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CHAPTER 7 — EVERYTHING TAKEN AWAY

The next morning, Dylan woke up feeling as though his entire body had been run over by a truck. His head throbbed painfully, and even opening his eyes required more effort than it should have. For several seconds, he simply stared blankly at the ceiling above his bed while trying to gather his thoughts.

Then reality returned.

Memories of Amber, Brandon, the security office, and losing his job flooded back into his mind, instantly souring his mood. A bitter sigh escaped his lips as he slowly sat upright.

The dorm room remained unusually quiet. One of his roommates snored softly from the opposite bed while the other was completely buried beneath a blanket. The fried chicken celebration from the previous night had helped lighten his mood for a few hours, but now that morning had arrived, every painful memory came crashing back again.

Dylan rubbed his face tiredly before reaching for his phone.

The moment the screen lit up, his expression froze.

A notification blinked repeatedly across the display. At first, he assumed it was another hateful message from random students online, but the moment he opened it, his heart sank.

[Due to disciplinary concerns involving violent misconduct, your scholarship privileges and first-place benefits from the Westbridge University Annual Science Fair have been temporarily revoked pending final administrative review.]

For several seconds, Dylan simply stared at the message while his brain struggled to process the words. Then his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What...?"

He immediately sat upright and reread the message once, then twice, before reality finally struck him with full force.

His scholarship had been revoked. "No..."

His trembling fingers quickly opened the attached email.

The contents were even worse.

His first-place prize benefits had officially been suspended by the university administration pending further review.

A wave of disbelief washed over him.

This couldn't be happening.

He had won the competition fairly. The judges themselves had announced him as the winner. How could they suddenly revoke everything overnight?

The sudden movement woke one of his roommates.

Ryan groaned sleepily before sitting upright. "Bro... why are you making noise this early?"

The moment he saw Dylan's pale face, however, his expression changed. "What happened?"

Without speaking, Dylan handed him the phone. A few seconds later, Ryan exploded. "What the hell?!" 

The outburst immediately woke Luke.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"The school revoked Dylan's scholarship!"

"What?!" Luke instantly sat upright and grabbed the phone. "No freaking way..."

Dylan climbed off the bed. "I need to go to the administration office now."

Luke frowned deeply.

"This is ridiculous. You literally won the competition fairly. They can't just take it away because of some stupid fight."

Dylan clenched his fists tightly. Unfortunately, deep down, he already knew exactly why this was happening.

Brandon was using both his family influence and his connections. Without wasting any more time, Dylan changed clothes and rushed out of the dormitory.

The campus buzzed with activity as students moved between buildings on their way to lectures. However, everywhere Dylan walked, people stared. Some immediately began whispering after recognizing him, while others openly pointed in his direction.

The viral video from yesterday had already spread throughout the entire university.

Dylan lowered his head slightly and ignored them. At the moment, he had far bigger problems to worry about.

A few minutes later, he arrived outside the administration building.

After taking a deep breath, he entered and spoke briefly with the receptionist before being directed toward an office upstairs.

He knocked twice.

"Come in."

Dylan slowly pushed the door open.

Inside sat a middle-aged man wearing glasses while reviewing several documents.

Professor Harold Bennett.

One of the senior engineering faculty administrators.

The professor looked up calmly. "Ah. Mr. Kingston."

Dylan stepped forward immediately. "Professor, I received a message saying my scholarship privileges were revoked."

The professor nodded calmly.v"Yes."

Dylan frowned. "There has to be some mistake." 

Professor Bennett removed his glasses and folded his hands together. "There was no mistake." 

The words instantly made Dylan's stomach sink.

"The decision was finalized late last night after reviewing your disciplinary situation."

Dylan's fists tightened but he maintained a calm composure  "Professor, if this is because of what happened yesterday, it was a misunderstanding."

The professor raised an eyebrow. "Was it?"

Dylan nodded quickly. "Yes. Brandon and Amber provoked me first."

"But did you assault another student?" Professor Bennett asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Dylan paused. "...Yes, but—"

"And did university security detain you yesterday evening?" Professor Bennett cut Dylan off with another question as he was uninterested to listen to Dylan's explanation.

Dylan jaw tightened. "...Yes."

Professor Bennett sighed lightly. "Then where exactly is the misunderstanding?"

Frustration surged through Dylan. "Professor, it was a personal conflict between friends. It has nothing to do with the science competition."

The professor leaned back calmly. "Ordinarily, perhaps. However, this matter became more complicated due to the individuals involved."

Dylan already knew where the conversation was heading.

Even so, hearing it aloud made his chest tighten painfully.

"The Parker family are major sponsors of this competition and that is Brandon's family."

There it was.

Exactly as he expected.

"The decision was influenced by the damage this incident caused to the university's image."

Dylan stared at him in disbelief.

"So because Brandon is rich, you're taking away what I earned fairly?"

Professor Bennett frowned. "You should mind your tone, Mr. Kingston."

Dylan laughed bitterly. "My tone?" His voice gradually rose. "I spent two months working on that project. I barely slept. I worked multiple jobs while building it, and now you're taking everything away because Brandon got punched?"

The professor's expression hardened.

"You should not have assaulted him."

The statement only fueled Dylan's anger further.

"So if somebody insults your dead parents to your face, you're supposed to smile and thank them?"

Professor Bennett remained unmoved. "Your emotional instability is exactly why the administration reconsidered your eligibility." 

Dylan felt his breathing becoming heavier. "This is unfair."

The professor sighed once more. "Life itself is unfair, Mr. Kingston."

The words landed like a slap across the face.

Then the professor continued.

"Also, you have three days."

Dylan froze. "...What?"

"You have exactly three days to settle your outstanding tuition balance. If payment is not made by then, the university will proceed with your expulsion."

Dylan felt as though the ground beneath him had disappeared. "Expelled?......in Three days? How am I supposed to get that kind of money?"

Professor Bennett glanced at the file. "Forty-seven thousand dollars."

The number hit Dylan like a physical blow.

The amount was impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

Dylan raiser his gaze and stared back at professor Benett. "You know, My parents also used to be sponsors of this institution. I can remember the huge donations they made. Would I be treated differently if they were still alive?"

Professor Bennett looked up as Dylan with a stern gaze. "It because of your parents past deeds this institution has tolerated you till this moment but you must remember that we aren't charity. Also the dead no hold no authority in the world of the living."

Professor Bennett gestured toward the door. "That will be all."

Dylan stood motionless as the weight of everything crashed down on him.

His scholarship was gone and his future was slipping away. The opportunity he had sacrificed everything for had vanished overnight.

Slowly, he turned and walked out of the office.

The moment the door closed behind him, his composure collapsed completely.

Everything was falling apart.

Dylan wandered through campus like a ghost.

At some point, he found himself near an isolated pathway behind the gymnasium building. His thoughts were so consumed by despair that he barely noticed the black vehicle speeding toward him until it suddenly screeched to a halt nearby.

The sound forced him to look up.

The vehicle doors swung open and Four rough-looking men stepped out.

Dylan frowned. "What do you—"

The question never left his mouth before a brutal slap crashed across his face, sending him staggering sideways.

"What the hell?!"

One of the men immediately grabbed him by the collar. "Move."

Before Dylan could react or resist, the men dragged him toward the abandoned gym area.

As he struggled against their grip, a deep and terrible feeling settled heavily inside his chest.