her trump card.

"Rebecca, if you don't apologize, I'm telling the faculty advisor! You know what happens when they catch you stealing? That's a major demerit!"

I didn't move.

"Then go. I didn't take anything."