The raucous shouting and cursing woke the occupants of the entire dorm building. People started complaining in the dorm group chat.
"Who was yelling just now? Did they see a ghost?"
"I was sleeping so soundly. Who in their right mind would scream so loudly in the middle of the night?"
"It seems to be from 501. Seriously, why are they still up at this hour?"
I had just been about to get up and turn on the light when a pair of large hands suddenly grabbed my neck.
Keith's furious roar rang in my ear. "Zachary, where are the batteries for the AC remote? Why are you so petty? Why did you hide the batteries? I'm about to melt from the heat! Do you have any idea?"
I frowned in discomfort and forcefully broke free from his grip. "What? You hid the remote in the first place. It's only fair for me to hide the batteries. What's with your double standards, Keith?"
The moment I said that, Keith got even angrier. He started violently shaking the railing of my bed in an attempt to force me into handing over the batteries.
"Hurry up and give me the batteries! I need to turn on the AC! I'm the Holy Son of Frost! Can you bear the responsibility if I overheat and melt?"
I steadied the violently shaking bed and shoved him away.
I shot back coolly, "Stop making a scene. I let it slide before because I didn't want to argue with you. This dorm belongs to all of us. Why should I put up with your unreasonable demands? Holy Son of Frost? Only able to stay in temperatures below 50°F?
"Then, why didn't you melt during the mandatory physical training under the sun? If you're some kind of deity or want to become one, go back to the heavens! None of us are obliged to tolerate you!"
After saying that, I lay back down.
Right at that moment, the dorm supervisor, Eloise Mercer, arrived and warned us not to make any more noise.
I thought that at this point, Keith would stop causing trouble. But unexpectedly, he called Yara to come over in the middle of the night.
I had just fallen asleep when a pair of hands shook me awake. When I finally forced my eyes open, I saw Yara standing by my bed with an angry expression.
"Zachary, what is wrong with you? Didn't I say during the class meeting that you should get along well with your roommates? Why are you bullying Keith?"
I didn't expect Yara to come to the male dormitory in the middle of the night. Flustered, I quickly pulled the blanket over myself.
Keith glanced at me disdainfully. "Tch! What are you being shy about? Ms. Ziegler's a woman. She's the one inconvenienced and at a disadvantage by looking at you."
Yara snorted and demanded, "Zachary, you bullied your dormmate. Get down here and apologize to Keith right now!"
I knew the two of them were close, but I never expected Yara to be so openly biased. I froze in place, trying to process everything.
Seeing that I didn't move, Keith reached out to drag me down himself. "It's all your fault. My bones are hurting. Hurry up and write me a statement promising you'll never turn off the AC again!"
He yanked me hard, and I nearly fell off the bed.
I quickly grabbed the railing and said coldly, "Ms. Ziegler, I didn't bully him at all. He set the AC to 50°F. It's so cold that we can't even sleep."
Yara frowned and argued, "Can't sleep? You were sleeping just fine a moment ago! There are three people in this dorm. Why are you the only one making a fuss? You guys are always so selfish. If you're cold, just cover yourself with a blanket."
I glanced at Liam, who was across from me. He didn't dare talk back to Yara, so he just stood there silently.
I couldn't help getting anxious as I defended myself, saying, "It's September, and he set the AC to 50°F. That's not something a normal person would do, okay?"
As soon as I said that, Keith shot me a vicious glare. "I've said before that I'm not an ordinary person. I'm the Holy Son of Frost from the heavens. If the room gets warm, I'll melt."
I stared at Yara. "You don't actually believe him, do you?"
She waved her hand dismissively. "Everyone has different body constitutions. You're not him. How would you know the suffering of someone with a special condition? The dorm isn't your home. You need to respect your roommate's habits. I don't wish to see a repeat of this again.
"Ms. Mercer has already reported your argument to the school authorities. Turn in an essay of self-reflection tomorrow."
After saying that, she didn't even look at me again. She exchanged a glance with Keith and turned to leave.
Keith pushed me aside smugly and climbed onto my bed. He found the batteries and set the temperature of the air conditioner back to 50°F. He even deliberately adjusted the vents downward so the cold air blew right at my head.
"I told you not to mess with me. Don't forget to hand in your self-reflection essay!" Keith gloated.
Unable to stand it anymore, I stayed up all night writing the essay. When I was done, I sent it directly to the email of Vincent Hutton, who was our principal.
Early the next morning, Yara summoned me to her office angrily. "You've got some nerve! How dare you tattle?"
I gave her a small smile. "Tattle? Didn't you ask me to write a self-reflection essay and submit it?"
Suppressing her anger, she said, "I told you to submit it to me. Who told you to send it to Mr. Hutton?"
I snorted in response. "You said the school wanted me to submit a self-reflection essay. Wouldn't sending it directly to Mr. Hutton save you the trouble? It seems he doesn't think I should've been made to write one."
Yara's face turned livid with anger. "Well played, Zachary. Very well. If that's the case, you'd better watch out."
At first, I didn't understand what she meant. But when I returned to the dorm and saw my bedding scattered all over the floor, I suddenly realized the meaning behind her words.
