“What are you doing here?” Even the fact that she’s carrying a mesh bag full of clothes over one shoulder and wheeling a suitcase with the other hand doesn’t clue me in right away. I’m too busy being surprised by the sight of her.

“We are… roommates.” She drops her bag of clothes on the other unmade bed. “This is my room, too.”

I launch myself out of my chair so fast that she backs into the bed and ends up flopping down on it. “Did they put you up to this?” I demand, leaning down until I’m in her face. “Are you here to spy on me? Is that part of their plan? I knew it. I knew there was something more to all of this!”

She only stares at me with wide eyes, leaning back a little. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who do you mean? Why would anybody be planning against you?”

“Oh, give me a fucking break. Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“But I don’t, I swear. This is my room, room 312. It’s the room I was assigned, along with you. I don’t know what you mean by a plan.” She hesitates, biting her lip. “But if you want to talk about it, I don’t have any place else to be. What’s going on?”

I don’t know what to think about this. I back away, never taking my eyes off her. I don’t trust her, for one thing. And I don’t know if I can believe her.

“Leni, you can trust me. I know I made mistakes. And I know I’m probably the last person you think you can trust now. All I can say is I’m sorry, and I wish I had never done it. I really miss you, and I’m so sorry I hurt you. If you need a friend right now, I’m here. I want to listen if you want to talk.”

It just so happens that the one thing I need more than just about anything in the world is somebody to listen. Still… “I don’t know. You really hurt me. That’s not the kind of thing I can just forget.”