Vienna stood outside Rosalie's dorm room, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. Her stomach churned as she debated whether to knock. She had been debating on it since returning to campus after her lunch with Pepe, and she had finally come to a decision. She needed to figure out if Rosalie had known about Joshua and Ivory, but she was terrified of knowing the truth.

Taking a deep breath, Vienna finally knocked.

The door opened almost immediately, revealing Rosalie in jeans and a sweater, her curly hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her face softened when she saw Vienna. "Hey," she said gently. "I was wondering when you'd show up. Come in."

Rosalie closed the door behind them, leaning back against it as Vienna took a seat on Rosalie's spare bed. Her roommate had dropped out in November, leaving the space empty.

Rosalie pushed off the door and walked across the room, taking a seat on her own bed. "So what's going on? Marshall said you were sick, but I'm not buying it. And Joshua and Ivory were acting weird at breakfast, and I figured you had something to do with it."

Vienna opened her mouth to speak, but before a sound could escape her lips, Rosalie interrupted. "Hold on, I'll make tea."

A few moments later, Vienna was staring down at the mug of tea in her hands. Rosalie settled herself on her bed, her own steaming mug in hand.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said. "Also, whose clothes are those?"

Vienna looked down at her clothes. She was still wearing the ones Pepe had given her the night prior. She sighed. Her throat felt tight, and she struggled to find the right words. "I'll tell you in a minute. But first, I should talk to you about something else. Joshua cheated on me," she said shakily.

Rosalie blinked, her expression frozen for a split second. Then it quickly changed form into one of pure anger. "What?"

Vienna swallowed hard, and she set the mug down on the desk next to the bed. She twisted her fingers anxiously. "I found him with Ivory last night."

It was Rosalie's turn to set her mug down. Then, she sprang to her feet, pacing her room with her hands on her hips. "Are you kidding me?" she fumed. If Vienna wasn't so upset, she would have laughed. She had never seen Rosalie this angry, and it was definitely a sight to behold. "That absolute- oh, I cannot believe him! And Ivory? Those evil-" Her voice rose with each word, and Vienna winced, though part of her found comfort in Rosalie's immediate outrage. It was clear her friend had heard nothing from Ivory.

"I'm sorry I didn't go to you first," Vienna said softly. "I wasn't sure if you-"

Rosalie whirled around. "If I knew? Vienna, I would never keep something like that from you. God, I'm so mad I could strangle both of them."

She continued to pace the length of the room, and Vienna could almost see the gears turning in her best friend's head as she processed this new information.

"I just don't get it," said Rosalie. "Of all of the people, he had to go for your roommate? She was one of our best friends. Not anymore, obviously. We are dropping that bitch. She and Joshua do not deserve your time."

Vienna sighed, tears pricking her eyes again. "I feel like such an idiot, Ro. How could I not see it?"

"Hey." Rosalie sat down on the bed next to Vienna and took her hand. "Don't you dare blame yourself. This is on them, not you."

"I know," said Vienna. "I just need time to accept that."

"Well I'll be there for you until you do," said Rosalie. "Okay but now I need to know. If you weren't with me last night, where did you stay? Because you'd better not have slept in your own room with your boyfriend's mistress."

Vienna stared at her lap, unable to admit the truth while looking her friend in the eyes. "Pepe's." Rosalie raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, waiting for Vienna to continue. "I didn't do anything wrong. Nothing happened," Vienna said quickly, her words tumbling out of her mouth so fast she almost couldn't catch up. "But I still feel guilty. I don't know."

Rosalie's expression softened. "You feel like you broke a rule or something."

"Yeah," Vienna admitted. "Like I shouldn't have gone to him. But I didn't know where else to go."

"Did he try anything?" Rosalie asked, her voice firm.

"Oh my god, no," Vienna said immediately. "He was really sweet, actually. He let me sleep in his bed while he took the couch, and I don't know, made me feel safe?"

Rosalie smiled faintly. "That's our Pepe. God, V, he's so into you, it's not even funny."

"He is not," scolded Vienna. "But I don't know why I feel so ashamed. I didn't cheat. I didn't do anything wrong. But it still feels like I shouldn't have gone to him."

Rosalie squeezed Vienna's hand. "You went to someone you could trust. There's nothing wrong with that. Joshua's the one in the wrong here. Don't let his actions make you feel like you have to question yours."

Vienna nodded slowly, letting the brunette's words sink in. "I just, I don't know what to do now."

"You don't have to figure it all out right away," said Rosalie. "Take it one step at a time. And if you ever need to talk, I'm here. Always."

Her words were reminiscent to what Pepe had been telling her since last night, and the thought comforted Vienna. If no one in the world was on her side, at least she'd have both of them. And probably Marshall, as he took his girlfriend's side in just about any conflict.

Vienna finally looked up at Rosalie, the corners of her lips lifting into a faint smile. "Thanks, Rosalie."

"Anytime," said Rosalie, letting go of Vienna's hand to hug her.

Vienna leaned against her best friend's side, relaxing for the first time since she arrived to her room. When they pulled away, Rosalie spoke again.

"Okay, first order of business: you are not living in that room with that slut anymore," she decided.

"Ro, I have nowhere else I can stay," said Vienna.

"That's nonsense. Move in with me," she insisted. "Being by myself was fine for a bit after Lizzy left, but to be honest, it's a little lonely."

Vienna hesitated. "But-"

"No buts," Rosalie said, crossing her arms. "I don't care if I have to march over there myself and start packing your things. You cannot live with Ivory anymore."

Vienna bit her lip, the idea both terrifying and relieving all at once. "I guess it would be nice to not have to see her- or Joshua."

"Exactly." Rosalie's voice softened. "I want you here, V. You deserve to be in a place where you can actually breathe without dealing with either of them."

Vienna exhaled shakily. "Okay. I'll do it."

Rosalie squealed. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! You can borrow some of my stuff and sleep over here tonight, unless you want to stay at Pepe's again. And then tomorrow, we can invite the boys to help us move your stuff across campus. On Monday we can go to the dormitory coordinator's office to sort out logistics and things. It'll be okay, V."

Vienna leaned against Rosalie once more. "I think that's a brilliant idea, Ro."

"Perfect, I'll text Mars," said Rosalie. "You text Pepe and we'll all figure out a time."

Vienna smiled as she drew her phone out of her pocket. She still had Rosalie and Marshall. She would be going through this difficult time with only two fewer friends than she began it with, not four.