Chapter 4

The rest of the class, having taken Elmer's bribes, all jumped in to tear me apart.

"Julian, sure, you sponsored him, but he's still a person. You don't get to trample on his dignity just because you paid for things."

"Real charity doesn't expect anything back. The second you start expecting something in return, that's not charity, that's a transaction."

"Elmer didn't want to be your servant anymore, so he pulled out. And now you're using money to guilt-trip him. That's low."

Listening to them tear into me, I turned back to look at Elmer's face, flushed red with righteous outrage, and felt nothing but disbelief at how absurd it all was.

If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have had the chance to read a single book—he would've dropped out and been working some dead-end job years ago.

Who in their right mind spends tens of thousands of real dollars just to humiliate some poor kid they'd never even met before?

"Elmer, since you're calling it humiliation, then give back every cent I ever spent on you."

Elmer blinked, then let out a sneer dripping with contempt. "Fine, I'll pay it back! Who wants your filthy money anyway?"

I nodded. "Make sure it's quick."

The payment deadline on the card was coming up fast, and I didn't want him draining it dry before he could pay me back.

Elmer rolled his eyes and shot back, all bitter sarcasm. "What's the rush? Scared I'll skip out on the debt? You're so obsessed with money it's pathetic. Chasing me down over pocket change."

The rest of the class snickered along with him as they filed out.

That wasn't the end of it, either. That same night, a post titled "Watch Out for People Who Suddenly Start Sponsoring You" went up on the campus forum and social media.

In it, Elmer cast himself as the plucky, fragile scholarship kid overcoming the odds. He painted me as some controlling, borderline psychotic sugar daddy.

He twisted the facts, claiming I'd pulled my funding because he'd refused to help me cheat on an exam. He said I only gave him money so I could watch him grovel, that I got off on humiliating the poor.

Within hours, I'd been dragged into the spotlight, turned into the campus's most hated guy overnight.

It didn't take long before someone dug up my photo and started passing it around.

The people who'd taken Elmer's bribes kept piling on, painting me as some irredeemable villain.

A few students who didn't know any better got swept up in it and decided the whole thing must have been my fault.

I walked across campus while people pointed and whispered. I kept my face blank and pushed through the crowd without giving it a second thought.

I had nothing to hide, and lies like that always come back around on the people who spread them eventually.

Back in the dorm, I was a little thirsty. I walked to my desk, picked up my thermos, twisted the cap off, and tipped it back to drink.

The second it touched my lips, a foul, rancid smell hit my nose.

I frowned and immediately poured it into a spare white ceramic mug instead.

What should've been clear water had settled into a layer of grayish-black sludge at the bottom, tangled with strands of hair and dust. The water was murky, clouded through and through.

Staring at that filthy cup, I let out a bitter laugh.

Apparently, some people weren't content with just running their mouths anymore.

I looked around the room and held up the mug. "Who did this?"

Dead silence. Nobody dared to answer.

My gaze finally landed on Elmer. He sat in his chair, watching the scene unfold like he was enjoying a show.

That was when Preston Shelly hopped down from his bunk and stepped in front of Elmer, practically vibrating with righteous fury.

"That was me! You got a problem with that? I can't stand the way you push Elmer around! People like you, who throw your weight around just because you've got a little money, need to be taught a lesson!"

Elmer's face lit up. He pulled a brand-new gold necklace out of his pocket and tossed it to Preston.