Contos e Romances de Campus com Independence

The results of the arts entrance exam have been released. All seven colleges that my best friend, Nicole Porter, applied to have rejected her. If she wants to get into college, she'll have to work hard on her general admission exams. So, I seek out my boyfriend, Preston Nolin, who's the top of our year, and ask him to tutor Nicole. However, Preston, who has always been mild-tempered, seems extremely reluctant to do so. "Fi, you've helped Nicole out far too many times over the past few years. When she couldn't pay her school fees, you were the one who paid them for her using the prize money you won from the competitions. "When Nicole's sexist parents caused a ruckus at school, you were the one who called the police on them. But because of that, her family got their revenge on you and almost left you blind in your left eye. "Now, Nicole can't even get into any of the seven colleges she applied to. Since she's not book-smart, she should just drop out of high school and find a job. This outcome is the best for everyone involved." Preston and I have been in a relationship for three years. Yet, this is my first time getting mad at him. "Nikki is my best friend as well as the most important person in my life! You're not allowed to badmouth her like this! Since you don't want to help her at all, then we might as well break up!" In order to avoid breaking up with me, Preston has no choice but to comply. Later on, Nicole's grades keep improving by leaps and bounds. I've also worked hard in my studies, resulting in me getting pretty decent grades in my College Entrance Examination. In fact, I've hit the threshold where I can attend one of the most prestigious colleges in the state with Preston. But when there's barely a minute left before the deadline is up, Nicole changes my dream college to the top college in the country, one that I'm definitely not qualified for. As for Preston, he just watches Nicole tamper with my application without showing any intention of stopping her.

I was abandoned just five days after I was born. For some reason, my biological mother dumped me outside the headquarters of the Bloods. A group of dangerous-looking men stared down at me and frowned. “Should we raise her?” And just like that, I gained ninety-nine dads. At home, I was their little princess. However, to avoid causing trouble for them, I spent over ten years living like an ordinary girl. Until I became the target of school bullying in high school. A rich girl cornered me in the bathroom with her followers, dumping cold water on me, tearing my clothes, and shoving a phone in my face while recording. “What are you staring at? You’re just some scholarship charity case. Does a loser like you actually think you can get into college?” However, they pushed me too far. Screaming, I grabbed the rich girl and dragged her with me off the third floor. When I woke up, Ms. Jones, the teacher in charge of the infirmary, was pointing at me and screaming. “So because she hit you, you tried to kill her?! Instead of reflecting on yourself after people insult you, you planned revenge?! “Call your parents! I want to see what kind of people raised you! If nobody comes today, you’re finished!” My entire body instantly went cold. Then I looked up nervously and asked, “Ms. Jones, are you sure you want me to call my dad?”

Someone posted a love confession to me on the college's confession wall. But then my roommate's boyfriend left a comment claiming I had slept with every guy on campus. I was furious and ready to call the police. My roommate begged me to forgive her boyfriend, promising she'd make him apologize publicly on the confession wall. But before that apology ever came, an adult video started circulating in the student group chats. Everyone was saying I was the girl in the video. The college summoned me for a meeting and suggested I take a leave of absence. When I went home, my parents refused to acknowledge me as their daughter. I lost everything. Depression consumed me, and with the endless rumors, I finally gave in to despair and ended my life. When I opened my eyes again, it was the day my name first appeared on the confession wall.

During my senior year of high school, my grades are completely erratic. I can ace three subjects while completely bombing the other three, leaving me dead last in my class. My homeroom teacher, Janet Bennett, throws me and my backpack out of the classroom. A classmate waves my report card around as the rest of the class laughs. "You're a total loser. You even failed your language test. Even a factory wouldn't hire you." The next day, my homeroom teacher throws out the student ranking second to last, Ethan Hoppe, as well. "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. And somehow, our class has two of them. You think the college entrance exam is only going to test what you're good at? You two can rot together for all I care. Just don't drag everyone else down with you!" My eyes light up. I finally found someone who gets me. We compare our report cards and realize our combined strengths put us way ahead of the school's top students. Someone with uneven grades is a loser. But put us together? We're basically unbeatable. I throw an arm around my new deskmate. "Ethan, how about we aim for first place?"

After finishing the SATs, my class organized a picnic by the river. Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, Graham Spencer, our class president, suddenly suggested we go for a swim. "Let's experience the thrill of swimming in the middle of roaring river." Several clueless classmates eagerly agreed. Startled, I rushed to stop them. "This stretch of the river used to be an illegal sand-mining site. The riverbed is riddled with deep pits, hidden currents, and whirlpools." Graham only sneered. "You're a swimming champion, yet you're acting like a wuss. Did you buy that championship?" Zara Valentine, the school beauty, raised her phone and started recording me. "Can you believe this? Our school's swimming champion is actually a total coward. What a joke." Fine. If they were all so eager to throw themselves into the river, I'd see their end.

The night before the college application deadline, my parents said they wanted to throw me a celebration dinner. I had a pretty good score on my SAT. However, the moment I reached the restaurant entrance, a few lines of text suddenly floated in front of my eyes. [Don't go in.] [Tonight at dinner, your parents and your guidance counselor are going to get your account verification code out of you.] [They're going to swap your application to a top out-of-state university for the local teachers' college, the one that locks you into teaching here after you graduate.] [Your counselor will log in from the school's computer lab and make it look like you confirmed it yourself.] [Once the admission results come out, your dad will tear up your ID and lock you in the house until you accept your fate.] [From then on, your paychecks will go toward your brother's downpayment first.] [You'll be stuck in this town forever.] I stood outside the building, chilled to the bone. A second later, my phone rang. It was Mom. "Callie, why aren't you up here yet? Mr. Ormsby said the application portal tends to lag tonight, so it's better to confirm early and be done with it."

On the night of senior prom, I stayed beside Ethan Cole as I always had. Someone teased us again. “Why don’t we give the dance floor to our favorite childhood sweethearts?” I had heard that joke countless times, but the secret I had kept for years still made my cheeks burn. Ethan said nothing. He did not ask me to dance. He walked out of the ballroom and into the night. I waited before following him. I had barely reached the doorway when I heard his voice, low and flat with impatience. “It’s suffocating. Does she have to follow me everywhere?” He was the one who said it. He was also the one who had promised I could depend on him until I fully recovered. I spent the rest of that night alone in the empty ballroom. The following Monday morning, I passed the college wish wall outside our classroom and removed the note bearing the name Westbridge University. It was the school we had promised to attend together. I still wanted him beside me. But I would no longer choose my future just to stay beside him.

We were supposed to hand in our college applications. The ditzy school belle volunteered to hand in the whole class' applications and told them it could save them time. "Have fun, guys. I'll make sure all your applications are handed in." I was the class president, and I told her that the applications are important. "Their future is on the line. We can't have someone else hand in the applications on their behalf. They have to be there themselves. No exceptions." That made her cry, and she told everyone that I humiliated her. That very afternoon, she climbed up to the main building's roof and jumped off. My childhood friends lost their minds when the results were out. They stopped me from getting out of the classroom and yanked my hair as they dragged me to the rooftop. "She was only trying to help! Why'd you humiliate her?" "You killed her! You're not our class president!" "We're not letting you live! Not when she's dead!" They shoved me off the rooftop. I hit the ground hard, and blood seeped into the cracks between the tiles of the ground. When my eyes snapped open again, the first thing I saw was the school madonna asking for everyone's application. I snickered and handed her what she asked for. My childhood friends were surprised but also glad. I went into the headmaster's office and signed the papers that would secure me a spot in Harland University. There was only one of those here. This time around, I decided to stop helping those who didn't deserve it and take the highway to success. The boys would see their own future ruined as their applications were changed and sabotaged. As for me? Why, I couldn't care less.

My deskmate has been giving me odd looks lately. She's been keeping her distance from me and avoiding me at all costs. It's the same when we go to the cafeteria for lunch or during class. One day, I can't take it anymore. I grab her and ask, "Have I done something to offend you?" She trembles in fear and staggers backward, putting distance between us. Her gaze darts around shiftily. "No, you're not the problem!" Yet after that, she transfers to a different class. I'm confused by this and want to ask her about it, so I head to her new classroom. I stand at the door and watch as she chats leisurely with someone else. Suddenly, she shudders and screams in horror. "This really has nothing to do with you! Please, leave me alone!"

The school beauty was obsessed with dares. Over the course of high school, she had made people bark like dogs on the sports field and even made someone confess their love to one of the cafeteria ladies. On the day of our final exam, she was feeling mischievous again. While we were riding to the exam venue on a school bus, she secretly hid everyone's admission tickets. She called it our 'last big adventure'. "Come on, everyone! Start looking! If you find yours, we'll all walk into the exam room together. If you don't..." She grinned. "I guess I'll see you all next year!" I frowned and was just about to stop her when rows of comments suddenly appeared before my eyes. [Our girl is so cool! It's the final exam, but she still has the guts to take things this far.] [Ugh, that other girl is so annoying. Here she goes again, trying to lecture our girl.] [Let her keep pushing her luck. If she dares call the police and ruin our girl's finals, the male lead will retaliate by changing her college application to St. Aldwyn University. Then, he'll deliberately make things difficult for her. It won't be long before he drives her into depression and suicide. [Meanwhile, with the male lead supporting our girl every step of the way, she'll become the youngest Doctor of Medicine in the country.] I froze. Then, without a word, I closed the emergency call screen. Instead, I opened my offer from Cromwell University and clicked 'Accept'.

I was like the pure and innocent Cinderella of a school romance novel. Unlike the aristocratic students around me, I didn't come from wealth or privilege. I earned my place at this elite academy through merit alone, my high scores opening the gates to a world far beyond my means. Cinderella is supposed to be stubborn, proud, and righteous—standing tall despite her humble origins. But I have none of those qualities. All I have is poverty.

On the first day of school, I pulled down the pants of Luke Shea, the campus heartthrob, and that gained me notoriety right away. Due to the incident, I hid behind a mask to attend classes. A week later, Luke pinned me against a corner and said menacingly, “You have to take responsibility, now that you’ve seen my body. “You better not think about dumping me after messing with me.” Oh, I wouldn’t dare. Guess I had to take him in then.

The side character, Derek Holloway, poured his heart and soul into every single year of high school. When the moment came to earn a place in the honors program, his childhood best friend, Vivian Sterling, handed the golden ticket straight to Blake Mercer, the male lead. Vivian's voice sounded flat, completely unbothered. "I've really thought this through. If we're in the same class, we'll just distract each other from studying. "Besides, Blake's family is struggling financially. He needs this opportunity way more than you do. Just step aside for him, okay?" I watched Derek step aside for Blake. One hundred and one times. I watched him go home and suffer a brutal beating from both his parents for losing that honors spot. One hundred and one times. I watched him lose his mind while the girl he'd loved since childhood paraded around town with another guy. One hundred and one times. I watched his grades plummet into the gutter, destroying any shot at admission to an Ivy League school. One hundred and one times. I watched him get framed for cheating on SAT, which drove him to jump from the thirty-sixth floor. One hundred and one times. Then I took complete control of his body. Vivian had no idea who she was dealing with. I came from an era torn apart by war and gunfire. I didn't give a damn about petty teenage romance. Anything worth taking, anything worth fighting for, I would fight for and claim every last one.

My boyfriend, Joshua Carter, my best friend, Alanna Hayes, and I agree to apply to Lakehaven University together. But on the first day of college, I don't see a trace of either of them. I stand outside the university gates under the scorching summer sun, my clothes soaked through with sweat. Then Alanna video calls me. With her hands clasped together and her eyes red-rimmed, she says, "I'm sorry, Clary! It was because I suddenly wanted to go to Bellmere University instead that I changed my college application. I heard they have really luxurious dorms!" Joshua, sitting next to Alanna, speaks casually as if nothing is wrong. "College applications were about to close when Alanna decided on the change, so we only had time to change our own applications." As he speaks, Joshua spears a piece of beef with his fork and feeds it to Alanna. "Why are you crying? It's not like we'll never see each other again. Bellmere isn't that far from Lakehaven. It's only a three-hour train ride away. We can still see each other every month." Alanna pauses, bites down on the piece of beef, and mutters, "Clary, I swear you're the only one who can put up with this grumpy jerk for so long. From now on, I'll help you whip him into shape!" Joshua chuckles and pinches her cheek. "Hah! You? We'll see who ends up whipping the other into shape." I stand frozen. The summer sun is scorching, yet I suddenly feel as though I've been plunged into a frozen wasteland. Joshua is a huge clean freak, so he makes me wash my hands before touching his things, and whenever I serve him food, he makes sure I use serving utensils. But he can feed Alanna with his fork, and even reach out to pinch her cheek. So that's how it is—his obsession with cleanliness only applies to certain people. Suddenly, I feel like there's no point in any of this anymore. If they don't want me around, then I'll leave.

When I touch someone else's personal belongings—things they have had direct contact with before—I can hear the items voicing their owner's thoughts. The day of my grandma's funeral, I clutch the emerald bracelet she wore for over 30 years and hear it shout, "The house mustn't go to Michael! He hit me!" Michael? That's my uncle's name, and right now, he's bawling his eyes out in front of Grandma's casket, seemingly grieving even harder than everyone else.

Half an hour before I receive my degree certificate, Lionel Simmons, my boyfriend as well as the class president, tells me that my graduation will be getting delayed because I need to retake my exam on a major course. Meanwhile, Vivian Crosby, the campus belle who often ranks last in exams, is eligible to receive certifications on her courses. Lionel quickly shields Vivian from me while looking very unapologetic. "In this course, every class requires a certain quota when it comes to the retakes. Since Vivian has bad grades, there's no way she's passing the retake. That's why I submitted your name instead. "Unlike you, Vivian doesn't have excellent grades and a boyfriend who actually gives a damn about you. Even if your graduation gets delayed, it won't affect our future plans at all. Amelia, you should make some sacrifices for your fellow classmate's sake." After I strongly object against that decision, my classmates mock me for being petty and uncaring toward Vivian. Fine. Since they obviously lack empathy for me, I don't hesitate to call my uncle, who's a member of the university board as well as one of the invigilators of the final exams. "I got into the top three ranks of the final exams, and yet I can't graduate on time because I have to retake my final exam instead. Does this mean the remaining hundreds of students bribed you to not fail their exams instead? "I want everyone's graduations to get delayed alongside mine in half an hour, no matter what!"

I was a genius with an IQ of 180. Even so, I had always kept a low profile. Standing out just made me a target, so I never did. I was good at math, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, programming, quantum entanglement, and computer science. I spoke twenty-seven languages. I had mastered everything. When it came time for the SATs, I controlled my score precisely. I finished exactly ten points above the cutoff for an elite university. By “sheer luck,” I snagged the last spot. My classmates were all top students from every corner of the country. All of them looked down on me. They called me the “waitlist wonder,” the “lucky leftover,” and the “bare minimum.” I just smiled and never took their words to heart. That was until the top student in my class, Victor Holloway, announced, “Some people here don’t deserve to be in this class! “I propose that we cut the weakest link after this exam. “I dare whoever comes last to drop out voluntarily.” I was provoked by his words. Was he talking about me? Fine. It was time for me to stop holding back.

In the final minute before the exam, my childhood friend, the one who was supposed to bring both of our exam documents, handed in only his own admission ticket. When it was my turn, his hands were empty. He said matter-of-factly, “Your exam ticket and ID aren’t here. Skip a subject and give your Cornell slot to Summer.” I froze. I couldn’t believe he would sabotage my college exam just to help Summer. Summer Hayes was the class beauty, but my grades had consistently outshined hers throughout high school. I looked at the boy I had known for eighteen years. Anger and disbelief bubbled up, making me laugh bitterly. Then I turned and walked away. Behind me, Jason Turner shouted, exasperated. “You are so good at school. So what if you repeat a year? “And now you are skipping the exam on a whim. How will that make Summer look? Are you really letting everyone think she forced you?” I didn’t even glance back. Skipping the exam on a whim. He had no idea. Two weeks ago, I had already secured an Early Admission spot in Harvard’s Physics Talent Program. Coming to the college entrance exam today was just a gesture of our eighteen-year friendship, going through the motions with him. Since he didn’t care, that friendship ended here.

As the top student in the state mock exams, I am accused of cheating. Witnesses, evidence, and chat logs are perfectly lined up against me. In the end, my exam scores are voided, and my dreams of enrolling in an elite university shatter. Dad suffers a stroke from rage, and Mom begs the school on her knees, but nothing changes. In despair, I swallow an entire bottle of sleeping pills, then open my eyes to find myself back seven days before the . In the class group chat, my so-called best friend, Sabrina Collins, is working the room. I stare at her messages for three seconds, turn off my phone, and pull up a new line. Then, I make a call to the academic affairs office. "I'll sign the guaranteed admission letter right now, Ms. Hudson." On the day of the college entrance exam, every student races to finish their papers in the examination hall, while I'm in a university laboratory over 125 miles away, watched over by a professor, three graduate students, and four security cameras. Sure enough, the whistleblower letter arrives right on schedule. But when the investigation team storms into the building, the head of academic affairs, Edith Hudson, slams my attendance sheet onto the desk. "She didn't set foot in the examination hall. How was she supposed to cheat?"

During the weekend, while I'm working part-time at a coffee shop, a sudden spell of low blood sugar causes me to pass out. The shop owner, Malcolm Heywood, hands me a coffee that's worth 5 dollars and gently reminds me not to push myself so hard. But Brooke Rulin, the class queen bee, takes a photo of me holding that coffee and posts it in the class group chat. [Wow! Look at Patty, who's on the college's financial aid list, leisurely sipping coffee at a coffee shop! Even I wouldn't dare to set foot inside a place like that. I can't believe I've seen her here every single day this past month.] Instantly, the group chat explodes. [No way! She's pretending to be poor to scam financial aid!] [How dare she? She took a spot meant for someone who actually needs the money!] [Revoke her financial aid! Make her pay every penny back!] Even my academic advisor, Tanner Rickshaw, sends me a private message. [Patty, this is atrocious behavior! You'd better explain yourself!] I stare at the coffee in my hand, completely dumbfounded. This cup of coffee is just a freebie from my boss, all because I have low blood sugar!