t her. It was thick, suffocating air that felt like a wet blanket on her skin. The room was dark, the cur

kered on, revealing the small, shared space. Olivia, Brenda, and Sarah were sprawled on the

conditioning unit on the wall. Its

ing in here," she said, her voice

machine whirred to life, and a stream of cool air

that

self-appointed leader of their little gr

r, grunted in agreement from her corne

most ninety degrees outside. We'll all get heatstr

id, her tone smooth and full of false

ngle, unconvincing

quietly from her bed, not looking up from

lectricity charges that came with it. She had covered the last two utility bills entirely by herself, just to keep the peace. She wanted

ent approach. "But we can't just si

on her lips. She got up and walked over to the small t

electricity bill came. If you want the A

e paper. Her eyes widened. She stared at th

85.

. It was more than do

er. She looked up from the bill, a deep sense of injustice washing over

ned. "That's what the bill says. The

. "What's the matter, Chloe? Can't aff

the surface. "This is a shared space. We all benefit from the air conditionin

he initial shock turning int

a step closer to Chloe, her eyes narrowing. "That's where you're

c desk fan sitting on her nightsta

ng. "You're the one who can't handle a little discomfort. So if you want the room to

arms, a clear physical warning. They were a united front, and Chloe was on th