I stared at the four individual slices of Swiss roll, perfectly nestled in their plastic containers. My roommate, Sarah, shrieked, "Are you crazy, Jane? You bought this expensive cake for everyone? What a waste of money!" I tried to explain that they only sold it in whole boxes, and it would go bad if we didn't share. But she just gathered all the slices, her eyes gleaming. "My brother works construction nearby. I'll take these to him." Before I could even protest, she was already eyeing me up and down with a sneer. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just getting you in good with your future husband. You should be happy to have a sister-in-law like me." Excuse me? Since when was I involved with her brother? I snatched the cake box back. "Give them to your brother? I'd rather let them go stale!" Chapter 1 "Alright, everyone, I bought Swiss rolls! Dig in!" I grinned, setting the box with the familiar "Whole Foods" logo on our dorm's communal table. Through the clear plastic, the golden cake and pristine white cream looked incredibly tempting. This box of Swiss rolls cost me almost thirty dollars, about three days' worth of my meal plan. My wallet stung, but the thought of sharing with my roommates made my heart happy. It was a little celebration after our first dorm outing together. Emily and Chloe immediately cheered and crowded around. Emily, a bubbly girl from the South, had a spunky short haircut. Chloe was quieter, with round glasses, and was the dorm's resident brainiac. The three of us had hit it off since orientation, but Sarah always kept to herself. "Wow! Whole Foods Swiss rolls! I've been craving these forever!" Emily eagerly tore open the box, and a rich, creamy aroma instantly filled the room. She took an exaggerated sniff. "Oh, that's the good stuff!" "Jane, you shouldn't have," Chloe said, pushing up her glasses, a shy smile on her face. But her eyes were glued to the cake. Sarah, however, stayed on her bed, scrolling on her phone, not even looking up. She was the most… unique one in our dorm. Always trying to get something for free, and constantly bringing up "my brother." In less than a month of school, I'd heard about her brother at least twenty times: "My brother's a foreman on a construction site," "My brother makes eight grand a month," "My brother says city girls are all spoiled." I didn't pay her any mind. The cake was there; she could eat it or not. Just as we were about to dive in, Sarah suddenly put down her phone and walked over. She glanced at the packaging, her eyes widening, then let out a piercing shriek: "Jane! What a waste! This expensive cake, just giving it away?" Her sudden outburst startled me, and I nearly dropped my slice of Swiss roll. Steadying myself, I explained, "They only sell it by the box. It'll go bad if we don't share." But Sarah slammed the box lid shut so roughly that Chloe's freshly poured iced tea almost toppled over. "My brother works construction nearby. I'll take these to him." She started to shove the box into her bag. I was stunned, completely unprepared for her move. Before I could say anything, she looked me up and down with a judgmental gaze. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just getting you in good with your future husband. You should be happy to have a sister-in-law like me." I couldn't believe my ears. Future husband? Sister-in-law? I'd never even met her brother! A wave of anger washed over me, and I snatched the cake box back. "Give them to your brother? I'd rather let them go stale!" Chapter 2 The dorm went dead silent. Emily and Chloe exchanged nervous glances. Sarah's face flushed crimson. "Jane, what do you mean by that?" Sarah's voice was sharp. "Exactly what it sounds like." I calmly opened the box and redistributed slices to Emily and Chloe. "My stuff, I decide who gets it." The dorm was eerily quiet again. Sarah's face was beet red. "Jane, what's your problem? My brother works himself to death on that construction site, what's wrong with him having something nice to eat? Do you know his hands are all calloused? He dropped out of middle school to work and put me through college!" That's when I noticed Sarah's fingers nervously twisting the hem of her shirt, her knuckles white. Her eyes held a complex emotion—a mix of unhealthy adoration for her brother and an unspoken insecurity. This contradictory expression reminded me of a dog on a leash, wanting to bite but afraid of getting hit. "What does your brother's hard work have to do with me?" I countered. "I don't even know him." "Don't play dumb!" Sarah suddenly raised her voice, a sharp edge to it. "Haven't you been looking for a boyfriend? My brother might be on a construction site now, but he's going to be successful! I'm giving you an opportunity! Do you know how many girls in our village want to marry my brother?" I almost laughed at how ridiculous this was. I'd never even met Sarah's brother, and she was already trying to arrange a marriage for me? This wasn't just about being cheap; this was straight-up delusional. "Sarah," I said, enunciating each word carefully, "I'm not interested in your brother. Not now, not ever. Please don't flatter yourself." Sarah's face turned a sickly shade of green. She spun around and stomped back to her bed, yanking her curtain shut with a violent thwack. Emily nudged my arm, whispering, "Sarah's always like this. Last time I bought cherries, she said she wanted to take them to her brother. She always talks about how he dropped out to work and put her through school, so she really looks up to him." Chloe nodded in agreement. "Yeah, last month I bought new sunscreen, and she just took it without asking, saying her brother needed sunscreen more on the construction site." That's when I noticed Sarah's desk was covered in photos of her and her brother. A man in his early thirties, with dark skin, posing in front of various construction backgrounds. And in her closet, there were hardly any nice clothes, just faded T-shirts and jeans. Chapter 3 The next few days, the dorm atmosphere was noticeably tense. Sarah started making passive-aggressive comments. "Some people just look down on working-class folks," she said loudly while painting her nails, glancing sideways at me. "Exactly, acting all high and mighty," she muttered into her phone, but it was clearly meant for me. "My brother says girls who are pampered like that have the hardest time finding a husband." I chose to ignore her, but I'd already decided to keep my distance. We still had three years of living together, and a full-blown argument wouldn't do anyone any good. However, it didn't end there. Friday night, I came back from dinner with my club members to find my closet door open and a new dress missing. It was a birthday present I'd saved up for a month, costing over a hundred dollars, and I hadn't even worn it once. I immediately asked in our dorm group chat: "Who went into my closet? My new dress is gone." Sarah quickly replied: "Oh, I borrowed it. I'm having dinner with my brother tonight; I can't look too shabby, can I?" I couldn't believe my eyes. She just took my stuff without asking, and was being so brazen about it?! "Bring it back. Now." I typed only those five words. "What's the rush? I'll give it back tomorrow," Sarah replied nonchalantly. "Now. Immediately. This instant." I emphasized my words. Ten minutes later, Sarah returned reluctantly. The dress had clearly been worn, with noticeable foundation stains on the collar and grease spots on the hem. She tossed the dress onto my bed. "What's the big deal? It's not like I wasn't going to give it back. So stingy." I inspected the stains on the dress, fuming. "Sarah, from today on, do not touch any of my things again. This is your final warning." "Pffft, like I care." Sarah rolled her eyes, then suddenly flashed a creepy smile. "But Jane, my brother really liked seeing you in this dress. He said you have a great figure." I froze. "What do you mean?" "Nothing, just showed your picture to my brother during dinner. He was really interested." Sarah triumphantly waved her phone. "Want to add him on WeChat? My brother said he'd be willing to spend a lot to pursue a city girl like you." I was trembling with rage. I grabbed the dress and threw it directly into the trash can. "Gross!" Sarah's face changed. "What are you doing? I still need that dress..." "Need your head!" I cut her off. "Anything you've touched, I find disgusting!" Sarah suddenly lunged and shoved me. "Jane! Don't push your luck!" I stumbled backward a few steps, bumping into my desk. Emily and Chloe quickly intervened to break us up. That night, I tossed and turned. Through the gap in my bed curtain, I saw Sarah carefully mending an old shirt under her desk lamp—it was her brother's work uniform. Her eyes held a pathological obsession, the needle weaving through the fabric like a devout worshiper performing a ritual. Chapter 4 The next morning, I found my cosmetics had been tampered with. There were clear fingerprints on the Estée Lauder foundation bottle, and my YSL lipstick had been twisted out, the bullet misshapen. I looked around the dorm. Emily and Chloe had gone home, and only Sarah was lying in bed, pretending to sleep. I quietly pulled out my phone and took pictures as evidence. Then I opened my laptop and posted an update on social media: "What kind of person uses someone else's makeup without permission in a dorm? Foundation bottle covered in fingerprints, lipstick twisted out. Do these people think everyone else's stuff is theirs?" I attached the evidence photos, of course, without naming anyone directly. Soon, the post was widely shared and commented on. Many students from our school saw it and started guessing who it was. Although I hadn't named names, those who knew our dorm situation could easily guess it was Sarah. "Is it that Sarah who's always trying to get free stuff?" my classmate Amy commented. "I heard she often takes her roommates' things for her brother," another student replied. In the afternoon, Sarah stormed back, slamming her phone down in front of me. "Jane, what do you mean by that? Spreading rumors about me online?" I looked at her calmly. "What rumors am I spreading? I'm stating facts. Weren't those cosmetics yours?" "What's wrong with using them for a bit?" Sarah said, as if it were my fault. "Taking without asking is stealing," I said coldly. "I've already applied to the Resident Advisor to check the surveillance cameras. If it's confirmed to be you, I'll report it to the Dean, and you'll compensate me for whatever the total cost is." Sarah's face changed. "You, you're really going that far?" Her voice suddenly dropped. "I, I just wanted to look a little prettier, so my brother would notice me more..." I was stunned, completely unprepared for that answer. A flicker of vulnerability, one I'd never seen before, appeared in Sarah's eyes, but it vanished instantly. "My brother said girls should be more generous." She reverted to her self-righteous tone. "He even saved money for his sanitary pads to buy him cigarettes when he was home!" As she spoke, Sarah suddenly burst into tears, crying so loudly the whole floor could hear her. "Jane, how can you be so heartless? Are you jealous of me because you like my brother, and that's why you're treating me like this?" I was practically laughing with anger at her twisted logic. "First, I don't even know your brother. Second, even if I did, I'm not obligated to tolerate your unreasonable behavior because of it. Third, affection is mutual, not a unilateral fantasy." Sarah cried even harder, but this time, I didn't soften. Her previous actions had already exceeded my limits. That evening, when Emily and Chloe returned, the dorm atmosphere became even more awkward. Sarah sobbed to them about how I was bullying her, but I noticed Emily and Chloe didn't comfort her as they usually did; they remained silent. "What's wrong with you two? Did Jane buy you off?" Sarah shrieked. Emily sighed. "Sarah, this time, you really are in the wrong..." "Exactly, you should at least ask before using other people's stuff," Chloe quietly added. "Hmph, you say all that, but you just hate me, don't you? A bunch of hypocrites!" Sarah's face turned ugly. She grabbed her bag and stormed out of the dorm. Chapter 5 The next day, the Resident Advisor, Mr. Davies, called me in for a talk. Sarah had reported me, accusing me of campus bullying. In Mr. Davies' office, he adjusted his glasses. "Jane, Sarah says you've been targeting her and spreading false rumors online?" Fortunately, I was prepared. I presented the photos of my tampered cosmetics and screenshots of her unreasonable comments in the dorm group chat. "Mr. Davies, this is the whole story." I also handed him a neatly organized timeline of events. After reviewing everything, Mr. Davies' expression grew serious. "Jane, I will handle this. Sarah's behavior is indeed inappropriate." "Thank you, sir." I breathed a sigh of relief. "However," Mr. Davies hesitated, "Sarah's family situation is a bit special. Her parents are migrant workers, and her brother works construction. Perhaps their views on certain things are a little different from yours..." I interrupted, "Sir, a person's background is no excuse for taking advantage of others. My family is also working-class, and that dress was something I saved up for a month to buy." Mr. Davies nodded. "You're right. I'll talk to Sarah." For the next two weeks after the talk with Mr. Davies, the dorm was unusually quiet. Sarah left early and came back late every day, barely interacting with us. I thought she had finally realized her mistake, until that Thursday afternoon. "Jane, can you come out for a second?" Emily stood at the dorm door, her face pale, beckoning to me. At the end of the hallway, Emily trembling handed me her phone. "I was just borrowing Sarah's computer to look up something, and I accidentally saw this..." The screen displayed a WeChat chat log. Sarah had sent a candid photo of me reading in the library, with the caption: "Bro, isn't this girl great? A bit of a temper, but she's pretty, totally worthy of you." The photo was clearly taken without my knowledge; I had no idea when she'd even taken it. "There's more, and it's worse." Emily scrolled the screen, and the next few messages made my blood run cold: "Her family's well-off, only child, all her parents' money will be yours someday." "Just a little snobby, needs a good 'training.'" "This weekend, I'll bring her clothes back for you to smell."
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