The Dorm Room Baby

The faint cry of a newborn came from under my comforter.

Right on cue, my roommate shoved the dorm door open, hollering at the dorm supervisor as she led a mob inside to catch me in the act.

She pointed her finger right at my face, shrieking that I had secretly given birth to a bastard child in our room.

In my past life, my roommate used this exact baby—her own flesh and blood—to destroy my fullride Ivy League scholarship, driving me to a desperate suicide.

I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. I was going to rip her hypocritical mask off in front of everyone. Chapter 1 The sharp metallic scent of blood hit my nose.

My fingers trembled as I yanked the comforter back. The sheets were soaked. A tiny, newborn baby girl lay right in the center. The room spun.

Then, a massive wave of relief crashed into me. I had actually been reborn. In my last life, I had just walked into the dorm. I caught a muffled whimper coming from my bed.

I pulled the blanket back, only to find a newborn baby underneath. My hands shaking, I immediately called the dorm supervisor.

Afterward, to avoid jeopardizing a massive upcoming alumni donation to the college, the dorm supervisor warned me to keep my mouth shut about the whole thing.

Like an idiot, I agreed. Kendall secretly snapped a photo of the scene.

The picture went viral on the campus anonymous gossip app, and I instantly became the ultimate laughingstock in every frat and sorority group chat.

Soon, countless "insiders" popped up, spreading wild rumors about me all over social media. People claimed they saw me hitting the clubs with different guys every single night.

They posted blurry, suggestive photos, cementing my reputation as a complete slut. My accounts were doxxed. Thousands of people flooded my comments with vitriol.

Just as I finally gathered the courage to go to the police, the recommendation list for a toptier Wall Street investment banking internship dropped. My name was wiped off.

Kendall's name sat right in my spot. I went straight to the dorm supervisor. He gave me a dismissive look. "You need to reflect on your own actions, Blair.

If you didn't do these things, why would so many people accuse you?" I dragged myself back to the dorm. Kendall happened to be packing her bags.

Seeing the smug smirk on her face, I clenched my jaw. "Kendall, the baby is yours, isn't it?" Kendall smirked. "So what if she is?

I'm the star student on campus right now." "Who do you think the administration will protect?

You, or me?" She zipped up her bag. "Trading a useless brat for a Wall Street internship… I’d say I came out on top." Blood pounded in my ears.

I lunged at Kendall, grabbed her by the shirt, and dragged her straight toward the balcony. She clawed at me, but I overpowered her.

I hauled her over the railing, and we plunged down together, hitting the concrete in a bloody mess. Heaven actually had eyes.

I had been reborn right to the moment before it all went to hell. I took a sharp breath to steady myself. Before I could make a move, the dorm door smashed open.

Kendall stormed in, dragging the dorm supervisor along and screaming at the top of her lungs. "Blair, did you seriously just give birth in our dorm room?!" The crowd of girls trailing behind her gasped collectively.

Half of them whipped out their phones, hitting record. Kendall gave me a knowing look. "No wonder you’ve been running to the clinic so much lately.

You were getting your stomach checked, weren't you?" "But if you were going to pop it out, why didn't you just take a leave of absence? We're all adults here.

Having a baby in college isn't the end of the world." She gestured wildly at the bloodsoaked bed. "Look at this mess! You had it right here in the room.

How are the rest of us supposed to sleep here now?" Whispers rippled through the doorway. "Right? Thank God I don't live in this room.

I'd be so grossed out." "Blair always acted so innocent. Can't believe she actually pulled something like this." The dorm supervisor stepped forward.

He looked at me with absolute certainty. "Blair, call your parents.

Tell them to get down here." Kendall crossed her arms over her chest. "Her parents live in a trailer park in some middleofnowhere state.

They probably can't even afford the plane tickets to get here." Chapter 2 The dorm supervisor huffed. "If you can't get your parents, call the baby daddy." When I didn't respond, someone in the back of the crowd snickered loudly. "She never hangs out with anyone.

Probably just got knocked up by some random creep and squeezed out a bastard." "Damn. Girls these days are insane." I tilted my head and smirked. "I'm genuinely curious.

Why are you all so damn sure I'm the one who gave birth?" Kendall stepped closer, jabbing a finger toward the bloodsoaked bed. "The kid is literally on your mattress!

And you're still trying to deny it?" I shot back immediately. "You steal my makeup every morning.

Does that make my concealer yours?" Her face flushed dark red as her dirty little secret got dragged into the light. "Stop making up lies to smear me!" Kendall snapped, her voice pitching higher. "Look at how pale and weak you are right now!

You obviously just pushed that thing out!" I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. "I didn't give birth to this baby.

Since we don't know who did, let's let the cops figure it out." "No!" Kendall lunged forward, slapping the phone straight out of my hand.

It clattered violently against the floorboards. The whispers in the hallway died instantly. Dozens of skeptical stares shifted from me, locking entirely onto Kendall.

Kendall’s neck flushed red. "Our school is currently competing for a crucial federal education grant!" she stammered out, her chest heaving. "You just casually calling the cops… aren't you ruining the school's reputation?!" The dorm supervisor took Kendall's side without a second thought. "Exactly.

If it's not yours, it's not yours." "Don't blow this out of proportion. It won't end well for anyone." I had already died once. Fear was dead to me.

I let my shoulders drop, putting on a flawless mask of vulnerability. "So my innocence doesn't matter?" The dorm supervisor scoffed. "We don't even know who the baby belongs to yet.

You claiming you're innocent doesn't automatically make it true." I slowly scanned the room, locking eyes with every single gossiphungry face crowding the door. Fine.

If they wanted to corner me, I had zero problem dragging every last one of them down to hell with me. "Just because the baby is on my bed means I gave birth to it?

What if someone is setting me up?" I raised an eyebrow, shifting my gaze straight to Kendall. "Kendall has been partying till dawn at offcampus frat houses almost every single night since the semester started.

Why couldn't the baby be hers?" I pivoted toward Harlow, who was standing near the front of the crowd. "And Harlow here uses the spare key Kendall gave her to wander in and out of our dorm every single day.

Maybe she deliberately dumped the baby on my mattress." I swept my hand toward the rest of the peanut gallery. "And what about the rest of you?

Anyone who's constantly partying outside, anyone who's been to the community clinic for a checkup lately—aren't you all suspects too?" The hallway erupted into chaotic whispers.

Harlow's eyes went wide. "Stop talking out of your ass!

That baby isn't mine!" "You don't even live in this room, yet you're in here all the time," I fired back, keeping my tone icecold. "You say it's not yours? Prove it.

Where's your evidence?" Harlow’s face burned scarlet.

Cornered, she aggressively yanked her phone out of her pocket. "Keep slandering me, and I'll call the cops myself!" I threw my hands up in a casual shrug. "I'm not slandering you.

Didn't the dorm supervisor just say it?" "Claiming you're innocent doesn't automatically make it true. Go ahead. Prove it." Tears welled up in Harlow's eyes.

Her thumb hammered down on the screen, actually dialing 911. Kendall lunged forward like a rabid animal to snatch the phone away.

Her manicured nails swiped out, digging deep into Harlow's face. Three bright red scratch marks instantly flared up across Harlow's cheek. Harlow was a rising campus influencer.

Her face was literally her biggest asset. Feeling her skin tear open, Harlow lost her mind. She shrieked, reared back, and planted a vicious kick squarely into Kendall's stomach.

Kendall had just given birth. She had layered on a full face of heavy makeup to fake a healthy glow, but underneath, her body was hollowed out and weak.

She stumbled backward, crashing hard against the linoleum floor. Slowly, a dark, unmistakable stain of blood began to seep through the crotch of her sweatpants.

Chapter 3 I slapped a hand over my mouth, feigning shock. "Kendall, why are you bleeding?" Even the dumbest person in the room could see something was seriously wrong. "Holy shit.

Is the kid actually hers?" "She literally just tried to stop Blair from calling 911, and then she attacked Harlow for doing it.

She's terrified the cops will find out." "Wait, she's the one who brought the dorm supervisor here in the first place.

Did she plan to frame Blair from the start?" The dorm supervisor immediately stepped in to run damage control. "Alright, that's enough!

The Board of Trustees will investigate the baby situation." "Harlow, cancel that police report right now.

Once the Board finishes their investigation, they'll clear your name." I pointed straight at the squirming bundle on the bed. "And before the investigation results come out, who exactly is taking care of the baby?" Harlow immediately shouted, "The dorm supervisor, obviously!

You expect us students to do it? I don't know the first thing about babies." Right on cue, the newborn let out a massive poop. The smell hit the room like a biological weapon.

I pinched my nose and gave the dorm supervisor a hard shove forward. "Go ahead. Clean her up." The supervisor dryheaved.

He stumbled backward, frantically waving his hands. "I'm not touching that. I… I shouldn't tamper with a crime scene. We'll wait for the police." The cops showed up fast.

A female officer quickly cleaned the baby and wrapped her in a fresh fleece blanket. Another officer flipped open his notepad. "Alright.

Whoever has information, start talking." Kendall's hand shot up first. "Officer, I'm positive the baby belongs to Blair…" The cop cut her off instantly. "You don't decide the facts here.

Stop interfering with our work." He clicked his pen. "Here's how it's gonna go.

Since the infant was found in this room, everyone here is coming down to the station to provide a DNA sample." "We'll run a paternity test." Kendall's face drained of color, then flushed an ugly, blotchy red.

The dorm supervisor called our other two roommates back to the building. The entire dorm room squad was herded down to the precinct for swabbing.

Right after the nurse swabbed my cheek, I raised my voice so it carried across the room. "Officer, what exactly happens when you find out who the mother is?" The officer looked up. "This is a severe case.

We're getting Child Protective Services involved." "The biological mother will be charged with felony child endangerment and abandonment.

She'll be looking at several years in state prison." Kendall looked like she was going to throw up. We walked out to the parking lot.

Morgan, our fourth roommate, stretched her arms. "This whole mess made me starving.

Let's grab some food offcampus before heading back." Kendall stood off to the side, staring blankly at the pavement. "I… I have some stuff to handle," she stammered. "You guys go ahead." She forced a stiff walk, heading in the exact opposite direction of the precinct.

Harlow, Morgan, and I exchanged a single look. A year of living together gave us instant unspoken agreement. We silently tailed her.

Kendall walked a massive circle around the block, nervously checking over her shoulder. Once she thought she was alone, she slipped right back into the police station.

Thirty minutes later, she walked out. She had a surgical mask pulled over her face, and her arms were wrapped tightly around a swaddled newborn. Click.

Morgan calmly AirDropped the highres photo to our phones.

She popped her gum. "Insurance policy." Despite the administration's desperate attempts to lock down the scandal, the "dorm room baby" incident exploded all over social media.

I tapped open the comment section.

It was an absolute cesspool of mockery and vile abuse. [This chick acts innocent, but she's definitely a party slut in private.] [Trash belongs in the dumpster.

Have some selfrespect.] [Look at her. She's probably been passed around half the frat houses on campus.] [I think I found her Insta.

Free ride, might as well take it.] Chapter 4 The malice that had drowned me in my past life was finally biting back. Karma was a beautiful, merciless bitch.

I clutched my newly bought comforter and slept the best sleep of my life.

Just as dawn broke, a scream ripped through the quad outside. "Someone's jumping!" A cold spike of dread hit my chest. I threw on my shoes and sprinted downstairs.

Kendall sat perched on the edge of the roof ledge. She wore a flowy white dress, a fragile, pale smile plastered across her face.

The dorm supervisor was sweating through his shirt, frantically waving his hands. "Kendall, whatever you want to say, we can talk about it down here.

Don't do anything stupid!" Kendall shook her head with tragic grace. "My life is ruined.

What's the difference between living and dying now?" "Do you know what they're saying about me online? They're calling me a whore.

They're saying I sleep around, but it isn't my fault!" A few clueless students in the gathering crowd whispered among themselves. "The cops haven't even released the DNA results yet.

The internet is savage." "Kendall is honestly so pitiful. Taking the fall for someone else's mess." A heavy hand clamped down on my bicep like a vice. "Blair.

With me." Declan yanked my arm, dragging me straight toward the roof access stairwell. By the time we hit the roof, Kendall already had one leg dangling over the ledge.

She spotted me, her eyes brimming with sheer terror. "Blair, I never did anything to you! Why are you trying to destroy me?" I stepped forward. "Destroy you?

Did I post the video online? Or are you going to tell me that baby isn't yours?" Kendall choked on a sob. "That baby is not mine!

I would never do something so humiliating as giving birth in a dorm room!

Why won't any of you believe me?!" I whipped out my phone and pulled up the highres photo Morgan took yesterday. "Then why did you sneak back to the precinct and walk out with the kid?" Kendall clutched her head, screaming like a lunatic. "That's not me!

It's not me!" "How do I make you believe me?!

Do I have to die to prove my innocence?!" "Enough!" Declan's palm cracked hard against my cheek. "Are you not satisfied until she's dead?!

Blair, I never realized you were such a vicious bitch!" My fingernails dug crescent moons into my palms.

Even though he had already betrayed me in my past life, the physical shock of the slap still made my ears ring. Declan was my boyfriend.

He had chased me relentlessly at the start of freshman year. He was also the president of his frat, coasting through campus life on the back of a family trust fund.

He had showered me with so much attention back then, and since I had never dated anyone before, I fell for it fast. But he kept our relationship strictly underground.

According to Declan, "True love doesn't need a public audience." Like an idiot, I bought it. In my past life, Declan was the final nail in my coffin.

When the dorm room baby scandal peaked, he jumped online and publicly confessed that the kid was ours. That single post painted a massive target on my back.

He was just as guilty of murdering me as Kendall was. Declan turned back to Kendall. The rage on his face vanished, instantly replaced by a sickeningly gentle mask.

He softened his voice. "Kendall. I believe you. Just come down, okay?" Kendall's shaking lessened slightly. "Really?

You aren't lying to me?" Declan offered a protective, indulgent smile. "Of course not. I know exactly who you are." She wavered, but eventually shook her head. "No.

It's too late." "The whole internet is convinced I'm the one who had the baby. My life is over. I might as well just jump." Chapter 5 Declan pulled out his phone.

The screen was glaringly logged into my social media account. "There's one way to fix this.

Blair just needs to admit to it." The air punched right out of my lungs. "Declan, are you out of your fucking mind?" Declan rolled his eyes impatiently. "Kendall is just an innocent girl who's never even dated.

Do you have any idea how much this is traumatizing her?" "Besides, you've already slept with me.

What's the big deal about admitting you had a kid?" "It's not like anyone else is gonna marry you anyway.

I'm not complaining, so why are you?" His insane logic hit me like a physical blow. Four years of dating this guy, and I had never actually seen the monster hiding under his skin.

The dorm supervisor's eyes lit up. "Exactly!

Blair found the baby anyway, so it makes total sense that she's the mother, right?" Kendall met my gaze, a smug, venomous smirk curling the corners of her mouth.

Seeing Kendall finally calm down, Declan rushed forward to pull her off the ledge. Kendall shrank into Declan's arms, bawling loudly. "Declan!

I was so scared!" Declan rubbed her back soothingly while shooting a dark glare at me. "Post it.

Now." I let out a dry, hollow laugh. "So you're really going to force me to my death, huh?" Declan frowned. "If anything happens to her, it'll haunt us for the rest of our lives.

Could you stop being so coldblooded and selfish? What's the point of this?" "Fire department is here! Clear the area!" someone yelled from the courtyard below.

The heavy metal doors to the roof burst open. The college dean and a group of administrators rushed out, panting.

The dorm supervisor puffed up his chest, stepping forward with a smug smile. I abruptly dropped to my knees on the concrete and wailed at the top of my lungs. "Declan!

You're my boyfriend, but you're blindly protecting another girl! Do you have no conscience at all?!" I whipped my head toward the dorm supervisor. "And you!

You know exactly whose baby that is!

Why are you forcing me to take the fall?!" Tears streamed down my face. "I worked my ass off to get into this school, and you're trying to ruin my entire future over someone else's kid!" "The baby isn't mine!

Why are you forcing me to confess?! Will you only be happy when I'm dead?!" I lunged at Kendall.

I tangled my fists into her hair and dragged her straight toward the edge of the roof, slapping her face as we stumbled backward. "Kendall, it's your damn baby!

Why are you trying to destroy me?!" I screamed. "You constantly brought different sugar daddies back to the dorm and forced us to keep our mouths shut!" "Now you squeezed out a kid and you're trying to pin it on me?!

Fine! If you're going to ruin my life, then none of us are making it out alive! Let's go together!" I shoved her hard against the railing and hauled us both over the edge.

She clamped onto the metal bars for dear life, squealing like a slaughtered pig. "Help! Help me!

I don't want to die!" I pried her fingers off the metal, pushing her out toward the drop. "Force me, and I'll drag you straight to hell with me! Come on! Let's jump!" "I won't!

I won't force you!" Kendall squeezed her eyes shut, too terrified to look down. Snot and tears ruined her heavy makeup. "I admit it! The baby is mine!

I was wrong to frame you!" "Please, just let me go!

I swear I won't do it again!" The second the words left her mouth, I yanked her arm with brute force and threw us both off the roof.

Kendall's raw scream echoed across the entire campus