While I was deep in studying for the GREs, I rented a room in a shared house to have a quiet place to focus. The day after I moved in, one of my new roommates dropped a bombshell in our group chat. "Hey everyone, big announcement! I've decided to apply to grad school too. To make sure I get in, I've put together some 'House Rules'." Then she unleashed this ridiculously long list of demands. "No pets, no cooking at home, no ordering takeout after 9 PM, no showering after 9 PM, no playing music out loud..." 1. "One: Studying is exhausting, so I need total quiet. That means zero noise in the house, anytime." "Two: I'm really sensitive to cooking smells – they give me headaches. So, no cooking allowed. Period." "Three: I don't like animals. No pets in the house. And if you touch an animal outside, make sure you don't smell like it when you come back." "Four: The sound of the shower is too loud and disrupts my studying and sleep. No showering after 9 PM." ... "Eight: No eating in your rooms. The sound of chewing distracts me." "Nine: No using anything scented, like perfume. I hate strong smells." "Ten: To avoid disrupting my studies, you must adjust your schedules to match mine." It was my first time sharing a place, and I couldn't believe I'd landed a roommate this nuts. I was speechless. There were three of us in the house, all supposedly prepping for grad school. How could she possibly think these demands were reasonable? Nobody replied in the chat, so she doubled down, declaring, "Starting today, I'm in charge here. You all need to follow these rules." That did it. My temper flared, and I fired back. "Who do you think you are? You're applying, fine, but so are we! What gives you the right to boss us around? Get over yourself!" Silence in the chat for a couple of seconds. Then, a flood of angry voice messages from her. "How dare you talk to me like that? You just moved in, and you're already defying me?" "Let me tell you, getting into grad school is my top priority. Anyone who messes with that will regret it!" "I'm warning you, back off, or you'll be sorry!" Wow, tough talk. Almost scary. Except I'd dealt with plenty of entitled blowhards like her back in college. "Doesn't matter who I am. Your grad school plans are your business, not mine. You have no right to control what we do!" She lost it, sending a stream of voice messages basically cursing me and my entire family out. I ignored her and went back to studying. Before heading home, I saw a friend request from the other roommate, Megan. I accepted, and she immediately texted me. "Sarah, seriously, be careful with Jessica. You just got here, so you don't know. This is her second time applying, and she's got a chip on her shoulder about everything. She already drove another roommate out. If you want peace, don't piss her off." So that's why Megan kept quiet while Jessica was laying down the law. She was scared of her. Well, I wasn't. I'd been living in dorms since middle school. I'd seen every kind of weirdo roommate imaginable. I knew exactly how to handle someone like Jessica. 2. When I got home, Jessica wasn't around. I took a shower and went to my room, making sure to lock the door behind me. She didn't get back until after 9 PM, and the moment she walked in, she started screaming at me from the living room. It was the usual stream of insults and curses. I was practically immune by then. I wasn't going to waste my energy arguing. I put on my headphones – world blocked out. I was exhausted and just wanted peace. The next morning, I packed up my essentials and locked my door securely before leaving. Who knew what she might pull while I was gone? When I came home that evening, I was hit by an overpowering, acrid stench of stale urine the second I opened the front door. It was strongest right outside my bedroom door. It was the peak of summer, boiling hot, and Jessica refused to open the living room windows. No ventilation at all. The air hung thick with the sour, foul smell. It was enough to make you gag. This kind of disgusting, petty move had Jessica written all over it. I went straight to her door and knocked hard. Jessica stumbled out, hair messy, eyes bleary, looking like she’d just woken up and extremely annoyed. "What do you want?" I pointed to the still-damp stain outside my door. "Did you do this?" Jessica's eyes darted around. She didn't admit it. "You got proof? You're blaming me based on that? I don't smell anything." "Watch it, don't go accusing people! You need evidence!" The nerve of her, acting all indignant! Anyone else might have had a heart attack from the sheer rage. Luckily, my heart's pretty resilient. I could handle her "deny everything" attitude. Then, she immediately turned it back on me. "And speaking of you, what time do you call this? Didn't I tell you no noise after nine? If your brain's not working right, maybe eat some pig brains or something." (Okay, maybe she didn't say pig brains, but that was the vibe). Her bossy tone was infuriating. There was no reasoning with someone like this. I didn't waste any more breath on her. I mopped the floor multiple times and sprayed a ton of air freshener – the strong floral kind I knew she hated – just to cover up the disgusting smell. She hated perfume? Fine, I'd spray it! Let's see how she liked that. Jessica pinched her nose and yelled, "Are you crazy? Who said you could spray that stuff?" I grabbed the air freshener, aimed it vaguely in her direction (not at her, just near her), and gave it a good spritz. "Your attitude stinks. Thought I'd help clear the air." She lunged at me, furious. But I just easily twisted her wrist, and she yelped in pain. All bark and no bite. How dare she challenge me? After that little lesson, Jessica actually quieted down for a couple of days. When I ate some microwaved leftover fish in the living room (which, okay, does smell pretty strong), she just glared at me from the sidelines. I thought maybe she’d finally learned her lesson. But nope. A couple of days later, I found my towel – the one I’d carelessly left hanging outside to dry – had this yellowish, crusted stuff on it. I sniffed it. The stench was horrific. Oh my god. Did she actually wipe her ass with my towel? I usually kept my towel in my room specifically to prevent this kind of crap. But I’d been in a rush that morning and just hung it on the balcony railing. And wouldn't you know it, she didn't disappoint. She really stooped that low. This time, I didn’t confront her. There's no point arguing with someone completely unreasonable. Fine. If she wanted to play dirty, let's see who could be dirtier. That night, I ordered a bulk pack of stink bombs online. Those things are no joke. I'd used them for pranks before. They smell absolutely vile. 3. Right before she went to take a shower, I snuck a few into the bathroom. They take a few minutes to activate. She'd be mid-shower when the stench hit. Perfect. Soon enough, I heard Jessica’s bloodcurdling shrieks of fury coming from the bathroom. I could barely contain my laughter out in the living room. My stomach hurt from trying not to crack up. Jessica burst out of the bathroom, face red with rage, and pointed at me. "Did you do this?" Fighting back a grin, I put on my most innocent face. "What are you talking about?" "Don't play dumb with me! Who else would make the bathroom smell like a sewer?" "Whoa, hold on, lady. Even if I wanted to, how could I do anything while you're in the shower? Besides," I sniffed exaggeratedly, "I don't smell anything weird." Jessica jabbed a finger at me, looking like she wanted to tear me apart. She kept yelling, "Then where did the smell come from? Who else could it be?" "Beats me," I said nonchalantly. "Kind of like how someone used my towel as toilet paper. I suspected you. Was it you?" "You..." Jessica spluttered, pointing at me, too angry to form words. She looked like she wanted to hit me, but she knew she couldn’t win. In the end, she just stood there like a frustrated clown, spewing insults. For every insult she threw, I just covered my ears and childishly chanted, "I'm rubber, you're glue!" Jessica turned purple with rage but finally just resorted to threats. "You bitch! Just you wait! This isn't over!" Ugh, resorting to threats when you can't win an argument. So lame. The next day, Megan and I left for the library while Jessica was still snoring loudly. Before leaving, I strategically placed the rest of the stink bombs right outside her bedroom door. With no ventilation, I figured that should smoke her out nicely. Megan looked worried. "Sarah, Jessica's seriously vindictive. She might do something crazy. Aren't you scared of making her even angrier?" My philosophy has always been live and let live. But if someone comes after me, I fight back. An eye for an eye. Nothing to be scared of. Jessica constantly complained about needing to study for the GREs, but I never actually saw her crack a book. Her not studying was her problem. But preventing us from studying? That crossed the line. That night, I was reading when suddenly, the power went out. Strange, I thought, we just paid the electricity bill a few days ago. I went out to check, and sure enough, Jessica was standing by the circuit breaker panel, having flipped the main switch. Seeing me, she smirked arrogantly. "From now on, power goes off at 10 PM sharp. I need to sleep early, and you studying bothers me. Got a problem with that? Then you'll have to deal with me." Living with this person was pure torture. Calling building management about her disgusting habits wouldn't do much. They'd probably just give her a talking-to, which wouldn't change anything. Like they say, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. I wasn't going to let her win. I flipped the breaker back on. She immediately flipped it off again. We went back and forth like this a few times. "Look," I finally said, pulling out my phone, "if you enjoy playing with the circuit breaker, knock yourself out. But I've recorded everything you just did. I'm sending this to the landlord right now. If any appliances get damaged from this, you will be paying for all of it." Hearing that, Jessica faltered. "What does that have to do with me? It's your fault for staying up late! I'm just trying to save electricity." "Already sent it to the landlord," I lied smoothly. "Keep flipping the switch if you want. Any damage, you pay. Simple as that." I turned and went back to my room, leaving Jessica fuming in the hallway. She kept muttering threats under her breath, but she didn't touch the breaker again. 4. The GRE test date was getting closer. Jessica was often out of the house. I spent my days at the library from morning till night, too busy to worry about her dramas. Until one day, Megan called me frantically. Jessica had brought her boyfriend over, and apparently, he'd brought luggage. She told me to get home ASAP. I rushed back to find Jessica and some guy sprawled on the couch, surrounded by bags. "Starting today, my boyfriend is moving in with me," Jessica announced as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I don't agree," I stated flatly. Jessica's face instantly darkened. "I make the rules here. I bring who I want. Your opinion means jack shit!" "Don't think I don't know what this is about," she sneered. "You're just jealous I have a boyfriend and you don't! Can't find one yourself, so you take it out on me. You're pathetic!" I almost laughed out loud. Jealous of her? Her boyfriend had terrible acne scars and looked like a scrawny weasel. Only she could find him attractive. "Jealous? Of what? That your boyfriend looks like a weasel, or the bad acne scars?" "If you try to let him move in, I'm calling the landlord and, if necessary, the police. Try me." "On what grounds! I rented this room first! I decide who stays here! If you don't like it, you move out!" Jessica stood with her hands on her hips, looking ready for a fight. Her boyfriend just lay on the sofa, scrolling through his phone, occasionally darting shifty glances around the room. He looked incredibly sleazy. For some reason, I felt like I'd seen him somewhere before. Jessica kept ranting and raving. I recorded the whole thing while calling the landlord and building management. When they arrived, Jessica toned it down slightly, but the daggers she shot me with her eyes could have started a fire. "If you don't get your boyfriend out of here immediately, I'm calling the police," I said firmly. When I signed the lease, I specifically added a clause stating no roommates could have partners move in or stay long-term without everyone's consent. Everyone had agreed. My stance was firm. The landlord and manager tried to smooth things over, but I shut that down. They had no choice but to tell Jessica her boyfriend had to leave. Seeing Jessica back down, her boyfriend suddenly got angry and jumped up. "What damn business is it of yours if I sleep with my girlfriend? Mind your own damn business, bitch!" Okay, talk is one thing, but he actually pointed his finger right in my face, practically spitting on me. I grabbed his finger and bent it back sharply. He howled in pain. Skinny as a rail, and he thought he could intimidate me? My Taekwondo black belt wasn't just for show. I threatened to call the police to sort it out. The landlord and management panicked, calling security, who basically shooed the boyfriend out like an annoying chicken. Finally, peace and quiet. Back in my room, though, something felt off. When I left that morning, my slippers were neatly placed by the door. Now, one was kicked across the room. Not only that, but the blanket on my bed looked like it had been disturbed, rumpled in a way I hadn't left it. I was certain someone had been in my room. I quickly checked my valuables – nothing seemed missing. But then I looked in my closet. Two pairs of my underwear were gone. I asked Megan. She said when she got home, Jessica and her boyfriend were already in the living room. She wasn't sure if they'd gone into my room or not. 5. The moment Jessica walked back in (presumably after seeing her boyfriend off), I confronted her directly. "Did you go into my room?" Between a random thief and her, I knew who the prime suspect was. "Don't you dare accuse me! Why would I go into your room? Do you have any proof?" Jessica yelled, but she couldn't meet my eyes. Classic sign of guilt – using volume to fake confidence. "If it wasn't you, then I'm calling the police. Let them figure it out!" When the police arrived, Jessica kept denying everything, stubbornly refusing to admit anything. Until I pulled out the video footage. Clear as day, it showed Jessica and her boyfriend sneaking into my room and... well, doing whatever they did in there. I'd installed a tiny hidden security camera in my room early on, just in case. I never thought I'd actually need it, but thank god I did. Jessica probably never imagined I’d have proof like that. Her face went completely white.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392282", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel