Chapter 1
The night before the state scholarship defense, I overheard my childhood friend, Benjamin, talking to the campus belle, Casey, outside the lab.
Benjamin said, "Don't worry. She won't be able to present tomorrow. I've copied all her original data, modeling scripts, and experiment logs from her computer.
"When you go up there with her work, the professors will just think she's overreacting and trying to steal credit for your project."
I stood outside the lab, a chill creeping over me as my whole body went cold.
This project was two years of blood, sweat, and tears. It was my ticket to the state scholarship, direct PhD admission, and a coveted spot in the overseas exchange program.
*****
But Benjamin once told me this was supposed to be our future together.
"Don't worry about her," Benjamin said.
Through the crack in the door, Benjamin's words were barely audible, gentle and almost coaxing.
He said, "Leyla trusts me more than anyone. I know her computer password, her server access, and exactly where she keeps all her experiment records.
"Before the defense tomorrow, I'll switch in the final version for you. When you go up there, she won't even get a word in."
I stood alone at the end of the hallway, my fingers clawing at the wall so fiercely that my nails felt like they might break.
Inside, there was a brief pause before a woman's voice spoke up. It was Casey.
She was the campus belle. She was rich, well-connected, and so used to getting her way that even her smile seemed effortlessly superior.
"But she still has the original data. What if she causes trouble?" Casey said.
Benjamin gave a small, familiar smile.
I was all too familiar with that smile.
It was the same smile he gave me when I lost the math competition as a kid, the same one when he brought me mushroom soup outside my hospital room in my last year of high school.
It was the same one when he draped his jacket over my shoulders after my first all-night experiment in sophomore year, whispering, "It's okay, I'm here."
So when someone lied, even their gentleness could be so convincing.
Benjamin said, "She won't make a scene. She's terrified of causing trouble, obsessed with keeping up appearances, and always trusts people she knows.
"When the time comes, I'll tell her the professor made a last-minute adjustment for the sake of the project. Even if she's upset, she'll grit her teeth and stay quiet."
Casey clicked her tongue softly. "You really do know her."
"Of course," Benjamin replied, sounding a bit impatient and totally confident. "I was there for every revision she made, the state scholarship application, the thesis defense slides, abstract, and code framework.
"There's nothing I haven't seen. If her project made it this far, I know it inside out, at least eighty percent."
I almost let out a bitter laugh.
Eighty percent. All those 3 am experiments, scrapped models, wasted circuit boards, and three notebooks packed with logs... Benjamin had just reduced two years of my life to a casual "eighty percent."
Casey finally seemed to relax, her voice softening. "What about the credits? We can't still have her listed first, can we?"
Benjamin replied, "Of course not. I've already talked to our senior. The version we show tomorrow will have your name and mine. As for her..."
He paused, sounding so indifferent, like he was talking about a piece of scrap paper. "Leaving her in the acknowledgments is already generous enough."
A cold sweat broke out across my back.
It turned out, they were after way more than just a spot on stage.
They wanted my raw data, my code, my experiment logs, my place in the credits, and even my shot at defending my own project.
This was the path she'd fought for over two years, proving herself to all those guys who thought girls could never pull off the tough stuff.
Winning the state scholarship was only the beginning.
If I nailed this defense, I'd get the state scholarship, and my advisor had already dropped hints I'd be first in line for a direct PhD offer from a top lab next year.
This project was also my ticket to the international exchange program, the key to unlocking everything I'd been working for.
This wasn't some homework or a term paper. This was my life, ready to soar.
And behind that door, those two were scheming to strip everything from every bit of my work, so they could repackage it as a shiny gift for someone else.
Casey let out a soft laugh. "Benjamin, you're really this harsh to her? Aren't you worried she'll find out?"
Benjamin replied coolly, "And if she does? She can't get by without me."
"Weren't you two childhood friends?" Casey asked.
"That's exactly why I know her so well," Benjamin replied, his voice soft but sharper than any insult. "She looks tough, but deep down, she's the most insecure person I know.
"As long as I sweet-talk her, tell her I had no choice, and promise I'll still help her, she'll end up believing me."
He paused, then added, "Honestly, with the way her family's messed up and how she is, who else would stick by her side except me?"
Everything suddenly went dark for me.
It wasn't because of heartbreak. It was because, in that moment, I realized that all these years, he'd never really been by my side as an equal.
He'd always been up on a pedestal, looking down at me.
He was watching as I exposed all my vulnerabilities to him, as I handed over my trust, as I naively believed that "we" were actually moving forward together.
And just when I was one step away from crossing that threshold, he reached out and pushed me right back down.