You allowed the perceptions to linger and now the myth has festered into fact. You opted to be defiant and people teasingly jumped on it. Your rep rightly or wrongly has been burnished by this. Couple this with the roommate thing that you're now trying to explain away. Or the fact you flat lied about gas prices! I mean honestly Jim!
Now bear in mind none of this matters. It's a fucking message board and we're all meatballs for playing in this sandbox. You however come across as terribly unlikable. Arrogant. Holier than thou. Never wrong about ANYTHING. You know better than anyone. You're probably a decent dude, but you always choose to player the wanker.