I came back to the dorm after a grueling gym session, sweating buckets. I just wanted to turn on my small desk fan to cool down. But my roommate, Lana, suddenly rushed over, smashing her hand down on the fan and screaming: "If you turn that on one more time, you're going to use up our entire monthly electricity allowance and the subsidy from the school!" I was stunned. Before I could even react, she whipped out a calculator and started crunching numbers with aggressive speed. "You have two phones (20W each), a portable charger (18W), an electric kettle (800W), and a hair dryer (1200W)." "You charge your phones twice a day, 0.04 kWh each time; the power bank once a week, 0.05 kWh; the kettle once a day, 0.2 kWh; the hair dryer three times a day, 0.2 kWh each..." "At 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, you’ve used an extra 25 kWh this month. You owe me and Sarah $2.50!" 1 "So pay up!" "Otherwise, before this month ends, you are not allowed to use any electrical appliances in this dorm." Lana pulled up her Venmo QR code and shoved it rudely in my face. My head was buzzing. I hadn't recovered from the shock of her outburst. I’ve lived for eighteen years, and never did I imagine such a bizarre roommate situation would fall on my head. At the beginning of the semester, to make our dorm life more convenient, I bought a few small appliances online: a hair dryer, an electric hot pot, and a kettle. Back then, Lana was chatting with the girls next door. Seeing me unpack so many packages, she immediately ran over, questioning me aggressively: "Quinn, why did you buy so much stuff behind our backs?" Lana’s face was twisted. She looked like she wanted to swallow me whole. I was startled and looked at her blankly. "What’s wrong?" Our university is quite liberal. The dorms are pre-equipped with microwaves and mini-fridges. A hair dryer, a hot pot, and a kettle shouldn't be an issue. I didn't understand why she was overreacting. Lana didn't answer. She stared at me silently for a long time. Then she went back to her desk and grabbed a notebook and a calculator. "What is the wattage of these appliances? I need to make a record." At the time, I naively thought she was worried about fire safety or tripping the circuit breaker. So, I honestly handed her the manuals and said: "Don't worry." "The wattage of these appliances complies with the dorm's safety regulations. There won't be any problems." I never expected that she was preparing for this day. Seeing that I hadn't responded for a while, Lana frowned and urged impatiently: "What? Quinn, you usually act like you’re so rich. Are you trying to welch on a debt now?" 2 I didn't answer her immediately. I looked up at my other roommate, Sarah, and asked: "Do you also support her method of calculating the electricity bill?" Lana was petty; she could make a mountain out of a molehill. That wasn't surprising. But I never thought this calculation would include me. Obviously, Sarah had chosen to be on Lana's boat. She bit her lip, avoiding my gaze, and said with a heavy heart: "Quinn, I think what Lana is doing is understandable." "After all, both of us are on financial aid. Naturally, we have to calculate everything carefully and stretch every dollar." "You’re not short on money, so don't take advantage of us, okay?" Her tone was gentle and considerate. But underneath, it was pure moral kidnapping. I laughed out of extreme anger. Did they think I was stupid or just a pushover? I wasn't going to be their ATM. "Alright, if that's the case, let's break everything down clearly." "You said I use the kettle once a day? That’s because, Sarah, you like to drink that detox tea every night. That usage should be on your tab." "On top of that, there's a rental fee. Let's call it a dollar per use." Sarah’s face went stiff. She didn't expect me to go after her first. After all, I had always defended her in the past. Ignoring her pitiful, pleading look, I continued logically: "And the hair dryer. Usually, because we're roommates, I let you use it for free." "Now, based on the standard of a laundromat dryer or a salon, you each owe me $10 for usage." "In summary, Lana and Sarah, you owe me $10 and $15 respectively." I calculated their debts in seconds, then flashed my own Venmo code. "Pay up." "Once you pay what you owe me, we can talk about my electricity bill." 3 But this time. The two who were just shouting at me fell silent one after another. I didn't give an inch, returning Lana's sarcastic words right back to her. "What? Trying to welch on the debt?" "Money is money. Just because you're on financial aid, you think we can just let this slide?" "People need to have integrity." It was like a slap in the face for both of them. Their faces turned green and then white. Lana roared in frustration: "Quinn, do you have to be so aggressive?" Sarah nodded along. "Yeah, Quinn." "We were discussing this nicely, but you're being so petty." "Can you still expect us to cooperate with you on the group project?" The group project Sarah mentioned was tied to our final grade. At the beginning of the semester, everyone had already formed teams. If the group broke up halfway through, I probably wouldn't find anyone to take me in. And this project was huge; it required multiple people to complete. In terms of being underhanded, Sarah was one step ahead. I couldn't help but give her a thumbs up. "Sarah, you really can't judge a book by its cover." "You really know how to manipulate people!" I used to think she was innocent. I protected her several times, even making enemies for her sake. The result? She was sharper than anyone. Sarah played dumb. "Quinn, I'm just thinking of you." "We don't need to fight, just pay the money." Too lazy to deal with her fake affection, I urged and threatened: "Are you going to scan it or not?" "If you don't scan it, I'll post about this on the campus Fizz app and let everyone judge who's right." 4 Sarah hit a wall, her face flushing red. While she hesitated, Lana had already rushed over, snatched her phone, and opened Venmo. "Scan it! Do you think we're afraid of you?" "Lana, what are you doing?!" By the time Sarah reacted and wanted to stop her, it was too late. Lana moved fast. When she snatched the phone, she used Sarah's fingerprint to unlock it. Scanned and paid. Afterward, Lana returned the phone to her and said triumphantly: "Sarah, you're just too soft-hearted." "Why waste breath on Quinn? Just give her the money." "When she can't finish the group project alone, she'll come back begging us." "By the way, I'm a little tight on cash right now. When I paid for you, I paid my share too." "I'll pay you back when I have money." "I trust that someone as kind and understanding as you, Sarah, would be very willing to help me, right?" Sarah was so angry her face turned black. Breathing rapidly, her chest heaving violently. But Lana was thick-skinned, pretending not to see it, and turned back to rush me: "Now it's your turn to pay us." I glanced at Sarah's dark face and didn't hesitate. I transferred the $2.50. I exchanged $2.50 for $25. Why wouldn't I be happy? I said: "Later, I'll ask maintenance to install separate meters for our outlets. From now on, we pay for our own electricity." "This is my suggestion, so you don't need to pay for the installation." "However, I have an apartment off-campus. I barely use the fridge and microwave here." "So those two appliances will be on your meters." "I won't be splitting the bill anymore." With that, I packed my bag and went to the library. The GREs were coming up; I didn't have time to tangle with them.
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