The 61°F Divide

The outdoor temperature hit 95F, and our dorm room felt like a sauna.

It's too hot, I suggested, let's turn on the AC.

Claire, lounging on her bed in just her underwear, panting, shrugged indifferently. I'm not hot.

Mia, wiping buckets of sweat with a pile of tissues that filled a small trash bin, pulled her jacket tighter. "I'm a little cold, actually."

Adrian, chugging iced lemonade, looked up. "If you want it on, go ahead."

I set the thermostat to 79F and sighed in relief as the cool air started to circulate.

A month later, Claire sent me a bill. "The electricity bill is $200 this month. You should pay it."

Returning to the dorm, it felt like stepping into a walk-in freezer. I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms and silently turned the temperature back up to 79F.

Soon after, Adrian clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Who told you to turn up the heat? It was perfect just now."

I frowned. "But 61F is too low. You were all bundled under blankets. It's better to turn it up a bit."

Mia peeked out from under her duvet, her voice timid. "We were just worried you'd be hot" She even faked a sneeze.

Adrian glared at me angrily. "Why are you being mean to Mia? If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even have turned on the AC!"

Claire directly forwarded the electricity bill. "The power bill was a thousand dollars this month. You pay it."

My eyes widened in shock. "How is it that much?"

Adrian pouted. "Of course it's a lot when you have the AC on all day. If you don't have the money, why turn on the AC?"

Mia chimed in, "Exactly. Running the AC all day costs a fortune. I wouldn't even dare turn it on at home."

Claire shrugged, looking at me like I was an idiot. "You were the one who suggested turning on the AC first, so naturally, you should cover this extra expense."

I gritted my teeth, a knot of frustration tightening in my chest. "But it's so hot. When I turned on the AC, you all got cool too, didn't you?"

Mia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You have the nerve to say that! You're the one who insisted on it! We were cold even without the AC!"

Adrian put her hands on her hips. "We're freezing under our blankets every day, but you're comfortable with the AC on and act like a saint? And then you expect us to pay the bill? What kind of logic is that?" She then added, "Vanessa, don't be so unreasonable!"

I laughed, but it was a humorless sound. It was true that I was the one who suggested the AC first, but for the past month, every time I returned to the dorm, a blast of icy air greeted me the moment I opened the door. The three of them would be huddled in thick blankets, and the AC display clearly read "61F." It was obvious who was really enjoying the comfort.

"You're not trying to bail on the payment, are you? You should have said you were broke. If we knew you didn't have money, we wouldn't have turned on the AC for you." Claire sized me up, her eyes full of disdain. "Poor thing!"

Mia pursed her lips. "She definitely has money. I saw her buy a new handbag a few days ago." She reached over, grabbed my bag, and started rummaging through it. I tried to stop her, but Adrian blocked me with a firm hand. The contents of my bag spilled onto the floor with a clatter, some bottles and jars shattering instantly. Although this small amount of money was nothing to me, I still frowned deeply.

Mia pulled out a few high-end lipsticks. "These look pretty good, but too bad you've used them. Otherwise, they'd be worth a few bucks." She handed one to Claire and one to Adrian, then tucked my designer bag into her arms. "Looks like you don't have much money anyway. This bag is probably a fake. I'll buy it from you for fifty bucks. Transfer the remaining nine hundred and fifty to Claire's Venmo."

"You're forcing me to sell my things!" I seethed, my teeth clenched. I tried to snatch my belongings back, but Adrian immediately twisted my arms behind my back.

"If you hadn't insisted on the AC, we wouldn't have had to pay so much extra for electricity! If you don't pay this, who will?" Adrian couldn't resist shoving me. My lower abdomen hit the corner of the desk, and a sharp pain shot through me.

Claire ignored everything, pressed my head down, and unlocked my phone, transferring money to herself. "Password?"

I just glared at her. "What you're doing is illegal!"

Adrian slapped me hard on the head. I instantly felt dizzy. "Don't talk back! What's the password?"

"I know the password! I saw her type it in!"

Mias eyes lit up. She snatched the phone, and after a few tries, successfully transferred the money. Once they had the cash, they finally released me. My arms were bruised and marked from being held, but I couldn't focus on that.

Because at that moment, Adrian suddenly spoke up, "Since she doesn't have money, why should we let her enjoy the AC we're paying for?"

Mias face lit up with understanding. "Right! She's freeloading off the AC now!"

With final exams approaching, I was afraid they'd pull another stunt, so I quickly said, "I'll definitely pay my share of the electricity bill normally from now on."

Claire scoffed coldly. "That's debatable. Who knows if you'll go back on your word then?"

"Or just make her pay a deposit," Mia mused, propping her chin on her hand. In a moment, she came up with a "brilliant" idea. "Make her transfer the electricity bill to us in advance, then we won't have to worry about her freeloading." Mia quickly counted on her fingers. "There are twelve months in a year. Last month's AC bill was nine hundred. That's ten thousand eight hundred a year. Let's round it down. Give us ten thousand, and you're good."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Ten thousand dollars for electricity a year? Are you kidding me?"

Claire gave me a cold stare. Adrian immediately understood her meaning and cornered me against the wall. "If you don't pay, you won't live in this dorm. Ten thousand is already a discount."

"You've got some nerve. There are plenty of other dorms; I'm sure I can find an empty bed." I snorted dismissively, internally noting how they truly were like snakes from the same pit. I made up my mind: I would apply to switch dorms in a little while. I didn't want to stay in this dorm for another second!

To my surprise, Mia and the others wouldn't have it. Adrian stepped forward and immediately pinned my arms behind my back. Claire mockingly patted my face. "You think you can just leave whenever you want? If you leave, there will only be three of us. We'll be short one person to split the electricity bill with. Who are we supposed to charge?"

"So what do you want?" I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, only wanting to deal with this quickly and get out of this troublesome place.

"How about this, considering you've been with us for two months, we won't ask for too much," Claire said, holding up five fingers. "Give us fifty thousand as your share for future electricity bills, and then you can scram."

Before I could express my astonishment, Mia whispered, "We probably can't take the money. She's not trustworthy. If she switches dorms, she'll definitely find a way to report us. Then we'll all be charged with extortion, and none of us will escape."

Adrian panicked, her grip loosening slightly. "Then what do we do?"

"I can give you fifty thousand! Just let me go, and I won't report you." I immediately struggled. Claire, seeing this, slapped me across the face. It stung fiercely. Mia looked at me with immediate suspicion. "She agreed so quickly. There's definitely something fishy going on."

Adrian composed herself and viciously kicked the back of my knee. There was a sickening snap, and a searing, unbearable pain shot through my leg. Claire's face was expressionless. "Then we definitely can't let her leave." She grabbed my hair and dragged me towards the balcony. "And we can't let her freeload off the AC either. Let her stay out on the balcony."

I had checked the weather that morning; the high for today was 107F. It wasn't even noon yet, and the balcony was already scorching. Staying on the balcony, I wouldn't die, but I'd be severely hurt! A wave of dread washed over me. I was about to scream, but Adrian shoved a rag into my mouth. To prevent my escape, they hog-tied me with rope, one end secured to the window handle. Even if I could move to the door, I couldn't open it with my hands tied behind my back. Claire closed the door and drew the curtains, instantly turning the balcony into a sealed oven. I slumped to the ground, my face and body burning.

Through the door, I could faintly hear their laughter and the sounds of their TV show. As noon approached, the temperature on the balcony rose higher and higher. I found it increasingly difficult to breathe. My lips were severely chapped, bleeding slightly. I slowly crawled to the door, bumping my head against the glass.

I kept hitting my forehead until blood started to trickle down before Claire finally pulled back the curtain, glaring at me threateningly. "You'd better behave! The school dean is coming to inspect soon. If they find you, you're going to regret it!"