My Class Is Fighting over a Scam College Application

The day we were supposed to submit our college applications, the class representative, Kenneth Graves, used a marketing video to brainwash everyone. “Times have changed, my friends! The best AI models have predicted that, in the next three years, even Ivy League graduates will face a 100% jobless rate! “What’s the real trend right now? It’s Galaxy Technical College! Once you register for this college, you will be hired into top AI companies upon graduation. Your salary will start from a million dollars a year!” In the previous timeline, I had locked the computer system and tried my best to prove that the entire thing was a scam. I had forced these high-performing students to apply to Ivy League schools. In the end, Kenneth jumped to his death after failing to get the “referral rewards” from Galaxy Technical College because he owed lots of debt. However, there was another surge of interest in AI, and the reputation of Galaxy Technical College rose because it picked the right stocks to invest in. During our graduation gathering, my classmates splashed me with hot oil and nearly trampled me to death. “If you hadn’t stopped us, we would have become stars of the AI world with million-dollar salaries ages ago! You killed Kenneth!” When I next opened my eyes, I had traveled back in time to the day of our college applications. I touched my unmarred face and went to snatch the mouse from Kenneth. “Kenneth is right! An Ivy League school is no match for Galaxy Technical College! Apply there! I’ll help with your applications!” Chapter 1 “Trample her! This is the wretch who killed Kenneth Graves!” “If she hadn’t stopped us like a madwoman back then, we would have become stars of the AI world with million-dollar salaries ages ago!” “She caused Kenneth’s death! She should pay in blood!” Cerise Tatum’s three-inch heels ground sharply down on my palm. Ivana Corbin kicked me right in the temple, and a field of red bloomed in my vision. “Top of the class? You’re just a witch who couldn’t stand the prospect of someone else getting rich!” Pain, despair, suffocation; those were all the sensations bombarding me. My eyes shot open as I sucked in great, ragged breaths. The bright sunlight shining through the window hurt my eyes. I subconsciously touched my own face. It was unmarred, not wrinkled and puckered as a result of being splashed with hot oil. I had gone back in time, and it was back to the day we would put in our college applications. The class representative, Kenneth Graves, was standing at the podium. He was playing a low-quality marketing video using the multimedia equipment. In the video, a man in a cheap suit was expounding his point to the camera, spittle flying. “Times have changed, my friends! The best AI models have predicted that, in the next three years, even Ivy League graduates will face a 100% jobless rate! “What’s the real trend right now? It’s Galaxy Technical College! Once you register for this college, you will be hired into top AI companies upon graduation. Your salary will start from a million dollars a year!” Kenneth excitedly turned the video off. He addressed the fifty-four-student audience, “Did you hear that, friends? This is what they don’t want you to know! They only want to keep us down! “We may get into the best colleges, but what would that bring us? Won’t we still be working for someone else? Galaxy Technical College will get us jobs at top companies upon graduation, with salaries in the millions! “This is our direct ticket to success!” Whispers erupted among the audience. Some were excited, while others were hesitant. By silent agreement, everyone looked over at me. I was the top of the class, with the best grades in the science subjects. My choice would influence theirs too. I looked at my classmates’ familiar faces and recalled what had happened in the previous timeline. I had been splashed with hot oil and trampled nearly to death. In the previous timeline, I had stormed onstage and destroyed the sound system and locked the computer system. Then, I had called everyone’s parents and forced them to apply to top colleges. It turned out that Kenneth had a lot of debts and was late on payments. Since he failed to get commissions from our applications to Galaxy Technical College, he ended up committing suicide. None of my classmates were thankful for what I had done. Instead, they blamed me for everything and ended up nearly killing me during our graduation gathering. I would not save them in this current timeline. I stood up and walked onto the stage as everyone watched in shock. I grabbed the mouse from Kenneth’s hand. “Kenneth is right!” I was intentionally loud and used an even more forceful tone than Kenneth. “An Ivy League school is no match for Galaxy Technical College! Times have changed! Studying won’t bring us success! “Our choice is more important than our hard work. We’re not applying for colleges here. We’re unlocking the key to our future wealth!” I sat in front of the computer and offered, “Does anyone need help with their applications? I’ll help!” After a beat of dead silence, the room burst into deafening celebratory cheers. “Wow, even Georgia Natale agreed!” “There’s no way this could be a scam if the top of the class thinks it’s a good idea!” “Even Georgia sees the light!” Kenneth was so grateful that tears gathered in his eyes. He patted me hard on the shoulder. “Well done, Georgia! I’ll take care of you once we join a top company!” I smiled and nodded, but my gaze was cold. “Sounds great, Ken. Our future is in your hands.” Chapter 2 To win over the class completely, Kenneth took out a huge stack of documents from his bag. “My friends, it’s not enough to apply to Galaxy Technical College! Look at this!” The classmates in the front row shouted in excitement, “A contract for training programs of top AI companies!” “That’s right!” Kenneth was delighted as he announced, “This is a contract from Galaxy Technical College! As long as you sign, you’re one step through the door of the top AI companies! This is legally binding!” I glared at that contract. It had been printed on poor quality A4. The logo of the company was blurry, and its full name even had typos. Littered throughout the contract’s clauses were disclaimers and waivers to shirk off responsibility. But in the eyes of our classmates, it was not a piece of scrap paper. It was the key to their success. “I want one! I’ll sign!” “No need to fight for it. Kenneth, make sure I get one too!” Everyone started rushing onto the stage in a frenzy. When someone could not find a pen to sign, they cut their finger and used their blood as ink. It was a harrowing sight. Once everyone signed the contracts, Kenneth dropped yet another bomb. “My friends, I have another internal initiative to share with you—a referral program! “As long as you get another student to apply to Galaxy Technical College, you’ll get a reward of 500,000 dollars!” Everyone went wild at that news. “We can get 500,000 dollars per person?” “Wow, that’s more than my dad makes in a month!” The group chat for the class suddenly became the headquarters of a pyramid scheme. Silena Summers was the first to grab her phone and make a call. “Hello, Boris? You don’t need to repeat a grade. I’ve got a hot tip for you…” Ivana Corbin posted an advertisement on her social media account. [Apply for Galaxy Technical College and get a guaranteed job at a top company! Spots limited! Sign up through me and you’ll get 1,000 dollars cashback on the spot!] The chat was quickly filled with messages about pulling in more people and getting hundreds of thousands in referral rewards. A few of the girls with whom I had a decent relationship came over to me quietly. “Is this for real, Georgia? My parents will kill me if they find out I applied for a technical college instead of an Ivy League school.” I looked at their worried expressions but did not feel even a hint of pity. In the previous timeline, it was these same girls who had given Silena the hot oil and said smilingly, “Let’s teach her a lesson.” Mimicking Kenneth’s tone, I said evenly, “No risk, no reward. “Even Kenneth’s going all-in with this, so what are you so afraid of? Do you want to listen to your parents, graduate and end up a courier or graduate after four years with riches and a fancy car?” Those words finally broke through their defenses and convinced them. “You’re right, Georgia! Help me apply!” I smiled and nodded. “Sure, no problem.” After helping the most excited dozen or so classmates with their applications, I stood up. “I’m going to the washroom. Just check and hit send on your own.” I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me, blocking out the noise inside. In a quiet alcove at the end of the hallway, I took out my phone and opened a college application form. It was the one I had filled out for Galaxy Technical College in front of everyone. Letting out a scoff, I deleted it without hesitation. Then, I started filling out another application for the computer science and technology department at an Ivy League school. I confirmed everything and submitted it. When I saw the submission confirmation, I let out a long sigh. I turned off my phone and checked my smooth face in the mirror. I muttered, “All of you can drop dead.” Chapter 3 Applications would close in the next twenty minutes. At that point, the door to the room was kicked open with a great crash. Our school counsellor, Mitchell Frank, rushed in, sweating heavily. He was in his fifties and was usually all smiles. Right then, he was supremely angry. He was clutching a stack of papers printed from the backend system tightly. “Have you all gone nuts?” Mr. Frank’s voice was distorted with rage. He rushed onto the stage and brought up the numbers from the backend system. He pointed at the screen, his hand shaking. “All of you, all fifty-four of you have applied to Galaxy Technical College? Do you know what kind of colleges you can get into with your grades? You’re ruining your lives!” A good number of my classmates lowered their heads in shame. Mr. Frank took out his phone. “No, I have to call your parents immediately! You can still change your minds while there’s still time.” “You can’t do that, Mr. Frank!” Kenneth reacted immediately. He was like a wild beast as he lunged forward to grab Mr. Frank’s phone. “What are you doing, Kenneth? Give me the phone back!” Mr. Frank was so enraged that he was shaking all over. “I won’t!” Kenneth was infuriated. “Mr. Frank, you don’t know what things are like now! I thought you were trying to save us, but really, you’re just stopping us from getting rich!” Silena ran over, shouting loudly, “That’s right, Mr. Frank. You’re too far behind the times! Do you want us to graduate from useless Ivy League schools and end up working as couriers? “After signing this contract, we’re all going to get salaries of a million dollars once we graduate! Can you get us the same?” Ivana led a few male classmates and rushed up to form a human wall, forcing Mr. Frank into a corner of the stage. Mr. Frank looked at the students he had been shepherding for the past four years, his eyes filled with despair. “A-Alright, if you don’t want to change your choices, I’ll cut the Wi-Fi! I’ll cut the electricity!” “Stop him! Don’t let him do it!” Kenneth roared. At that critical moment, I walked out from my corner and blocked the path to the junction box. “Give it up, Mr. Frank,” I said calmly as I looked at him. “We’re adults and should be responsible for our own choices. Kenneth is right. This is where the trend is going. Let us make our own choices. Even if we fail, it’s on us.” My words sounded final and decisive. My stand as the top performer in class became the straw that broke the camel’s back. Mr. Frank stared at me dumbly, looking as though he had never known me at all. He tried to speak for a long time but finally gave up, his hands falling to his sides. He looked like he had aged ten years in a blink. “Alright.” After letting out a bitter laugh, Mr. Frank took two steps back. “I’m only trying to help you, but good advice isn’t always taken. Forget it. Just don’t regret this in the future.” After saying that, Mr. Frank turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut. At 5:00 p.m. on the dot, the application system officially closed. Deafening cheers filled the room. Kenneth looked overjoyed when he walked over to me. “You really helped make this happen, Georgia. Good job! If you hadn’t come forward, Mr. Frank would have ruined it for all of us. “Once we start getting paid our million-dollar salaries, we’ll show Mr. Frank who was right!” I nodded, smiling. “Great. I’ll be waiting for the day all of you come back in your fancy cars.” Chapter 4 On the night college applications closed, Kenneth announced something in the class’ group chat. [My friends, to celebrate, I’ll be treating everyone to dinner at Palatial Restaurant tonight! Make sure you come, all fifty-four of you!] That night at 8:00 p.m., in a private room at Palatial Restaurant, the table was laden with high-quality seafood and various bottles of alcohol. When the waiter brought the bill, he said, “The total is 48,600 dollars, sir.” Kenneth waved his hand like the amount did not matter. Before everyone, he took out his phone and deftly downloaded three loan apps on his phone. In a few minutes, he was able to pay 50,000 dollars. “Kenneth, are you… taking online loans to pay for dinner? The interest is really high!” someone pointed out softly. Kenneth picked up a glass of Hennessy and drained it. “That bit of interest is nothing! Once we start college next month and the referral rewards kick in, I’ll pay them all off! “Besides, once we join the top companies after graduating in four years, our salaries will be in the millions. This money is just a few days’ work!” “That’s right, what’s there to be afraid of? This is just a pre-payment for our great lives in the future. We should enjoy it!” Ivana smacked the table enthusiastically. With Kenneth leading the charge, dinner became a frenetic party in an instant. With barely a blink, Silena ordered herself a brand-new set of Apple’s latest electronic devices. “This is an investment for my future. I have to equip myself with the best before joining the company!” Ivana sent a photo of an invoice for a car in the class’ group chat. She had paid for the downpayment of a BMW 3 with installments. “Once college starts, I’ll be driving this new car on my first day!” Temptation abounded within the private room. Some were planning which luxury bags to buy and others were planning which clubs to go to and get VIP rooms at. Every day, people were showing off how much money they spent like it was a competition. It was as if the more they spent, the closer they got to that million-dollar salary. I watched all of it quietly with only a glass of plain water in front of me. I was unmoved as I watched my classmates go into this frenzy. Two months later, we got our acceptance letters. That morning, the group chat was lively as though it were Christmas. Kenneth was the first to show off with a picture. The acceptance letter was very fancy, but the gold embossing was obviously cheap, with garish plastic rhinestones slapped on. There was also a basically useless “guarantee” that he would join a top company. [I’ve got my ticket, friends! Look at this! It’s way better than an acceptance letter from an Ivy League school!] Silena showed off her acceptance letter as well. [Mine’s here too! It looks so good! I heard the dorms at Galaxy Technical College have private bathrooms and air conditioning!] Ivana sent a voice note, and her parents’ excited voices could be heard in the background. “My parents were so excited when they saw the job guarantee that they couldn’t sleep last night!” Everyone was joyful and excited in the group chat. Just then, someone knocked at the door. “Ms. Georgia Natale? Your acceptance letter is here!”