Chapter 4She Cut AC Cables For Her Environmental Crusade

Predictably, by that evening, the university’s anonymous confession board was on fire.

A post titled Pure-hearted scholarship student bullied by materialistic roommates for trying to save electricity was pinned to the top.

It featured three strategically cropped photos.

The first showed Sienna writing environmental slogans under the dim glow of a single desk lamp, drenched in sweat.

The second was a profile shot of her crying in the hallway, holding out her crumpled bills.

The third was of me, standing with my arms crossed, looking cold and unyielding—the perfect portrait of a wealthy, arrogant bully.

The caption was pure bait:

What is wrong with this world? Someone tries to practice eco-discipline during a heatwave, and her spoiled roommates force her to her knees to pay them back. Do poor people with principles not deserve to go to college?

The comment section was a feeding frenzy.

The girl with her arms crossed looks like a massive snob.

It's literally just AC. I grew up without fans and I'm fine. Kids today are brainwashed by corporate comfort.

My heart breaks for this girl. The way she held out those crumpled bills made me tear up.

Expose these spoiled brats. Let's make sure everyone avoids them.

Brooke handed me her phone, looking uncomfortable.

"Gloria, look... things are getting out of hand. Maybe you and Tess should just forgive her. Just post a statement on the board, otherwise how are we going to face our classmates?"

I stared at the misleading photo. My chest tightened, and my heart rate began to climb erratically.

In my past life, this online harassment had destroyed me.

I had posted my medical reports, the severed cord, Tess’s ruined insulin.

Nobody cared.

They only wanted to believe the narrative of the pure, impoverished eco-martyr.

I took a deep breath, pushing the phone back.

"She posted lies to ruin my reputation. Why should I be the one to apologize?"

Gable had arranged for me to sleep temporarily on a spare cot in the warden's ground-floor office.

"Maintenance can't fix the wiring until tomorrow. Sleep here tonight; there's a fan. I'll push the single room paperwork first thing in the morning."

The office only had an old ceiling fan that creaked rhythmically, blowing warm air, but it was paradise compared to the steam room upstairs.

At 2:00 AM, just as I was drifting into a light sleep, a sharp, chemical stench assaulted my nose.

It smelled like cheap, synthetic temple incense mixed with thick, dirty smoke.

I choked, coughing violently as my heart rate spiked to 120. I couldn't draw a breath.

I struggled to open my eyes.

Under the faint glow of the hallway light, I saw a figure standing by my cot.

It was Sienna.

She was holding a metal mug, packed with seven or eight smoldering incense coils, fanning the thick, grey smoke directly into my face.

"What... what are you doing?" I gasped, clutching my chest.

Sienna looked down at me, her expression terrifyingly serene.

"Gloria, Brooke told me your heart was acting up. Your heart is racing because your mind is cluttered with modern anxiety and industrial poison."

"This is sacred meditation incense. Breathe it in. Let the primal smoke cleanse you. Once your mind is still, your heart will heal."

The thick smoke trapped in the unventilated office was suffocating.

The sweltering heat, the toxic chemical fragrance, and the rapid loss of oxygen squeezed my chest like a vice.

"Get... get out..."

I reached out to knock the mug away.

Sienna grabbed my wrist with surprising strength, her eyes wide and manic.

"Don't reject the earth's medicine, Gloria! Breathe! Expel the industrial toxins!"

My vision went black, a tearing pain ripping through my chest.

With the last ounce of my strength, I grabbed my phone from under the pillow and squeezed the emergency SOS side buttons.

The mug shattered on the floor as I collapsed onto the cot.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Sienna’s panicked, self-righteous shriek.

"Gloria! Why would you rather faint than accept nature's baptism?!"