The Annoying Sleepwalker Chapter 03
As I walked out of the office, my phone buzzed.
It was a screenshot of Blair’s Instagram story.
She’d posted a selfie, her eyes swollen from crying.
“Woke up and found out I caused trouble again.”
“I’m so scared.”
“But someone keeps pressuring me for money.”
“Would everyone be better off if I just wasn’t here?”
A flood of replies from mutual friends had already poured in.
“Hugs. You didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Some people are just so cold.”
“You can talk about money later. Just don’t hurt yourself.”
Looking at those words, I thought of the Yik Yak comments from my past life, the ones cursing me out.
“How can Brigid Pierce be so vicious?”
“She’s sick and you still won’t let up?”
Back then, I had explained, argued, and cried.
It didn’t matter.
Most people instinctively side with whoever appears to be the weakest.
When I got back to the room, Blair was sitting at her desk.
Her eyes were puffy, and she’d deliberately left a few faint, red marks exposed on her wrist.
Tessa was comforting her.
The moment Mallory saw me, her face darkened.
“Brigid, that’s enough.”
“She hasn’t eaten all day.”
“Are you really trying to push her over the edge?”
Blair looked up at me, and tears immediately spilled down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I really don’t have any money.”
“How about I Venmo you two hundred for now?”
“We can talk about the rest later.”
Two hundred.
My computer repair alone was fifteen hundred.
She offered two hundred dollars with the tone of someone making a huge concession.
Before I could speak, Tessa cut in.
“Brigid, don’t act like that’s nothing.”
“She’s being sincere.”
Mallory jumped in, too.
“Yeah. If everyone gives a little, this will all be over.”
I looked at them and asked a single question.
“If it had been your things she smashed…”
“Would you still be saying that?”
Tessa froze.
Two seconds later, she frowned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’re trying to help you solve this.”
Mallory let out a cold laugh.
“Don’t drag us into it.”
“We feel bad that your laptop broke.”
“But you can’t take it out on everyone.”
Blair lowered her head, but not before I saw the corner of her mouth twitch again.
She knew she had them.
This time, with tears and her “sleepwalking,” she had gotten everyone on her side once more.
At noon, my course project group leader messaged me.
“Brigid, can you send over your part of the presentation tonight?”
“The professor needs to review it tomorrow.”
I stared at the diagnostic report from the repair shop, and my fingertips went numb.
“Severe motherboard damage.”
“Some hard drive data cannot be read.”
All I could do was go to the library and borrow a public computer.
And rebuild everything from scratch.
From two in the afternoon until nine at night.
I didn’t eat. I drank one bottle of water.
By the time I got back to the room, I was so exhausted I could barely stand.
The moment I pushed the door open, I saw they were all waiting.
Blair sat in a chair, her eyes red-rimmed.
Tessa, Mallory, and our RA, Genevieve, were all there.
When Genevieve saw me, she softened her tone.
“Brigid, good, you’re back.”
“Let’s talk about what happened last night.”