Chapter 4
“What’s wrong with you, Ran?”
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The sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I quickly closed Sisca‘ s post. I turned around, startled to see Nathan rubbing his eyes as he sat up, his face twisted in a sleepy scowl. Behind him, Ben was arranging takeout boxes with his usual care, oblivious to my tense expression. I couldn’t tell if either of them had noticed what I was looking at.
“Come on, eat,” Ben said with a gentle smile as he set a container in front of me.
“Nothing‘ s as important as a full stomach.”
But after what I’d just read, I had no appetite. I poked at the rice in the container, mindlessly stirring it around.
“Look, I’ll get myself home from now on. I don’t want to keep bothering you guys every night, especially when it’s so
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late,” I said quietly, trying to avoid their
eyes.
Nathan‘ s chopsticks hit the table with a loud clatter. “What’s that supposed to mean, Ran? Since when do we keep secrets from each other?”
“Seriously!” Nathan‘ s voice rose in frustration. “You think we haven‘ t noticed how you‘ ve been sneaking around, acting all weird?”
But Ben cut him off, his calm voice a balm to the tension. “She’s got her reasons, Nathan. I get it. But honestly, Ran, I’d feel a lot better if we still walked you back. It’s late and it’s not safe.”
I looked at Ben, a pang of guilt hitting me. “I arranged for my roommate to help me. out,” I lied. “She’s got exams coming up and wanted a quiet study space, so she‘ 11 be in the lab with me.”
Nathan shrugged. “Whatever, Ran. If you don’t want us around, fine. Just don‘ t
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expect us to care if we re not hanging around all the time. I’ve got better things to do than watch you sulk.”
I forced a laugh to cover up the sting of his words. “Thanks, Nathan. Go pick up a girl or two,” I teased half–heartedly.
As we walked back that night, I tried to shake the heaviness in my chest. Just as we reached the dorm entrance, I caught a glimpse of Sisca, slipping into a sleek Bugatti parked by the sidewalk. The dim light of a streetlamp flickered, catching a glimpse of a young man in the driver s seat. His arm wrapped around her shoulders as they laughed together, her smile bright and charming. I couldn’t tell who he was, but they looked… close.
Back in my room, I quickly dialed
Nathan‘ s number, feeling a strange mix of nerves and excitement. “Nathan, you won’t believe this–I just saw Sisca getting into a luxury car with some guy.”
Nathan‘ s voice crackled with irritation.
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“Maybe it’s her brother, Ran. Why are you so obsessed with this? Just focus on the competition and stop looking for drama.”
I felt my throat tighten, his dismissive tone biting. “I thought you‘ d at least be interested…”
“Not everything revolves around Sisca, Ran. Some of us have better things to worry about.”
His words echoed in my head long after he’d hung up. Lying in bed, I stared at the dark ceiling, my phone screen illuminating the shadows as I pulled up Sisca’s social media page again. I was met with a new post, her latest update already buzzing with reactions.
There, below her usual crowd of admirers, were two comments that hit me like a slap. Nathan’s was first, playful but laced with betrayal: “Plagiarist, huh? Guess it’s time to show the world who the real deal is.
Helped Sisca undercover and she’s killing it!”
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And then Ben‘ s: “Sisca, you’ve got this! No need to stick around in the lab with Ran anymore. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you breakfast myself. Keep going, my star.”
My heart plummeted. So, it was true- they d betrayed me, both of them, without so much as a flicker of remorse.
And for Sisca, of all people. The same Sisca who’d been caught cozying up with
someone else tonight. They were so blinded by her charm, so swept up in her lies, that they hadn’t even noticed the truth staring back at them.
My mind raced, torn between anger and. heartache. Fine, if they wanted to turn their backs on me, then I’d show them.
what I was made of. They‘ d chosen their side and now I’d choose mine. From now on, I’d work alone, fight alone. Let’s see how they’d manage without me as their
easy target.
The next morning, my roommate, Rose, gave me a cold stare as she tossed her bag
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onto her bed. “Ready to go to the lab?”
“I’ll go on my own,” I replied, not wanting her company. But Rose didn’t seem pleased by my response.
“Wow, guess the ‘genius‘ thinks she’s too good for everyone else now, huh? Or maybe you‘ re just afraid we’ll find out you‘ re nothing but a fraud.”
I stared at her, stunned. “Rose, what are you talking about?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Ran. Everyone knows now. The whole school’s talking about it–the computer science genius, nothing but a plagiarist. Pretty disappointing, really.”
Behind her, two more of our dorm mates exchanged glances, then smirked at me.
“You know, we‘ ve all heard about it,” one of them sneered. “You really think you can keep a secret that big? The school. forum’s been blowing up about it.”
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“So disappointing,” the other chimed in. “And here we thought you were worth looking up to.”
Each word felt like a slap, their accusations cutting deeper than I could have imagined. I left without another word, the weight of their judgments pressing down on me with every step to the lab.
Sisca had made sure everyone knew, twisting the narrative in her favor until I was left with nothing but the scraps of my own reputation. She wanted me to quit, to walk away in shame. But that was the last thing I would do.
No matter how far she was willing to go, I would go farther. I wasn’t giving up, not after coming this far. If she thought she could scare me off, then she didn’t know me at all. I’d win this competition, no matter the cost. Let the whispers follow me; let them think whatever they wanted. When it was over, I’d let my work speak for itself. And Sisca, Nathan, Ben–they‘ d
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all see what I was truly capable of.
With a final breath, I sat down at my station, my fingers hovering over the keyboard as I opened my code. Today, I worked for myself. And no one, not Sisca, not her stolen followers, would ever take that away from me.
