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Chapter 5
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Ranked a Fool, Crowned a Champion Chapter 10
I ate my pulled pork and listened without saying anything. Those people made their choices. Living with the consequences was part of growing up.A few days after I got home, the college invited me to speak at the end of the year and share my experiences with other students. I accepted right away.The auditorium was packed that day, with students standing in the back. The dean pinned a school lapel pin to my jacket and announced that the new computer science lab would bear my name.The room erupted in applause. Once it quieted down, the host smiled and asked his first question."Shane, when that 'Campus Simp Rankings' post went up and the whole campus seemed to turn on you, were you ever tempted to give in? To just apologize to Casey?"I raised the microphone and looked out at the rows of students."Never." I smiled. "I didn't do anything wrong. I helped someone I liked. I wasn't harassing her. "She asked for my help and accepted it, then went online and made me out to b
Ranked a Fool, Crowned a Champion Chapter 9
The man smiled and offered his hand."Shane? I'm Gavin Hunt. I've looked through your open-source code. Excellent work."I stared at him for a moment. Gavin was one of the country's most respected computer scientists and led several major federally funded research projects. We even studied his papers in class.He smiled at my reaction and handed me a letter."I'm leading a federally funded project to develop a new operating system. We need someone to fill a key technical role. Interested? Tell me what it would take to get you on board."My fingers tingled as I took the letter. I dreamed of working on a project like this from the day I started college. I nodded without hesitation. "Absolutely. Thank you!"Gavin smiled and clapped me on the shoulder."I pushed back an important meeting to catch you before another company snapped you up. Come by the lab when you get back from Fairhaven."I looked down at the letter, then out at the blue sky through the airport windows. My hear
Ranked a Fool, Crowned a Champion Chapter 8
"I never should've accused you of harassing me," Casey said. "I'll do anything. Whatever you want. Please, just help me!"She sobbed as students stopped to stare and whisper. I frowned and tried to pull my arm away, but she held on.Then I noticed what she held behind her back. A small paring knife.She let go of my sleeve and pressed the blade to her wrist. "If you won't help me, I'll kill myself right here!"Someone screamed. I stepped back, out of reach."Put the knife down," I said coldly. "You can't make me responsible for this."She froze, staring at me with the knife still raised.Two campus security officers rushed over and grabbed her arms. The knife clattered to the ground as she fought them, screaming."Shane, this isn't over! You'll regret this. I'll make sure of it!"I watched them lead her away, then went into the dining hall without looking back.I just swiped my meal card when my phone buzzed with a notice from the academic affairs office.Casey was expelled
Ranked a Fool, Crowned a Champion Chapter 7
The attorney approached Ethan and Allison, took out a letter, and spoke firmly."Casey Lowe's competition entry was disqualified over evidence that she passed off open-source code Shane published in 2023 as her own. The organizers have barred her from their state and national events for five years."The college will also review the matter. Any disciplinary action could affect her prospects after graduation."We also have concerns about the altered medical records and the accusations you're making. If you keep disrupting campus, we'll call campus security."I suggest you take this seriously before you make things worse."Ethan and Allison fell quiet. For several seconds, neither spoke."Disciplinary action?"Allison took Casey by the arm. "Alright. We're leaving."The attorney stopped them. "Before you go, you need to publicly correct what you said about Shane and apologize."Ethan and Allison looked up at me, avoiding my eyes. "We're sorry," they muttered. Then they hurrie
Ranked a Fool, Crowned a Champion Chapter 6
I opened the door and stopped short. A middle-aged man in a suit stood in the hall, his arms full of gift baskets. Kevin stood beside him with his head down."You must be Shane. I'm Kevin's father, Winston." He gave me an anxious smile and stepped inside. "I'm ashamed of how my son behaved. I brought him here to apologize."Kevin clenched his jaw. "Sorry."Winston Zimmerman slapped him hard enough to turn his head. "You can do better than that!"Then he held out a check for 20 thousand dollars."For everything he put you through. Please take it."I also dealt with the situation at your dad's job. The supervisor who thought he could fire people on a whim is gone."Your dad's been promoted to crew supervisor at three times his old pay. Nobody's going to give him any trouble."He rubbed his palms together. "Would you talk to the college about our partnership? Ask them to give Kevin another chance? If that two-million-dollar deal falls through, my family will lose everything."I
Ranked a Fool, Crowned a Champion Chapter 5
The room stayed silent for three full seconds. Casey reacted first.She lunged for the certificate, fresh tears streaming down her face. "That's fake! You made it yourself so you could pretend you didn't do anything wrong! Shane, how low can you go?"Kevin shot to his feet and slammed a hand on the desk. "Exactly! A broke loser like you won a world championship? Yeah, right. You paid these people to come in here and put on a show!"I didn't argue. I stepped out of Casey's reach, walked to the lectern, and hooked my phone up to the projector."Let's look at the evidence."I pulled up the files in order by date, starting with a message from Casey in 2024.[Hey, Shane, I'm stuck on an assignment for my elective. Could you take a look? I'll buy you coffee.]Next was a shopping link with a message from her.[I'm a little short on cash. Can you get this for me? I'll pay you back!]I scrolled through one payment after another, screenshots of takeout orders I paid for, and our late-
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