My Roommate's Slander

My name is Shirley Lincoln, and I'm a junior in the Biology Department at A University. The guaranteed postgraduate admission list was just published last week, and my name was right at the top. That day, I was returning from the laboratory, still holding onto the experimental data I hadn't had time to organize. Two of the motion-sensor lights downstairs in the dorm building were broken, and the dim light stretched my shadow in odd shapes as I walked. As I reached the third floor, I noticed the door to dorm 302 wasn't fully closed, and voices drifted out through the gap. It was Yolanda's voice—sharp and loud, as if she didn't want anyone in the hallway to miss her words. "You guys didn't see it—last night when Shirley Lincoln came out of Counselor Yale Jones's dorm, her neckline was practically slipping off her shoulder!" Yale Jones is the counselor for our department. I stopped in my tracks, my fingers unconsciously clenching the experiment report I was holding, the corner of the paper now crumpled. Then I heard Tina Shaw's voice—it was my other roommate speaking. "I... I saw it too. When she came out of Professor Jones's dorm, her face was really flushed." Tina Shaw's voice wavered slightly, but her words struck me more sharply than Yolanda's baseless gossip. Yolanda laughed aloud, her triumphant tone piercing me like a needle. "A guy and a girl alone in a dorm all night. Oh, my." Someone whispered, "Is this for real or just a rumor? Shirley has always been so cold—I thought she cared only about her studies." "That’s fake." Yolanda's voice sharpened. "I heard she secured her guaranteed postgraduate admission thanks to Professor Jones." "And besides, haven't you noticed? The skirts she usually wears aren't cheap. Maybe..." I didn't listen any further. My ears were ringing, as if countless bees were buzzing inside. I took a deep breath and pushed open the dormitory door. The room fell instantly silent, and the eyes of seven or eight people all locked onto me. Yolanda was sitting in my chair, still holding my thermos. Seeing me enter, she slowly set the cup down and raised an eyebrow. "Back already?" She stood up and deliberately moved closer to me. "Just finished chatting with Professor Jones?" I stared into her eyes, feeling as if my throat was stuffed with a ball of hot cotton, my voice trembling, "What nonsense are you talking about?" "Nonsense?" Yolanda sneered and reached to grab my collar. "I saw it with my own eyes that night. You still want to deny it?" I stepped back to avoid her hand. "I went to Professor Jones's dorm to deliver supplemental materials for the guaranteed postgraduate admission. I was there less than ten minutes. Tina Shaw saw it too!" Everyone's eyes turned to Tina Shaw. Tina lowered her head, twisting the hem of her shirt with her fingers. After a long pause, she said, "I... I only saw you go in and then come out; I didn't see how long you stayed." As soon as she spoke, Yolanda burst out laughing. "Did you hear that?” Whispers began to spread around us. The looks aimed at me ranged from curiosity to disdain, even a touch of glee. My face burned up, and tears welled uncontrollably. Every time I try to defend myself, the tears come first. “Why are you crying?” Yolanda reached out and shoved me. "It's already done. It’s too late to regret it now." I lost my footing and stumbled back a few steps, hitting the wardrobe. A sharp pain spread across my back. "Don't go too far!" I wiped away my tears, raising my voice a little. "You have no evidence—you're just spreading rumors!" “Evidence?” Yolanda pulled Tina Shaw close. "Isn't Tina the evidence? Besides, who would spread rumors about you out of thin air?" She leaned close to my ear and spoke in a voice only she and I could hear: "Shirley Lincoln, I just can't stand you. Why can you have everything?" I was stunned—it turned out she was simply jealous. Yolanda and I are in the same major. From freshman to sophomore year, my GPA was consistently higher than hers. When the guaranteed postgraduate admission slots were announced, she didn't even make the alternate list. "Come with me to Professor Jones's office!" I reached out and grabbed Yolanda's arm, trying to get her to confront the matter with me. "Let's clear this up right in front of Professor Jones!" Yolanda pulled her arm away and wiped it off with disgust. "I'm not going!" She took a couple of steps toward the door, then turned back to look at me. "Oh, and by the way, you'd better not make a big deal out of this—otherwise, everyone will think you got your guaranteed admission through 'connections.' How humiliating would that be?" I stood frozen, watching her figure vanish through the doorway. One by one, the others left, until only Tina Shaw and I were left behind. Tina came over and whispered, "Shirley, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen. Yolanda... she threatened me." I said nothing, a cold feeling settling in my chest—turns out a 'roommate' can betray you just that easily. The next morning, I skipped class and headed straight to the counselor's office. Yale Jones' office was on the third floor of the Administrative Building. When I arrived, he was busy grading papers. Seeing me come in, he looked up and smiled, "Shirley? Is there something I can help you with?" His smile was gentle, but every time I thought about Yolanda's words and Tina Shaw's 'testimony,' my heart twisted with unease. "Professor Jones," I approached his desk, my hands nervously twisting the hem of my clothes, "Yolanda said... said I spent the whole night in your dorm yesterday, and that my guaranteed postgraduate admission was because of you. That's not true at all. Could you help clear this up?" The smile on Yale Jones's face faded a little. He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at me. "Did Yolanda really say that?" I nodded, “Yeah, and also Tina Shaw—she said she saw me coming out of your dorm, looking flushed.” Yale Jones fell silent for a few seconds, then sighed, "Shirley, don't take this too much to heart. Yolanda might just be jealous—girls can have conflicts sometimes."