Ethan Reed's footsteps echoed through the empty campus hallway. His mind was buzzing, replaying the events of the last hour. He had just left the final project meeting with his best friend, Carter, and his girlfriend, Sophia. Everything seemed normal until he saw the email on his phone—a forwarded message that stopped him in his tracks.
"Subject: Scholarship Denied - Recommendation Revoked"
His heart sank, and a cold realization gripped him. Ethan couldn't believe it. Carter and Sophia had convinced him to trust them with his scholarship application, saying they'd put in a good word with the board. They knew how much it meant to him, how it was his only chance to stay in college.
He opened the attachment, and there it was—a recommendation letter, signed by Carter, urging the board to reconsider Ethan's application, claiming he was unreliable and a bad fit for the program. Shock turned to anger. Why would they do this to him?
In a daze, Ethan left the building, barely noticing the clouds gathering overhead. He went straight to Carter's dorm room. With each step, his mind raced. Had they been playing him all along? His breath quickened, and by the time he reached the door, his anger was boiling over.
Without knocking, he pushed the door open. Carter was sitting at his desk, the smile fading from his face as he saw Ethan's expression. Sophia was there too, leaning casually against the wall, her eyes widening in surprise.
"What the hell is this?" Ethan demanded, throwing the printed email onto Carter's desk. His voice was shaky, on the edge of breaking.
Carter's expression hardened. "It's exactly what it looks like," he said, not bothering to look at the paper. "You weren't cut out for that scholarship, Ethan. We just helped the board see it."
Ethan's eyes darted to Sophia, searching for a hint of regret, an apology—anything. But she only crossed her arms and looked away, her silence more painful than any words she could have said.
"I trusted you both," Ethan said, his voice breaking. "Why would you do this?"
Carter stood up, the smug confidence he always had now cold and distant. "You were never going to make it, Ethan. You've been holding us back for too long. It's time to grow up and face the truth—you're not special."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut. Ethan felt his world crumble around him. Every late night spent studying, every sacrifice he'd made, all for nothing. He turned away, his eyes burning, and left without another word. The last thing he heard was Sophia's voice, calm and cold.
"It's better this way."
Ethan's face went pale. He looked at Sophia and didn't understand why she would be so cold towards him. He had always tried his best to please her and make her happy. Ethan was surprised to Sophia together with Ethan but he wanted to believe they were just friend like she had told him they were.
Ethan walked closer to Sophia, " Are you really kidding?" He said looking at her face for any sign of a joke.
" I think it is time you know this, I don't love you Ethan. I never had. You are just too broke that I can't deal any more. Scholarship? I can't believe you would place your fate in something that can never happen." She said with a scoff.
" I think it is better for you don't stay here anymore. Why don't you go to a school befitting for someone like you. It would save you the trouble of paying any money. Don't you think so?"
The words hit Ethan hard and he didn't know what to say. He looked at Carter and swore to make him pay but not for making him lose the scholarship but for also stealing his girlfriend from him
#The Streets of Desperation
Days turned into weeks. Ethan's scholarship was officially revoked, and without it, he couldn't afford to stay at college. His part-time job wasn't enough to pay tuition, and soon, he was forced out of his dorm. Alone and humiliated, Ethan moved from couch to couch, relying on the charity of distant acquaintances until they, too, turned him away. Eventually, he ended up on the streets.
He could barely afford to pay his monthly house bill. The landlord had him thrown on the street when he couldn't afford the house bills anymore.
One cold , rainy night, Ethan found himself in a back alley, shivering under a worn-out hoodie. He had nothing left—no friends, no home, no future. As he huddled under a dripping awning, he thought about Carter and Sophia, laughing in their warm rooms while he was out here, fighting to survive. His fingers clenched into fists. They had ruined him, taken everything he had worked for, and left him with nothing.
As the rain poured harder, Ethan heard footsteps approaching. Two men, dressed in ragged clothes, stopped in front of him. "Looks like we found ourselves an easy target," one of them sneered, pulling out a knife.
Ethan's heart pounded, and he stepped back, his legs weak with hunger and exhaustion. He knew he had no chance, but his anger kept him standing. He wouldn't go down without a fight. But as the first man laughed, something happened—a flash of light erupted from the corner of the alley, and Ethan's body reacted on its own. He moved faster than he'd ever thought possible, dodging the knife and pushing the man back.
Both attackers hesitated, stunned by the sudden change. Before they could react, Ethan's eyes caught something half-buried in the mud, a strange, glowing object. He reached down, grabbing it without thinking. The moment his fingers touched the cold surface, a surge of energy shot through him, filling his veins with a strange warmth.
The men took one look at the glowing light coming from Ethan's hand and ran, disappearing into the storm. The object pulsed with energy, and Ethan felt a strange voice whisper in his mind: "Welcome, User. Activation sequence initiated."
Ethan stared at the glowing object, his heart racing, as the rain washed over him. His world had fallen apart, but now, in this dark alley, something new was beginning—a chance to take back what was stolen from him.