Chapter 2
2
I tapped the empty plastic tub on my desk. "It’s a weight-gain supplement I formulated for my experimental pigs. The main ingredients are high-fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin powder, a concentrated Vitamin B complex, and yeast extract to stimulate their appetite. I mixed the recipe myself specifically for my animal growth performance study."
Harper’s face drained of color, going from flushed red to ghostly white.
"You... what did you say?"
"I said," I emphasized every single syllable, "you’ve been eating pig feed for a month."
She froze, her mouth hanging open like a gasping fish.
From behind her curtain, Maya let out a loud snort of laughter before quickly covering her mouth.
Harper suddenly spun around and bolted into the bathroom.
I heard the toilet seat slam open, followed immediately by the sound of violent, soul-crushing gagging.
I didn't bother to go check on her.
I sat back down and opened my lab notebook.
I had spent two entire months perfecting that weight-gain formula.
Every single batch had to be weighed down to the milligram, mixed to a 95% homogeneity, and scanned under near-infrared to ensure even nutrient distribution.
I had mixed five tubs in total. Four were already in the university barns with my test subjects. I only brought the last tub back to my dorm because the lab lockers were full, and I needed a place to store it temporarily.
I had put a label on the tub.
A bright white label with bold, red letters.
"FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL USE ONLY. DO NOT CONSUME."
Harper wasn't blind. She saw it.
She just didn't care.
The horrible sounds from the bathroom finally stopped.
She dragged herself out, gripping the doorframe. Her lips were pale, and her eyes were watery and bloodshot.
"Chloe, you did this on purpose! You left that thing there and didn't warn me just so you could watch me make a fool of myself!"
I looked up at her.
"The warning label was huge. Are you illiterate?"
"The font was tiny! No one reads that!"
"It was in bold, red, half-inch letters. How is that tiny?"
She stomped her foot, tears spilling over her flushed cheeks.
"You tried to poison me! I’m going to the Resident Director! I’m reporting you for poisoning a student!"
"Poisoning?" I snapped my notebook shut. "Do you even know what’s in that formula? Corn syrup, soy powder, yeast extract—it's all food-grade ingredients. The worst it'll do to a human is pack on the pounds. It’s not toxic. What are you going to report me for? Making you fat?"
She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
I stood up, grabbed the empty tub, and shoved it back into her hands.
"If you feel so wronged, go ahead and report me. Let the whole campus know you’ve been stealing and eating pig feed for a month, and that's why you gained thirty pounds."
She held the tub, her entire body shaking with rage.
Maya finally climbed down from her bed, grabbed Harper by the arm, and started pulling her out of our room.
"Okay, okay, let's just go get some air. Stop fighting."
At the doorway, Harper suddenly whipped her head back, her eyes red and venomous.
"You’re going to pay for this, Chloe."
The door slammed so hard the walls vibrated.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the closed door for a few seconds.
Pay for it?
Sure. Bring it on.
The next morning, I went to the university barns to feed my pigs.
My subjects were twelve Yorkshire-Landrace crossbreeds, divided into four groups.
The control group got standard feed, while the experimental groups got varying percentages of my weight-gain formula.
Every pig had an ear tag with a registered ID. I could recite them in my sleep.
This trial had been running for nearly four months. I weighed them weekly, took blood samples, and logged their daily feed intake and fecal scores.
My data book was almost full. I just needed the weight data from the final two weeks to complete my senior thesis.
I had just poured the feed into the trough when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was an alert on Snapchat from our Resident Director, Mrs. Harrison.
"Chloe, Harper, Maya. My office. 3 PM today."
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