~Pyrrhic Victory.~

Thursday nights had always been an eventful and rambunctious affair. Laughter and excited chatter flowed, and the dim overhead light illuminated the faces of the housemates who usually gathered in the small living room and discussed school events, boyfriends, and just anything interesting that was happening on their campus at the top of their lungs.

There was Jared, the only male occupant in the house who occupied the back room off to the kitchen; Patricia and Janell who shared the front room on the right, and Shanique who shares a room with Jordan had brought along her two friends. The four had moved in at around the same time and they also attended the same university; the University of Kingston, so they had quickly become fast friends.

Jared had been playfully straddling his latest conquest on the ratty couch when the door to the front room on the left opened, revealing Jordan's skinny frame encased in black leggings and a black over-sized hoodie emblazoned with the words, 'IT'S AN ANIME THING, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND', printed in block, white, capital letters. She had solemnly surveyed the group and asked in a quiet voice, "Who used my salt?"

The girls had stared at each other while Jared had turned away. The girl in his arms had stilled and stared with interest.

"What do you mean?" Patricia had spoken up.

"What it sounds like. My salt bottle is basically empty and I left it practically full. I am barely here and I don't usually cook, someone helped themselves to it and I wanna know who." Jordan had stated firmly while intensely staring down the group.

Silence had descended. It was as though the laughter a few moments ago had been an illusion. The tension heightened.

Patricia had looked at her roommate, Janell. She looked at the floor, then back at Jordan before she had hesitated and admitted quietly, "I don't know about dat. I didn't use it."

Shanique, Jordan's roommate had remained quiet but the expression on her face was clear. If she knew anything, she was not going to say it. Her cronies had glared.

"I used it." Janell had responded, breaking the silence.

"Whenever I wanted to borrow Patricia's, she was never here and I didn't think using yours would be a problem. I mean," She had shrugged slim shoulders, "It's just salt."

Jordan had stood there, frozen. Yes, she had checked the bottle and drawn her own conclusions but it was still somewhat unsettling when Janell blithely came clean.

Shanique's friends had gone back to staring at their phones, Patricia had directed her gaze back to the floor, while Janelle had stared back at Jordan as if silently challenging her to make a mountain of out a molehill.

The uncomfortable silence had stretched...

"Please do not do that anymore. If you had asked for permission and I agreed, then it would be just salt." Her heart thudded in her ears but Jordan had pressed on, "You do not know me. You know nothing of how I've been living to get what I have so I don't appreciate you saying that. Keep your hands to yourself! Don't use my stuff witho-"

"Hey", Patricia had interrupted.

"No, a true, she's right. I'm sorry", Janell had retorted, laying a hand on Patricia's shoulder. "I won't be using your things anymore."

"Good. That goes for everyone. I don't do that to you guys. Don't use or touch my stuff without permission." with that, Jordan had turned on her heel and left the room.

In the comfort of her room, Jordan had closed the door and leaned her back against it, releasing a huge breath.

'Yes!'

It went better than she had thought it would. She had felt better knowing that she had said what she wanted to say. Pressing her ear to the door, she realized that the chatter had lulled in the living room, she briefly wondered what they were thinking before walking to her bed and flopping on it face down as she wondered what to do to celebrate her little victory.

"Right. I should watch some Naruto."

She had been half-way into the third episode when the room door opened and Shanique and her two girlfriends had walked in, making the small room seemingly even smaller. Thinking that Shanique will just put down her school bag and escort her friends to the bus stop to take a bus home like she usually did, Jordan did not pay them any attention. They were talking loudly so she had simply increased the volume on her earphones and had continued watching the series.

Minutes had ticked by which had then turned into hours and the two girls were still in the room flapping their gums. They seemed to have had no intentions of going home. Jordan had been puzzled.

'Aren't they going home? It's almost 12 AM. Buses were not even running now, are they going to call a taxi?'

All those questions had been swirling around in her head and she just could not concentrate on watching the anime anymore.

Jordan decided to go to bed. She had wanted to change into an old T-shirt to sleep in but it seemed like she was going to have to do it in the bathroom. The thought of changing in front of virtual strangers with them staring at her, at her body, made her extremely uncomfortable. They were all girls but she had still felt self-conscious. If it was just her roommate, she would probably suck it up as per usual and change but, she had felt even more uncomfortable and the bathroom was empty anyhow. She had not heard the water running and if it was occupied, she would.

Aside from saying, "Hey" when they visited, she was not friendly with Shanique's girlfriends. She did not know them; did not want to know them. In fact, there was an intangible undercurrent of mutual dislike. One reason for this was because they did not attend the same university; Jordan is the only one who attends the University of the Indies, Kingston Campus, which is a university highly accredited, lauded as the best in the Caribbean. The other occupants of the house and their cronies attended the University of Kingston located fifteen minutes away in the same geographic area.

Typically, students from both universities abhor each other but this is largely due to the cultural stereotypes placed on the students who attends them. Students from the University of the Indies, are generally regarded as the nerds, the top performers and are most likely to be hired after graduation. Of course, the pre-requisites to enter such a university are high. In contrast, you can attend the University of Kingston, right out of high school. The requirements are not stringent, the fees are lower and it is not as accredited.

At the University of Kingston, importance is placed on Sports. In fact, some of the fastest Jamaicans in Track and Field renowned around the world, are its alumni.

To most people, the University of Kingston is an extension of high school and its students are oftentimes described by their neighboring peers as 'ghetto.' It goes without saying that both universities have good and bad students but the University of Kingston is seen as the breeding ground for the warmongers, the fighters and the athletes. While Jordan is not one to judge, she could not help but think that Shanique and her loud, obnoxious girlfriends were the epitome of the ghetto, walking stereotypes of the University they attend. After observing them and listening to their conversations with each other for the past few months, she had been even more determined to maintain her distance for two reasons.

Every time she had heard their conversations on random topics like skin bleaching or boyfriends, she had felt like she was losing brain cells. One thing she respects them for is that they were serious about their schoolwork. When they visited, after talking crap, they studied. They put in work and she can respect that.

As for the second reason, they have nothing in common. In Jordan's opinion, they do not share the same views nor the same goals. They were not even going in the same direction. In addition, she felt that they were loud, vulgar and aggressive. There is a Jamaican proverb, "show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are."

One just cannot be friends with everybody.

Furthermore, after observing how frequently they had flared up and treated each other these few months, there was no way she was going to confront them. Next thing you know, she asks them, "Aren't you going home?" And they attempt to fight her or something.

No way. I have used up my bravery quota for the day. Sometimes, silence is golden.

So, with a bellyful of questions and growing irritation, she had grabbed an old T-shirt and shorts and headed to the bathroom to change, ignoring the girls on her way out the room.

Jordan had spent a lot of time in the bathroom. This was her modus operandi but that time she had languished even more hoping that by the time she was done, they would be gone. Oh, was she disappointed when she came out. They were still there. Comfortable and cuddled up in bed with Shanique. All three of them which was hilarious really as they were quite chubby; one of them, a dark-skinned girl was literally hanging off the bed, the thin sheet barely covering her body.

"Uhm... What's going on?"

Jordan had not planned on saying anything but somehow, the question went out into the open. Shanique had not even looked up from her phone as she responded, "They are sleeping over." 'What ... the hell?' she wondered quizzically.

"Why didn't you say anything to me? I'm your roommate. You can't just have people sleepover," Jordan had retorted quickly almost in frustration.

"I don't see what the problem is." Brown skin with the box-braids shrugged, 'Tati was it?'

"She's paying her rent just like you," she had continued with a slight smirk. She then hugged Shanique from behind on the bed as she got comfortable.

"This isn't about rent. It's protocol. We share the same space so I need to be notified in advance so I can agree or disagree." She had stated looking at Shanique. She had ignored Tati.

"I shouldn't have to say this."

"Well, it's too late now." Shanique had stated matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders. She had then proceeded to pull the thin sheet up to her nose.

"Can you turn off the light?"

Is this what it felt like to win one battle and still somehow managed to get your ass kicked? I felt like I won this one battle and still managed to get my ass kicked.

She swallowed her remarks, turned off the light, trudged to her bed, and slid under the sheet.

'I will get you back... watch,' she thought drowsily as she fell asleep.