Chapter 1: Outed

I confessed to my roommate, Derek Chen.

The next morning, my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Derek had blasted me on the campus app—my humiliation on full display.

“My roommate just confessed to me. Bro, seriously? Not what I signed up for. SMH.”

The words burned on my screen, the disgust in them settling deeper every time another notification pinged. The dorm’s hallway reeked faintly of burnt popcorn and weed. Somewhere, someone was blasting Drake. I sat on my bed, fingers shaking, unable to look away. Familiar usernames kept popping up. A text from my old lab partner: “Hey, you okay?” A missed call from Mom. My thumb hovered over the delete button, but I couldn’t look away. My stomach twisted, imagining the entire campus whispering behind my back.

Helpless, I had to move out of the dorm. My new roommate was like me; at least he wouldn’t think I was gross. But Derek totally lost it. Like he was possessed, he started hanging around my new place every night, refusing to leave until curfew. The RA had to nudge him out every night, his sullen face the last thing I saw before the door clicked shut. It was like he couldn't let me go, but couldn't stand me either. I’d lie awake listening to his footsteps fade, every night more exhausted than the last.