Chapter 4

After I joined Julian's lab, my life basically turned into a triangle.

Every day, I went to class, the lab, and then back to my dorm.

There were eight people in the lab, all upperclassmen except me. The way they looked at me was identical, like, 'Who is this freshman, and how did she manage to get in here?'

At the first group meeting, Julian asked everyone to share what they were working on.

When it was my turn, everyone stared at me.

I said, "Right now, I'm working on a mobile app that pulls together weather forecasts from different sources. I'm using Python for the backend and React Native for the frontend."

A few seconds of dead silence filled the lab.

Victor Lowe, a senior with thick glasses, finally broke the silence. "React Native, huh? You're a freshman. How long have you been at it?"

I said, "Just been learning on my own for a bit."

"How long is 'a bit'?"

"Honestly, I can't really say."

Victor let out a dismissive snort and fell silent after that.

After the meeting, Stella dropped by the lab with two cups of milkshake in her hands. "Here, a little treat for you. I heard you left Victor speechless during the meeting."

I said, "Nah, I was giving a normal update."

Stella said, "You're way too modest. Do you know who Victor is? He took silver at the ACM Regional last year. He's basically the lab's top dog. You, a freshman, talking React Native right in front of him? Of course, he's going to get bitter."

I took a sip of my milkshake, then said, "If Victor wants to be bitter, that's his problem. I'm doing my thing."

Stella studied me for a moment. "Honestly, Sophie, you're different from everyone I've ever known."

"How so?"

"You're unshakable, as if you've already lived a hundred lives."

My hand froze for a moment. "Maybe I'm an old soul."

Stella said, "It's not about being mature. It's like you know what you want and how to get it. None of the eighteen-year-olds I know are like that."

I smiled, keeping quiet.

*****

That night, I was coding in my dorm when Sunny Ford, my other roommate, came back in.

Sunny was a local, also majoring in computer science, but she was not really into it. She was always busy with clubs and student union stuff.

She glanced at my screen and said, "Sophie, you're coding again? Don't you ever get tired of it?"

I said, "Not at all."

"Hey, did you hear? The campus singing contest is about to start sign-ups. You should totally give it a shot."

"Nah, not interested."

"Your voice is so good. It'd be such a waste if you didn't join."

"Thanks, but I'm not into it."

Sunny shrugged and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Stella poked her head out from the top bunk. "So, what kind of app are you working on? Can I check it out?"

I handed her my phone.

The screen showed a clean, simple interface with a blue and white color scheme.

Stella asked, "What's this?"

I said, "It's a campus secondhand trading platform."

"What?"

"It's called Secondhand Hub, an app where students can buy and sell used textbooks and daily essentials. Right now, nobody's really made anything that's for campus life."

Stella stared at the screen for a few seconds. "This actually looks pretty useful. I couldn't find anywhere to sell my calculus textbook last semester."

I said, "Yeah, that's exactly the issue. I'm planning to launch it at our school first, and if it goes well, I'll bring it to other campuses."

Stella climbed down from the top bunk and got right up in my face. "Sophie, are you trying to start your own thing?"

I said, "Just seeing how it goes for now."

Stella asked, "Do you need any help? I can handle the backend."

I looked at her.

In my previous life, there was no Stella. I was stuck at a regular local college, majoring in Gilianish, and not a single soul around me could talk code.

This time around, God actually gave me a real ally.

I said, "Yeah, as long as you don't mind having a ton of work to do."

Stella reached out her hand. "Here's to a great partnership, Sophie."

I shook her hand. "Great to be working with you."