The Popular Girl Manipulated Our Applications I Went To Stanford Chapter 02
“Why are you so mean?” Chad shouted from outside, hopping up and down with rage. “Tiffany is kind and sensitive. Are you trying to push her over the edge?”
I kept my voice flat through the door.
“Chad, I’m warning you one last time. Check your application portal right now. If it’s been changed, call the police immediately, or your future is ruined.”
“Stop trying to scare me!” Chad pounded on the door. “I already checked. It did change to that technical college. So what?”
“That just means Tiffany’s hacker friend is the real deal. He can even break into the state system. He’ll change it back in the last ten minutes, and our class will be the biggest legend in the whole city.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
“Are you insane? You’re betting your future on being a legend?”
“You’re the insane one!” Chad gritted his teeth. “You’re just jealous that everyone likes Tiffany, jealous that she knows the right people.”
“I’m telling you, Jennifer, if you don’t get back in that chat and apologize to her right now, we’re done.”
I let out a quiet laugh, turned back to the living room, and said, “Fine. We’re done.”
Chad went silent outside the door, apparently not expecting me to agree so easily.
“Jennifer, don’t regret this. You think anyone else would put up with a boring woman like you?”
He stomped off, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
I sat on the couch and opened the school subreddit.
Sure enough, Tiffany’s “prank” had made it there.
An account named “Tiffany Loves You” had posted a popular thread.
[Honors class changes all applications to technical college. This is what being young is all about!]
The post included a screenshot of everyone’s applications changed to that technical college.
The comments piled up fast.
[Wait, for real? The whole honors class is going to herd sheep?]
[No, you idiot. The popular girl hired a hacker. It’s a loyalty test. Everything will change back in the last ten minutes.]
[That’s amazing. That girl is not only hot, she’s got connections.]
[The only buzzkill is class president Jennifer Morrison, and she left the chat. What a weirdo.]
I looked coldly at the comments and scrolled.
Just then, my desk neighbor Lindsay Miller called.
I hesitated, then picked up.
“What’s your problem, Jennifer?” Lindsay started blaming me immediately. “Tiffany was just joking. Why would you block Chad and Mr. Kowalski?”
“Lindsay, you really think this is a joke?” I asked.
“Of course,” Lindsay said confidently. “Tiffany was trying to help everyone relax after all the stress of applying. Instead of appreciating it, you broke up with Chad? Do you know how angry he is in the chat right now?”
I rubbed my forehead, exhausted.
“Lindsay, what if that hacker doesn’t change the applications back in the last ten minutes?”
The line went quiet for a moment. Then Lindsay let out a dismissive laugh.
“How could that happen? Tiffany said the hacker is ranked number one on the dark web.”
“The guy makes millions a minute. The fact that he’s willing to play along with us is an honor.”
“Jennifer, you just don’t get how connections work.”
“If you believe in her connections that much, I hope everything works out for you,” I said calmly.
“What’s that supposed to mean? If you call the police and ruin Tiffany’s plan, we’re done as friends.”
“Fine with me.” I hung up without hesitation.
Thirty-five minutes left.
The thread on the subreddit was getting hotter, attracting attention from other schools.
Tiffany was clearly enjoying the spotlight.
She was using a fake account to reply constantly.
“Everyone, calm down. The hacker said something amazing will happen in the last ten minutes.”
“Jennifer Morrison is just a coward. Ignore her.”
Someone knocked on the door again.
“Jennifer, it’s Chad. I was harsh earlier. Open up. Let’s talk.”
I walked to the door but didn’t open it.
“Chad, there’s nothing to talk about.”
“Jennifer, just open the door!” Chad’s voice was tense with suppressed anger. “Tiffany just said in the chat that there’s a small problem with the system.”
“The hacker needs a high-level student account as a bridge to bypass the firewall and change everyone’s applications back. Give me your valedictorian account password.”
I froze for a second, then nearly laughed out loud.
Tiffany’s lies were getting more ridiculous by the minute.
“A bridge? Get around the firewall?” I said sarcastically. “Chad, have you been watching too many sci-fi movies?”
“The state education system is protected at the federal level. It’s not your home router.”