The Popular Girl Manipulated Our Applications I Went To Stanford Chapter 01
One hour before the college application portal closed, Tiffany Harrington, the school’s most popular girl, posted a screenshot in the class group chat.
“I hired a hacker to change everyone’s applications to Northern Plains Agricultural & Technical College. We can all go herd sheep together!”
In my past life, I immediately called the police and contacted the tech department, managing to restore everyone’s original applications in the final minute.
Tiffany was arrested for computer system sabotage and became the only student in the entire grade who didn’t get into college.
At the graduation party, my homeroom teacher locked me inside a private dining room. My childhood boyfriend grabbed me by the throat and squeezed.
“Tiffany was just joking. Why did you call the police and ruin her life?”
“If you hadn’t meddled, she never would have tried to kill herself.”
They forced me to drink bleach. I died choking on my own blood, my body twisting in agony.
When I opened my eyes again, it was the exact moment Tiffany posted that screenshot in the chat.
Looking at my own Stanford application, which I had locked down with two-factor authentication half an hour ago showing “Cannot Be Changed,” I left the group chat.
Have fun in the prairie, everyone.
***
“Are you insane, Jennifer? Tiffany was just joking. Why did you leave the group?”
Chad Thornton’s voice roared through the receiver, rattling my eardrum.
I looked at the red text on my screen that read “Application Locked – Cannot Be Changed” and smiled faintly.
“I left because I don’t want to share a room with idiots.”
“Who are you calling an idiot?” Chad’s voice shot up an octave.
“Tiffany hired a hacker to change everyone’s applications to a technical college to help everyone relax after all the stress of applying!”
“And you just quietly left the chat and now you’re acting all superior?”
I didn’t answer. My mind was filled with the memory of Chad’s hands around my throat at that party.
“Get back in the chat and apologize to Tiffany,” Chad urged impatiently. “Everyone else is saying how fun this is. You’re the only one being a downer.”
I took a deep breath and kept my voice calm.
“Chad, tampering with college applications is a crime. If you think that’s fun, enjoy yourselves.”
“Stop being so dramatic.” Chad scoffed. “Tiffany said the hacker is a pro she knows. He’ll change everything back in the last ten minutes. It’s just a loyalty test, got it?”
A loyalty test? Using everyone’s future as the stakes?
I just found it absurd.
“Then enjoy your test without me.”
I hung up and blocked Chad’s number.
Before I could put my phone down, my homeroom teacher Leonard Kowalski called.
“Jennifer, get back in that chat right now!” His voice was full of authority.
“Mr. Kowalski, Tiffany tampered with everyone’s applications. Aren’t you going to do something?”
“Do what? Tiffany is just a spirited girl trying to help everyone blow off steam!” Leonard said confidently. “You’re in the honors class. You’re all under too much pressure. Tiffany coming up with this idea shows she cares about the class!”
I almost laughed.
“She cares about the class? Changing everyone’s applications from Stanford and MIT to a technical college is caring?”
“Why are you being so difficult?” Leonard sounded annoyed. “Tiffany said she has it under control.”
“As class president, instead of supporting your classmates’ stress relief activity, you’re setting a bad example by leaving the chat and destroying class unity.”
“Mr. Kowalski, the portal closes in less than fifty minutes,” I reminded him. “If you don’t call the police now and something goes wrong, can you handle the consequences?”
“I don’t need you to tell me how to do my job!” Leonard shouted. “Get back in the chat right now and send Tiffany an e-gift card to apologize. She’s crying because you left.”
“If you think she needs comforting, you do it yourself.”
I hung up and blocked Leonard’s number too.
I opened my messages. Marcus Thompson, the sports coordinator, had sent me a screenshot of the chat.
In the screenshot, Tiffany had posted a crying emoji.
[Does Jennifer hate me? I just wanted everyone to relax.]
Below it, the comments were all comforting her.
[Don’t cry, Tiffany. Jennifer is just a nerd who doesn’t understand fun.]
[Exactly. Our Tiffany knows a professional hacker. How cool is that?]
[I just checked and my application really did change to that technical college. How exciting is that?!]
Marcus sent me a voice message. “Jennifer, is this really okay? I’m getting a bad feeling.”
I typed back quickly.
[If no one calls the police, you’re all going to spend your fall herding sheep.]
I stared at the countdown clock on my screen.
Forty-five minutes left.
In my past life, I ran myself ragged for these ungrateful people and got poison in return.
This time, let’s see how long their party lasts without me to ruin it.
The doorbell rang frantically.
Chad’s voice came through the front door.
“Jennifer, open up! You actually blocked me?” Chad yelled from outside. “You need to apologize to Tiffany right now!”
I looked through the peephole at his furious face and spoke calmly.
“If she’s sick, call an ambulance. What am I, a vet?”