The Scholarship Trap

The moment I took the water, Caleb Foster's smile deepened. I could almost feel how intensely his gaze burned against my hand.

His inner voice was still chattering away.

[Open it already. Drink it. I'm going crazy waiting. Just one sip and that five thousand dollars is mine. Those sneakers I've wanted forever are finally going to be mine!]

I looked up at Caleb. He had a perfectly gentle smile on his face, but the eagerness in his eyes was impossible to hide.

I sneered inwardly. Outwardly, I stayed calm and gave him a faint smile.

"Thanks. How much was it? I'll pay you back."

My tone was flat, without the slightest emotion.

Caleb waved a hand, his smile growing brighter, his voice warm and familiar.

"Come on, we're roommates. We see each other every day. It's just a bottle of water. Talking about money makes it weird. Drink it. I just took it out of the fridge, so it's perfect for the heat."

[Pay me back? Are you stupid? As long as you drink it, your five-thousand-dollar scholarship is all mine. Two dollars for five thousand. That's an insane profit.]

Without showing anything, I swept my gaze over him.

He was wearing a new limited-edition hoodie today. I had seen it online before. The original price was over two thousand, but resellers had pushed it close to six thousand.

On his wrist was the newest watch. Another roommate had looked it up once. It sold for more than six thousand at the official store.

His family was far better off than mine, yet he still wanted to steal the money meant to keep my grandfather alive.

I set the water near the edge of my desk and said evenly, "I'm not thirsty right now. I'll drink it later."

Caleb's smile froze for a split second, but he quickly covered it and nodded as if nothing had happened.

"Sure. Keep it there. Drink it whenever you want."

Just then, his inner voice slipped clearly into my ears again, letting me understand the rules of that bizarre system.

[This stupid rule is such a pain. Why can't it trigger the moment he accepts something from me?]

[And after he drinks it, it still takes two hours for his money to transfer into my account. So slow.]

[At least the system can automatically rewrite bank records and leave no trace. That's not bad.]

I glanced down at the bottle in my hand, a cold glint passing through my eyes.

You want to swallow my life-saving money? Then I'll let you taste the price of greed.

Right in front of Caleb, I slipped the bottle into the side pocket of my backpack.

"I'm heading to my part-time job. Bye."

I shouldered my bag and spoke casually.

Caleb watched me leave and said gently, "Don't work too hard. Remember to rest too."

[Great. He took the water with him. As long as he drinks it later, the five thousand dollars will be mine.]

[Once the money hits my account, I'm ordering those shoes right away. I won't have to stare at other people wearing them anymore.]

I didn't look back. I only gave a faint sound of acknowledgment and pushed open the dorm door.

When I reached the cafeteria kitchen, one of the cafeteria ladies chatted with me.

"This soup is something one of the big alumni donors specifically requested for today's alumni event."