In the chaotic emergency room, the doctor looked at us with frantic urgency. "What kind of venomous snake bit her?! I need an exact species right now so we can locate the correct antivenom!" I opened my mouth to speak, but my roommate cut me off, her voice panicked and shaky. "It was a coral snake! It... it was definitely a coral snake!" The blood drained from everyone’s faces. We had just returned to our dorms after winter break. Without telling anyone, she had smuggled a highly venomous reptile into our room. The snake had escaped its enclosure and bitten our roommate, who slept on the bottom bunk. We had sprinted all the way to the hospital carrying her. A few minutes later, and she might not have made it this far. Now, the doctor desperately needed the species to administer the life-saving antivenom. But my roommate, Chloe, had always possessed a twisted sense of humor. While we were terrified and hyperventilating, she kept changing her story. She absolutely refused to tell the truth. Watching her dramatically massage her temples, pretending she couldn't remember, my entire body shook with rage. Chloe was notorious on campus for her "pranks." No matter the situation, she loved messing with people. She wasn't satisfied until she pushed someone to the point of tears. When people inevitably got angry, she would just brush it off with a breezy, "I'm just messing with you. Don't be so sensitive." But this was life or death. This was not a joke. Mia had fallen into a deep coma after the bite. The doctors needed to confirm the snake’s species to administer the antivenom. Every passing second was a step closer to death. Sure enough, when the doctor heard Chloe's answer, his expression turned grim. "Are you absolutely certain? I need you to confirm one more time. What kind of snake bit her?" Chloe furrowed her brows in exaggerated concentration, then slowly shook her head and crouched down on the floor. I was losing my mind. I lunged forward and grabbed her by the collar of her hoodie. "Stop messing around! Tell the doctor what kind of snake it is right now! Are you trying to kill Mia?!" Her eyes welled up with fake tears. She bit her lip and said, "It's a cobra! It's definitely a cobra!" My other roommates and I exchanged a look, collectively letting out a massive sigh of relief. The doctor visibly relaxed and immediately turned to the nurse, ordering her to prep the cobra antivenom. Just as the nurse was about to sprint out of the room, Chloe suddenly spoke up again. "Wait!" "I think I might be remembering it wrong... Was it actually a cobra...?" We stood there, holding the unconscious Mia, our faces turning a ghostly white. "Chloe! Stop playing games! This is a medical emergency!" "The doctor needs the exact species to give her the right medication! If you keep stalling, it’s going to be too late!" Hearing our panic, Chloe actually let out a nonchalant little laugh. "Who's playing games? I'm just worried that if I give them the wrong name, it might actually hurt her!" "Let me think... Nope, I was right. It's a cobra!" The commotion was drawing the attention of everyone in the ER waiting area. Whispers broke out around us. "She secretly kept a venomous snake and now she's playing guessing games? Is she trying to commit murder?" "Joking around at a time like this... that is psychopathic." My fingertips were trembling. Not from fear, but from an overwhelming, blinding rage. Chloe was flipping her story back and forth, casually playing Russian roulette with Mia's life. If she stalled any longer, the neurotoxins would completely shut down Mia's system. It would be too late. Seeing the doctor preparing to administer the medication based on her "cobra" claim, I caught a sick flash of excitement in Chloe's eyes. A cold chill shot down my spine. I shoved my way past the gurney and blocked the doctor. "Doctor, she is intentionally messing with you! Everything she just said is a lie!" "Please, I'm begging you, ask her one more time! Make her tell the truth!" My eyes were stinging with unshed tears. Mia, lying in my arms, was ice cold. Her breathing was so shallow I could barely feel it against my skin. The doctor frowned deeply, his sharp gaze darting between me and Chloe. The triage nurse immediately sensed the bizarre dynamic. She turned to Chloe, her voice hardening into a sharp command. "I am going to ask you one last time. What is the exact species of the snake? If you are obstructing a medical emergency with a prank, I will call the police immediately!" For years, we had tolerated Chloe's twisted pranks. We had complained to our Resident Advisor several times, but he was a spineless guy who just wanted to keep the peace. "She just likes to goof off. She doesn't mean any harm," he would always say. For the sake of dorm harmony, I bit my tongue and let it slide, time and time again. Until winter break ended, and she secretly smuggled a highly venomous exotic pet into our room. The snake escaped and bit Mia. By the time we found her, she was already slipping into unconsciousness. We didn't even have time to be angry; we just picked her up and ran like maniacs to the campus hospital. And now, after barely making it to the ER, Chloe was still treating this like a game. My eyes were bloodshot, and my voice shook violently. "Please, Chloe. Mia is fading fast. Can you please just stop this?" "If you just help us save her right now, I swear I will never complain about any of your pranks ever again." The bystanders in the ER started chiming in. "Young lady, a life is on the line. Stop playing around." "Save the girl first! If you keep stalling, she’s not going to make it!" Listening to the chorus of criticism, Chloe just rolled her eyes, completely unfazed. "It's not that big of a deal. I was just pulling a little prank. Why is everyone overreacting?" Seeing that the doctor's face had turned livid and he was reaching for the phone to call campus security and the police, Chloe finally dropped the smirk. She relented, sounding deeply annoyed. "Fine, fine! I'll stop joking!" I let out a massive sigh of relief. But then, Chloe looked around at the crowd, her eyes finally settling on us, and she slowly, casually added: "It was a coral snake. Highly venomous. I just remembered." The doctor's face went completely pale. Before I could even process what was happening, he shouted at the nurse to stop, physically grabbing her arm to prevent the injection of the cobra antivenom. Seeing Mia's lips turning a bruised shade of purple, Chloe spoke up again, her tone agonizingly slow. "Jeez, why do you guys look so stressed?" "I mean, the lights were out in the dorm, it was pitch black... I didn't get a great look at it. I was just worried that if I gave you the wrong name, it would cause a problem!" "I'm just being cautious. I need to really think about it..." "Wait, no, no. It wasn't a coral snake. It definitely was a cobra." After delivering that completely contradictory statement, she clutched her chest and let out a dramatic sigh, as if she had just solved a complex math problem. I thought I was going to have a stroke. Holding the dying Mia, my last shred of self-control snapped. I screamed at the top of my lungs: "Chloe! IS THIS A FUCKING GAME TO YOU?! IF YOU STALL ANY LONGER, MIA IS GOING TO DIE!" But hearing my scream, Chloe didn't look guilty. She looked offended. "How can you talk to me like that? Aren't we roommates? It's not like I did it on purpose!" "Oh, so you only care about her? My feelings don't matter at all, right?" "I knew it! You guys are always ganging up on me! You're bullying me!" "I can't believe you're treating me like this! If I knew you were going to be this mean, I wouldn't have even come!" With that, she spun around and started storming toward the ER exit. My face went white. I shoved Mia into the arms of our other roommate and sprinted after Chloe, grabbing her arm in a vice grip. "Chloe! That's not what I meant! Mia is literally dying, I'm just panicking! I didn't mean to yell at you." "The hospital has every antivenom in stock. As long as you tell the doctor exactly what kind of snake it is, we can save her right now, okay?" Chloe yanked her arm away and pointed a finger aggressively in my face. "This is your fault!" "If you hadn't been screaming and making a huge scene in the dorm, maybe I wouldn't have been so startled and I would have seen clearly what kind of snake bit her!" "It's just a snake bite! My snakes are usually so well-behaved..." "You know what? I bet you're targeting me! I bet you secretly let the snake out to bite her just so you could frame me for it!" My eyes went wide. I stared at Chloe, completely incapable of comprehending the sheer delusion coming out of her mouth. When the semester first started, I saw her sitting alone in the dining hall and went out of my way to befriend her and make her feel included. But ever since she got obsessed with exotic reptiles, everything changed. She spent every day in the dorm messing with various venomous snakes, completely ignoring our unified protests and genuine fear. She would bang around with their glass enclosures in the middle of the night, totally oblivious to anyone else's existence. For the sake of dorm peace, I tolerated it. Until a few days ago, when she smuggled a new, highly venomous snake into the room in a locked box, calling it her "newest baby." We had gone to the RA multiple times, but he was a coward who just wanted to avoid paperwork. He did absolutely nothing. Left with no choice, we lived in constant terror, reminding her every single day to make sure the latches were secured. But she always brushed us off. Until tonight. Just after lights out, a blood-curdling scream erupted from the bottom bunk. Mia was crying hysterically, saying something had bitten her. Chloe didn't panic. Instead, she stood by her bed, clapping her hands and laughing. "See? Isn't my little baby so pretty?" Mia was trembling violently in agony, her face turning a ghastly white. Ultimately, it was the rest of us who practically carried Mia all the way to the campus hospital. Mia had always been frail; her immune system couldn't handle a massive dose of neurotoxin. She lost consciousness halfway to the ER. When we arrived, my first instinct was to call 911. But the other roommates begged me not to, saying we should contact the school administration first to avoid a massive scandal. Because we desperately needed to get in touch with Mia's parents, I swallowed my anger and called the RA instead. But I never imagined that our constant appeasement would only embolden Chloe's psychotic behavior. Even now, with a girl dying in front of her, she was still trying to prank us, refusing to name the snake. Watching Mia's breathing grow shallower and shallower, the tears poured down my face. The triage nurse looked heartbroken, but medical protocol dictated they had to know the exact venom type before administering the serum. A mistake could be instantly fatal. I clutched Mia, sobbing as I begged Chloe. "Chloe, please, I am begging you, stop the prank. If we wait any longer, Mia is going to die. She's your roommate!" The other roommate, her eyes red, chimed in softly. "Please. We're begging you." But Chloe just flashed her signature, infuriating smirk. "Ugh, relax! Stop rushing me. The more you rush me, the more nervous I get, and the harder it is to remember..." She turned and looked me right in the eye. "Victoria, I know you're stressed, but you need to chill." Saying that seemed to genuinely amuse her, and she let out a loud, bubbly giggle. I stared at her, suppressing a volcanic rage. "Chloe, if you intentionally give the doctor the wrong species, you are actively delaying life-saving treatment. You will be legally responsible." Hearing that, Chloe finally shut her mouth. But her eyes were full of spiteful resentment at being called out. The ER doctor, finally understanding the twisted dynamic at play, spoke with cold authority. "Since the species is unconfirmed, we will proceed with broad-spectrum emergency stabilization. Please clear the doorway..." I let out a massive sigh of relief and nodded gratefully at the doctor, preparing to help wheel Mia's gurney into the trauma bay. Just as the wheels started moving, Chloe suddenly shouted: "Wait! I remember!" "It's the new snake I got today! It must have slipped out of the transport box!" She held up her phone, her eyes darting nervously but her posture projecting absolute confidence. "I'll just pull up my order history right now! The receipt will say exactly what species it is!" Outside the trauma bay doors. Chloe stood frozen in place, holding her phone up, swiping aimlessly at the screen, putting on a highly theatrical show of searching for an email. First she claimed her phone was lagging. Then she claimed the hospital Wi-Fi was blocking the site. She dragged this agonizing performance out for nearly ten minutes before finally shoving the screen in our direction. "See? Found it... I told you guys to stop rushing me..." The screen did indeed show an exotic pet retailer's confirmation page. The people standing nearby naturally leaned in to look, and their faces instantly contorted in shock. "Oh my god! That is an incredibly lethal species! This is insane!" "And we were actually feeling sorry for her earlier! She literally caused this entire nightmare herself!" Chloe's face twisted into an ugly scowl. "I'm an exotic pet enthusiast. What's the big deal if I keep a venomous snake? How does that affect any of you?" "Doctor, look, the receipt is right here! Now you know exactly what it is!" The doctor's face darkened into a furious scowl. "Nobody move! Let me see that receipt clearly so I can authorize the correct antivenom!" I stared at the glowing screen. Something felt deeply, instinctively wrong. Sure enough, the very next second, she yanked the phone away and locked the screen. I reached out to grab the phone from her hand, but Chloe suddenly slapped her own forehead, looking incredibly annoyed. "Oh, shoot! I totally forgot! I ordered three different snakes in that shipment. Which one was the one that got out?" I was shaking with a rage so intense it felt like my blood was boiling. The dam finally broke. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" I screamed. "There is a limit to these sick jokes! Would it kill you to just shut your mouth and tell the truth?!" "You're intentionally dragging this out! Why do you have to cause chaos right now?!" "If Mia dies because you stalled, I swear to God, I will never, ever let you get away with this!" Chloe seemed to finally realize that I was genuinely, dangerously furious. A flicker of panic crossed her face. "No... Victoria... I was just messing around with you guys. Why are you getting so mad?" At that moment, my other roommate finally snapped and screamed at Chloe. "Chloe! If you don't have anything helpful to say, then shut the fuck up!" "Is this a time for jokes?! Mia was envenomated! If you delay this any longer, she is going to die!" "I... I didn't mean to..." Chloe muttered, lowering her head under the verbal assault. But I could clearly see the defiant, unrepentant glare in her eyes. She truly, genuinely didn't believe she had done anything wrong. But Mia's body was growing colder by the second. I didn't have time to entertain Chloe's psychotic games anymore. I turned to the ER doctor, my voice hoarse and pleading. "I know your protocols require exact confirmation. I'm not trying to make your job harder." "But if there is absolutely no way to confirm the species, is there anything else you can do? Please, just try to save her. Her breathing is almost gone. She can't hold on much longer." I bowed deeply at the waist, a gesture of absolute desperation. The doctor and the charge nurse exchanged a heavy look, and finally, the doctor nodded. As the nurses began rolling the gurney into the trauma bay, Chloe was still muttering in the background. "Why is everyone being so dramatic... it's just a snake bite. Give her a shot and she'll be fine. It's not like people don't get bit by snakes all the time..." I pretended she didn't exist. I just held onto Mia's cold hand, praying silently over and over again that she would pull through. Chloe mumbled a few more complaints, and when she realized no one was paying attention to her, she finally shut up. But right at that exact moment, the heart monitor hooked up to Mia flatlined. I watched in horror as the medical team swarmed the gurney, launching into a frantic, desperate resuscitation protocol. I was pulled to the side, forced to repeatedly review a binder of snake profiles with a toxicologist in a blind attempt to identify the species visually. As I waited for news from the trauma bay, my heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. A suffocating wave of dread washed over me. I stared unblinking at the red "IN USE" light above the trauma bay doors, terrified of what it meant when it turned off. In a daze, Chloe's voice echoed in my memory. Right before they wheeled Mia in, she had muttered: "I just couldn't remember clearly, it's not like I did it on purpose." A violent shudder racked my body. Did she truly not understand that intentionally being vague in a life-or-death medical emergency was the exact same thing as murder? No! She knew exactly what she was doing. Just like she knew that keeping highly venomous reptiles in a tiny college dorm was strictly prohibited, yet she hid them under her bed anyway, completely disregarding our safety. She also knew that the moment Mia was bitten, she was racing against the clock. Yet she intentionally lied, stalled, and played games with the doctor. The realization made my chest physically ache. And then, from down the hall, I heard Chloe's shrill, complaining voice again. "Stop trying to scare me! You hospitals just love to exaggerate everything!" "It's just a tiny snake bite! Why are you making it sound like she has terminal cancer?!" "We're not doing this! Wheel her back out here right now!" My stomach plummeted. I shoved through a pair of double doors and saw Chloe—who had "volunteered" to go to the billing department—throwing a massive tantrum at the payment counter. The young billing clerk looked completely overwhelmed and distressed. I sprinted over and grabbed the clerk's arm. "Excuse me! I'm her roommate! What's happening? Are they not working on her?!" The clerk recognized me from the ER and quickly explained: "Miss, the venom is spreading through your roommate's system incredibly fast. The doctors ordered an immediate dose of a specialized, broad-spectrum anti-venom cocktail. But this young woman refused to authorize the charge or provide insurance info, and it caused a massive delay in the pharmacy..." Before she even finished her sentence, I felt my knees almost buckle. The months of accumulated frustration and rage detonated inside me. I spun around, my eyes blazing, and screamed at Chloe: "Chloe! If Mia dies in there, are you prepared to carry that charge for the rest of your life?!" Without waiting for her to spout another delusional excuse, I slammed my own debit card onto the counter. But when I checked my banking app, I was hundreds of dollars short. Seeing me panic, Chloe strutted over, looking incredibly smug and self-righteous. "I told you guys you were overreacting. There's no need for all this expensive medical drama." "Just listen to me. We'll take her back to the dorm, let her sleep it off, and she'll be fine. There's no reason to throw away money on this scam." I was shaking so hard I could barely stand. I opened my mouth to scream at her again. But then, the heavy doors of the trauma bay swung open. The lead ER physician walked out, his face utterly grim. "I am so sorry. We did everything we could." My legs instantly gave out, and I collapsed onto the cold linoleum floor. At that exact moment, our Resident Advisor, Mr. Harris, came sprinting down the hallway, looking frantic. He saw the white sheet pulled over the gurney and let out a trembling, horrified yell: "What happened?! You said you were getting the antivenom! How is she dead?!"
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