Chapter 2My Scholarship Became Their Graduation Meal Fund

I instinctively wanted to refuse and bolt, but two imposing men were already stationed at the door of the private room. I had no idea what would happen if I didn't pay. Her threat had genuinely rattled me.

After hesitating for a moment, I reached into the innermost compartment of my backpack and pulled out a debit card. It contained the eight-thousand-dollar scholarship I had just received. This was the amount I'd set aside for Grandma's hearing aid.

Grandma had spent four years collecting recyclables in the countryside, and her hearing had deteriorated so badly that she had to shout at the top of her lungs every time she talked to me.

I'd been saving up for a whole year because I wanted to take her to the best hospital in the city and get her a hearing aid before I graduated.

After footing the bill, I tucked the receipt away. My heart was consumed with anger at being played like a fool.

…

Early the next morning, I walked into the advisor's office with a cold expression, suppressing my anger.

Mr. Spencer was hunched over his desk, organizing a stack of applications for this year's Outstanding Advisor evaluation.

When I walked in, he couldn't even be bothered to raise his head. "Is something the matter, Kieran?" he asked flatly.

I placed the five-thousand-dollar receipt from the night before on his desk, clenched my fists, and said in a low voice, "I'd like to report what happened at last night's graduation dinner, Mr. Spencer.

"Cosmo and the others moved the event up an hour without notifying me, so I wasn't able to attend. To make matters worse, when they left, they forced me to cover the outstanding balance. I hope you can step in and have Cosmo reimburse me for this amount from our class funds."

Mr. Spencer paused, adjusted his glasses, and frowned as he looked at the receipt. "Cosmo told me about this after I left last night, Kieran."

His tone was amiable yet dismissive. "He told me everyone assumed you were fine with the change because they hadn't heard from you. Look, you'll all be graduating soon. It'd be better to keep the peace and let sleeping dogs lie.

"Since you foot the bill, that means you accepted the arrangement at the time, no? Besides, you've received scholarships every year. If it weren't for your classmates' support, you wouldn't be able to achieve that. Don't you think?"

I froze for a moment, genuinely unable to believe those words had just come out of Mr. Spencer's mouth.

"I only paid because the waitress wouldn't let me leave if I refused!" I tried to explain. "Mr. Spencer, since I footed the bill, where did our class funds go? We can't just sweep this under the rug!"

His expression hardened. Clearly, he had no intention of looking into the class' finances.

It was the end of the semester, and any complaints involving a financial dispute within the class would affect his performance evaluation.

"I'm being considered for Outstanding Advisor at the end of this semester, and I don't want this kind of mess to come up in the college. Listen to me and consider this amount your contribution to the class. Stop making a fuss.

"You've already secured a fantastic offer, and your background check is in my hands. If nothing goes wrong, I'll make sure you pass with flying colors."