My Childhood Sweetheart Cheered as The Transfer Damsel Ruined My Future — Idiot, She Ruined YOURS! Chapter 05

My Childhood Sweetheart Cheered as The Transfer Damsel Ruined My Future — Idiot, She Ruined YOURS! Chapter 05

“What the hell IS that?”

A parent in the front row spoke first.

Austin’s hand froze mid-air, still holding the paper.

On the big screen, the paper was magnified for everyone to see.

It wasn’t an MIT acceptance letter.

It was this cheap-looking admission notice. The school name printed across the top read clear as day: Riverside Community College.

In the name field: Austin Hayes.

The auditorium went dead silent.

Then someone laughed. One person. Then another. It spread like wildfire.

“Wait, wasn’t it supposed to be MIT?”

“Didn’t he just trash someone for going to community college?”

“Riverside’s perfect for him actually. Specializes in eating your own words.”

Austin went white. His mouth moved but no sound came out.

He stared at the paper like he couldn’t read.

“This is wrong. This is WRONG.”

He ripped the package apart. Dumped everything out.

Student ID instructions. Registration info. Payment forms.

Every page. His name.

Austin’s hands started shaking. He suddenly jerked his head up to look at me.

“It was YOU.” He rushed to the edge of the stage, gripping the mic. “You SWITCHED them. Hailey, you’re JEALOUS. You brought a fake letter to DESTROY me.”

I stood up and grabbed the backup mic from a staff member nearby.

“Austin, remember what Katie said?”

My voice wasn’t loud, but the speakers carried it everywhere.

“She said she took the account info from my backpack and changed the application for me.”

Austin’s eyes went vicious. “So WHAT? That was YOUR account.”

“Except I never kept MY login in my backpack. The only thing in there that day was the slip YOU gave me. Your exam ID. Your password.”

The audience ERUPTED.

Austin’s face went blank.

Katie froze too, instinctively blurting out, “That’s impossible. I clearly-”

She caught herself and covered her mouth.

I looked at her. “You clearly THOUGHT it was mine, right?”

Katie stepped back. “No. I didn’t know. I really didn’t know.”

Austin grabbed her shoulders. “Explain! Whose account did you actually log into?!”

Tears streamed down Katie’s face.

“Austin, I was so nervous. There was no name on the slip. I thought if it was in Hailey’s backpack, it had to be hers…”

Austin’s fingers trembled. “The system must’ve displayed it wrong.”

He pulled out his phone and opened the college admissions portal.

The big screen was still mirroring. The tech guy hadn’t cut the feed.

Austin’s login page filled the screen.

He entered his username and password.

Login successful.

His application history loaded.

First choice MIT: DELETED.

Final choice: Riverside Community College.

Time modified: last minute before the deadline closed.

IP address: public library, two blocks from Katie’s apartment.

The venue went silent again.

This time, nobody laughed.

Austin went completely white. His lips wouldn’t stop shaking.

“This is wrong… This CAN’T be. I’m supposed to be at MIT!”

He suddenly remembered something and looked up at me.

“Hailey, you KNEW?”

“I asked you. If YOUR application got changed, could you be generous?”

His lips moved.

I opened my phone and played that voice message.

Austin’s voice from that night echoed through the auditorium.

“If MY application had been changed today, I absolutely wouldn’t say one harsh word to Katie. She has it so hard. I’m not like you, thinking only about yourself.”

Someone in the audience gasped.

I looked at Austin.

“Your turn now.”

“Austin, congratulations. You got what you wanted.”