I met Ethan at school.

Because I was one of the strongest students in our grade, I often helped him study. Over time, we grew close.

We had once agreed that even if we could not get into the same college, we would at least try to attend schools in the same city.

But after Lisa transferred into our class senior year, everything changed.

Her arrival was impossible to miss. From the first week, she made sure everyone knew she had money. Designer bags. Limited-edition sneakers. A new luxury watch almost every few days.

She never said outright that she was the billionaire’s daughter, but she hinted at it constantly.

She said school was only a formality for her. Her future had already been arranged. Her family knew people on admissions boards. If she wanted something, all it took was one phone call.

Not only that, she handed out expensive gifts to our classmates as if they meant nothing.

After a while, most of the class started orbiting around her.

Ethan was one of them.

Lisa gave him the newest game console on the market. From then on, he spent every spare minute gaming. His grades slipped, his practice test scores dropped, and he stopped caring about his college applications.

I saw it happening and worried about him.

I told him to put the console away for now and focus on school. Once applications were submitted and exams were over, he could play as much as he wanted.

But he would not listen.

Instead, he snapped at me for interrupting his game.

“Do you know how much this costs? It’s worth more than anything you own. Get lost.”

In my last life, I could not stand watching him ruin himself, so I went to a teacher.

Looking back now, I really had been pathetic.

Someone like him deserved the consequences he chose.

“Hahahaha, Olivia, you’re killing me.”

Ethan laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

“You really are naive. Do you have any idea how people at that level live? Getting us into schools like Harvard or Yale would take one call from Lisa’s family.”

The other students laughed along with him.

“Exactly. Her family has been rich for three generations. That beats all your perfect grades and hard work.”

“What’s the point of being good at school? After graduation, you’ll still end up working for people like her.”

“People like you will never understand. The thing you spend your whole life fighting for might be something Lisa can get with one sentence.”

I smiled.

Some of what they said was not wrong.

But only if Lisa really was who she claimed to be.

“Then I hope you all get exactly what you’re counting on,” I said.

After that, I walked out of school without looking back.

One block away, I got into a Rolls-Royce parked by the curb.

The car drove me all the way to a gated estate.

When I got home, my parents were waiting for me.

“Sweetheart, I knew you could do it,” my mother said, pulling me into a hug. “Come see the gift I prepared for you.”

She placed a box in front of me.

When she opened it, a diamond necklace lay inside, brilliant under the light.

Then my father placed a set of documents beside it, his face full of pride.

“And this is for you too. It’s an apartment near campus. Once you decide where you’re going, you can live somewhere comfortable instead of squeezing into a dorm if you don’t want to.”

Looking at my parents, alive and well, tears suddenly spilled from my eyes.

Thank God.

There was still time.

When my parents saw me crying, they immediately asked what had happened.

I glanced at the staff in the house and wiped my tears.

“Let’s talk in the study.”

Once we were alone, I told them everything that had happened at school that day.

When they heard Lisa’s name, my parents froze for a few seconds.

“Lisa Hale?” my mother said first. “Isn’t Hale the last name of one of our drivers?”

Among our household staff, only one person had that surname.

My father’s driver.

That was right.

Lisa was not the billionaire’s daughter at all. Her father was only one of my father’s drivers.

My father had several drivers, and Lisa’s father was the newest hire. He had never met me.

Not long after he started working for us, he told my father that his daughter wanted to transfer schools.

My father thought he seemed hardworking and reliable, so he helped arrange Lisa’s transfer into my school.

None of us expected that act of kindness to turn into this.

“That bastard,” my father said, his face darkening. “I’ll fire him right now.”

I quickly stopped him.

Exposing them now would only put them on guard.

Besides, pretending to be rich was far from the only thing they had done.

“They bullied my daughter,” my mother said coldly. “They’re going to pay for it.”

I nodded and told them my plan.

After I finished, my mother patted my shoulder.

“All right. Enough of them for tonight. Your materials are ready, aren’t they? Make sure every application is submitted properly. And if you decide you don’t want to stay here for college, that’s fine too. I’ve already reached out to a few schools overseas.”

The latest admissions data and score ranges had come out the night before.

Based on my grades, test scores, activities, and essays, my chances at the schools I wanted were strong.

I had told my guidance counselor the good news right away. I had also asked indirectly about the rest of the class.

For most of them, getting into schools like Harvard or Yale would be almost impossible, but they still had time to apply to solid colleges if they were realistic.

As for Ethan and Lisa, their grades and applications were weak. Community college was probably the most realistic option for both of them.

I opened my laptop, checked every application, uploaded the final materials, and submitted everything before the deadline.

Then I chatted with my parents for a while and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, our guidance counselor posted a long reminder in the senior class group chat.

She told everyone to double-check their Common App accounts, submit their backup schools, and make sure they did not miss any deadlines. If they missed this round, they would either have to settle for schools with rolling admissions, go to community college, or wait another year to apply.

No one replied in that group.

But in another group chat without teachers or counselors, they were all mocking her for being rigid and old-fashioned.

They said they did not need backup schools.

Lisa would handle everything.

A while later, Lisa posted a photo from an overseas resort.

“I’m abroad right now. Don’t worry, everyone. I already talked to my dad. Just wait for your offers.”

The group chat exploded again.

Everyone rushed to flatter her.

I looked at the screen for a moment, then quietly left the chat.

My applications were already submitted.

My flight was booked.

I was going overseas for a vacation.

The application deadline arrived soon after.

I was asleep in my hotel room when my mother called.

“Sweetheart, the deadline is tonight. Log in and check every application again. Don’t let anything go wrong. I saw a story yesterday about a student whose college list was changed by a relative at the last minute. Just check yours one more time.”

I had never told anyone my username or password, so I thought it should be impossible for anyone to get into my account.

Still, to be safe, I took out my laptop.

But the moment I logged in, I froze.

One of my top-choice applications, the one I had already submitted, had somehow been withdrawn. In its place, someone had added a tiny for-profit college I had never even heard of.

My heart nearly stopped.

I silently thanked my mother over and over.

I immediately restored the application, confirmed the submission status, and checked every document, every essay, and every school on my list.

Then I called my parents.

They were shocked too, but they quickly calmed down and told me to change my password, secure my email, and enable two-factor authentication on every account.

A while later, my father sent me an IP address.

The moment I saw it, I understood.

It really was that bastard Ethan.

He had tried to drag me down with him.

Most of my old passwords were connected to my birthday. He must have guessed one of them and used it to get into my application account.

Thank God my mother had reminded me in time.

Even though I was overseas, I wanted to fly back immediately and tear him apart.

I lost all interest in going anywhere that day. I stayed in the hotel and watched my application portals until the deadline passed, terrified that something else might go wrong.

When the final deadline closed, I finally let out a breath.

But before I could fully relax, my phone buzzed.

Lisa had sent me two photos.

The first was a screenshot of the for-profit college that had been added to my list.

“You couldn’t afford a school like Harvard or Yale anyway, so I helped you choose somewhere more realistic. Low tuition. Perfect for a poor loser like you.”

The second was a photo of her and Ethan kissing, their arms around each other.

“I should thank Ethan. Without him, I never would’ve known your password.”

I looked at the messages once, then blocked her.

My application had already been fixed.

They would not be smug for much longer.

Decisions from the top schools came out a few weeks later.

The night before the official school announcement, my guidance counselor called and asked me to come in the next morning. She said the school wanted to congratulate me in person and take a few photos for its website.

I went as she asked.

But when I arrived at school, I found that many of my classmates were there too.

Ethan saw me first and sneered.

“What are you doing here? Today is for people waiting on Ivy League decisions. Community college enrollment doesn’t need a ceremony.”

The crowd burst into malicious laughter.

“Let her stay,” someone said. “At least she can see what an acceptance from a real school looks like. This is probably the closest she’ll ever get.”

Their mockery did not affect me.

The truth would come out soon enough.

Just then, someone shouted, “The counselor is here!”

Everyone turned toward the hallway.

Our guidance counselor walked toward us with a folder in her arms. Her expression was tense.

Ethan was the first to rush forward.

“Where are the rest of the acceptance packets? Are there too many to carry? I can help.”

The counselor looked at all of them, her face dark with anger.

“What is going on with you people? I checked with the admissions offices this morning. None of you were admitted.”

The hallway went silent.