Pacific West University, with its towering buildings and pristine campus, was a world away from the crumbling streets he had grown up on. But that world, with its sprawling lawns and gleaming halls, welcomed him only as an outsider. The rich, the powerful—they saw him as nothing more than a charity case, a reminder that some kids didn’t belong. And Aidan could feel it in every step he took on campus, like the eyes of the privileged students were tracking him, judging him, wondering what he was doing there.Every day was a test. He’d walk to class with his head down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The looks he got, the whispered conversations that stopped as soon as he came near—he hated it. He could hear their mocking voices in his head: "Scholarship kid," they’d say. "Bet he doesn’t even know what it's like to have real money." Their laughter echoed in his ears long after they’d stopped, and the weight of it felt like a hundred pounds pressing down on him.It wasn’t just

Aidan stood alone in the robotics lab, the hum of the machines his only company. He’d been there for hours, his fingers a blur as he pieced together the delicate components of his latest creation. To the world, he was an outsider, an anomaly. To them, his clothes were nothing more than a joke, his awkwardness a source of amusement. But here, in the lab, none of that mattered. He was in control.Every beep and click of the machinery was his victory, his rebellion against the world that had so often cast him aside. He wasn’t like the other students, those who had been groomed for success since birth, surrounded by wealth, privilege, and opportunities he could only dream of. No, Aidan had nothing but his mind, his hands, and his determination. That was enough.As the days passed, the ridicule only grew. He became the punchline of every joke, the subject of every sneer. But Aidan didn’t care. His heart beat to the rhythm of progress. With every failure, every setback, he learned, adjusted

Aidan sat in the corner of the lab, the fluorescent lights above buzzing softly, but all he could hear were the whispers. The sound of laughter, the taunts, and the cruelty of his classmates. It had been days since the offer from Dr. Harris, but even now, the words haunted him. “You don’t belong here, Aidan.” It echoed in his mind, the sharp sting of rejection still fresh.He clenched his fists. No. He belonged here. He belonged in the lab. He belonged in the world of machines, of code, of innovation. Not in their world. Not in the world of privilege, where people like Carl could toss their money around and decide who was worthy of being seen. They had everything. And Aidan? Aidan had nothing but his hands, his mind, and his determination. He’d spent his life building things from nothing, and he wasn’t going to stop now.The door to the lab creaked open, and Aidan didn’t even look up. He knew who it was.Carl. The same smug, arrogant voice that had tormented him since day one.“Workin

Aidan stared at the screen, his pulse pounding in his ears. The email felt like a ghost reaching out to him, its presence impossible to ignore. The photograph of William Cross, standing confidently in front of Pacific West University, burned into his mind."Why?" he muttered to himself, leaning closer. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but he couldn’t bring himself to open the attachment again. Questions swirled like a storm in his mind. Why had someone sent this? Who had sent this? And most importantly, what did it mean?The harsh glare of the screen illuminated the dark lab as Aidan’s thoughts raced. His instincts told him to delete the email, to ignore it. Yet, a deeper, gnawing curiosity compelled him to dig further.---The next morning, Aidan’s usual routine felt foreign, his movements mechanical as he walked across campus. The whispers and snickers from his classmates seemed muted, drowned out by the questions echoing in his head. He barely registered when Liam Hayes shoul