Chapter 4

The hall RA and the campus maintenance worker arrived shortly after.

The moment they stepped into 503, the oppressive heat forced them back a step.

It was 2:00 PM. The temperature outside was a scorching 104°F.

The dorm windows were wide open, letting the hot, heavy summer air rush inside.

Worse, the dorm floor was completely soaked with puddles of water.

The extreme heat combined with the standing water turned the room into a giant steam room. It was so humid and sticky that it was hard to breathe.

The RA's face turned pale.

"Why is there water all over the floor? Did a pipe burst?"

Sienna peeked out from behind Mrs. Taylor, looking entirely innocent.

"No, I brought that water from the campus lake."

"I read online that splashing water on the floor cools down a room through evaporation. It's an ancient, eco-friendly cooling method. Plus, natural lake water carries spiritual energy."

The maintenance worker stared at the smelly, murky lake water on the floor, trying his best not to scream.

"Kid, ancient climates were different, and this is a closed dorm building!"

"Throwing stagnant water on the floor in this heat will only skyrocket the humidity! Anyone staying in here is going to get heatstroke!"

Sienna pouted.

"Don't let modern science blind you. Traditional human wisdom is never wrong."

Some students watching in the hallway gasped, while others looked at her determined face and began whispering.

"I mean, it's dumb... but she really did it to try and cool them down."

"She's just not very smart, but her heart is in the right place."

"Yeah, she had good intentions."

Just then, our fourth roommate, Ashley, walked in from the balcony.

Her neck was already covered in a bright red heat rash, and she looked completely drained.

She glanced at the ruined insulin on the floor, then at the sweating Sienna, and sighed.

"Chloe, Norah, just drop it."

"Sienna just moved here from a small, rural town. Maybe she doesn't know any better. She's just trying to help us connect with nature. She was literally sweating bullets earlier writing eco-friendly quotes by hand."

"Let's just take a step back. Think of it as doing a good deed. We can survive a few hot days."

Here it was again.

Good intentions.

In my past life, this simple phrase—good intentions—was the shield that excused all the deadly harm she caused.

Sienna's eyes immediately filled with tears of gratitude as she looked at Ashley.

"Ashley, thank you for understanding me. I just want to save everyone from the trap of consumerism."

I stared coldly at Ashley.

"She cut the AC cord, ruined Chloe's life-saving medicine, and tried to lock me—a heart patient—in a 104-degree steam room."

"And you call that good intentions?"

Ashley shrunk back under my gaze, her voice dropping.

"Well... she's already crying. Do you have to push her to the edge?"

Before I could reply, Sienna took a sudden step forward, pulled a dirty cloth pouch from her pocket, and carefully opened it.

Inside was a small pile of crumpled, dirty bills and coins.

"Chloe, Norah, I know you both come from privilege."

"This is $30 I made from recycling soda cans. I'm paying you back. Go buy some organic popsicles to cool down, just please stop hating me."

She held out the crumpled money with both hands, tears streaming down her face. With her faded dress and desperate posture, it looked exactly like I was some wealthy bully tormenting her.

The whispers in the hallway shifted instantly.

"Oh my god, she's offering her recycling money. Is she serious?"

"It's just a little heat. College girls these days are so fragile."

"They need to learn to forgive."

Chloe stared at the thirty dollars, her body shaking with rage. Tears welled up in her eyes, but the heavy judgment from the crowd kept her from speaking a single word.

Mrs. Taylor raised her voice, telling the crowd to disperse, before turning a cold look on Sienna.

"Sienna Vance, destroying university property and ruining another student's expensive medication cannot be resolved with thirty dollars. Come to my office. Now."

Sienna clutched the crumpled money to her chest like a martyr carrying her cross, looking back at me with a mix of pity and creepy fanaticism as she followed Mrs. Taylor out.