Scholarship Girl

By the time I stepped out of the apartment building, I had reached three conclusions.

First, parallel worlds were real.

Second, this one clearly hated me personally.

And third, poor people woke up offensively early.

The morning air was cold enough to annoy me as I adjusted the strap of my backpack and stared at the large blue bus parked near the sidewalk. Students slowly climbed inside while the driver looked seconds away from retiring permanently.

I stood there for a moment, genuinely debating whether walking several kilometers to college would preserve more dignity than entering a public bus.

Unfortunately, this version of me apparently relied on something called "free student transportation," which sounded suspiciously like a financial cry for help.

The bus driver glanced at me impatiently. "You getting in?"

I sighed dramatically and climbed aboard.

The inside smelled like cheap deodorant, old seats, and sleep deprivation. Students filled most of the rows, some talking loudly while others leaned against windows with headphones on. Nobody looked particularly happy to be alive.

Relatable.

I walked farther down the aisle carefully, ignoring a few curious stares thrown my way. Most people looked normal enough, but the differences in this world kept hitting me in small ways.

The clothes were simpler.

The phones were older.

Even the conversations felt different from what I was used to. Nobody talked about international vacations or luxury brands or private events. They talked about assignments, part-time jobs, attendance, money.

Money especially.

It was strange hearing people discuss it like survival instead of convenience.

I slid into an empty seat near the middle of the bus and rested my head lightly against the window.

The city outside looked almost identical to mine.

Same streets.

Same traffic.

Same skyline.

But somehow… duller.

As if someone had taken my world and stripped away everything polished from it.

A headache pulsed faintly behind my eyes again.

Last night replayed in fragments inside my head. The purple fracture across my ceiling. That strange pressure in my chest. The voice whispering shift right before everything went black.

I still didn't fully understand what happened to me, but at this point denying reality felt stupid. This wasn't kidnapping. It wasn't some elaborate punishment planned by my father.

It was worse.

I had somehow ended up inside another version of my life.

The thought should've terrified me more than it did.

Instead, I mostly felt irritated.

Because if the universe was going to throw me into another dimension, the least it could do was maintain my income level.

I pulled out the phone from my bag again, staring at the cracked screen with visible disappointment. The more I looked through it earlier, the clearer things became.

This Aria Laurent had existed long before I arrived.

She had her own habits. Her own friends. Her own life.

And unlike me, she apparently studied hard enough to earn a scholarship into Westbridge State College.

That part honestly impressed me.

I'd found stacks of neatly organized notes in the apartment before leaving. Academic awards too. Debate certificates. Merit rankings.

The original Aria clearly worked herself half to death to stay here.

Meanwhile, I got into college through legacy admissions and naturally superior intelligence.

Different journeys.

Same result.

Well, almost.

A loud laugh suddenly cut through the bus, interrupting my thoughts.

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

I noticed it before even looking up. Several students went quiet while others avoided glancing toward the back rows altogether.

Interesting.

I turned slightly in my seat.

A group of boys occupied the rear section of the bus like they owned it. Expensive shoes rested carelessly on seats while students nearby kept their distance. In a bus full of average college kids, they stood out instantly.

Not billionaire rich.

But comfortable rich.

The boy sitting in the center looked especially familiar.

Dark hair.

Sharp jawline.

Cold expression.

Annoyingly attractive in the kind of way that probably caused emotional problems for people.

And the second our eyes met, another memory hit me.

Books falling from my arms.

Laughter echoing through hallways.

Cold coffee staining clothes.

That same boy leaning back lazily while the old Aria stood there silently pretending humiliation didn't bother her.

Oh.

So this was him.

Kale.

Apparently the original Aria's personal nightmare.

I leaned back slightly, observing him more carefully now.

He looked bored more than cruel. Like someone who'd grown up getting away with things long enough to stop questioning himself. The type of guy who treated people badly simply because nobody had ever stopped him.

One of his friends noticed me first. "Look who decided to come back."

Kale glanced toward me lazily before speaking.

"Scholarship girl."

I almost laughed.

That was somehow worse than an actual insult.

He held out some cash without getting up from his seat. "Get me coffee before class."

Several students nearby immediately looked toward me.

Waiting.

The tension in the air told me everything I needed to know.

This happened often.

The old Aria used to obey.

Something sharp twisted unpleasantly in my chest at the thought.

Not because I felt bad for her.

Because I couldn't imagine letting someone speak to me like that repeatedly without eventually committing violence.

I stayed seated.

Kale slowly looked up from his phone.

"…Did you hear me?"

I smiled politely.

"Unfortunately, yes."

A few people nearby exchanged nervous glances.

Kale stared at me for a second longer, probably waiting for me to get up anyway.

I didn't.

Finally, he frowned slightly. "Then go."

I tilted my head. "You seem confused, so let me help. I'm a scholarship student, not your unpaid assistant."

The silence afterward felt almost impressive.

One guy near the window actually choked trying not to laugh.

Kale's expression changed slightly. Not angry exactly.

Surprised.

Interesting.

The old Aria must've really tolerated everything.

"You got an attitude overnight?" he asked calmly.

"I've always had one," I replied. "You just finally earned it."

His friends looked between us carefully like they expected someone to explode.

Honestly, I was starting to enjoy myself.

Kale leaned back against his seat slowly, studying me with narrowed eyes. "You think being smart makes you untouchable?"

"No," I said casually. "But it does mean I won't fetch coffee for a man perfectly capable of basic motor functions."

A girl sitting near the front laughed under her breath.

Kale noticed.

So did I.

His gaze returned to mine, sharper this time.

There was something oddly intense about the way he looked at people. Like he was trying to figure out whether they were bluffing.

Unfortunately for him, I rarely did.

"You're different today," he said finally.

I shrugged. "Maybe I got tired of people mistaking silence for weakness."

That shut him up for a second.

Not because the line was dramatic.

Because it was true.

The old Aria apparently survived this place by staying invisible. By lowering her head and enduring things quietly because losing her scholarship meant losing everything.

I understood that logically.

Still hated it though.

Kale looked away first, which honestly felt like a personal victory.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Do what you want."

I smiled sweetly. "See? Growth. We love to see it."

Someone laughed again.

This time louder.

The bus atmosphere shifted after that. The tension remained, but differently now. People kept glancing at me occasionally, whispering quietly among themselves.

Apparently watching scholarship girl develop a backbone counted as morning entertainment.

The rest of the ride passed quietly. I spent most of it staring out the window while trying to organize my thoughts.

Because despite everything, one thing kept bothering me.

Why was I here?

Not philosophically.

Literally.

Why me?

What connected both versions of my life strongly enough for something like this to happen?

And why did it feel less like an accident the longer I thought about it?

The bus finally pulled into the college campus nearly twenty minutes later.

Westbridge State College looked larger in daylight than I expected. Students crowded the pathways between buildings while others sat near fountains or outdoor cafés scrolling through their phones before class.

It wasn't terrible.

Public, obviously.

But not terrible.

I stepped off the bus and immediately considered skipping classes.

Unfortunately, another memory surfaced almost instantly.

Strict attendance requirements for scholarship students.

Missing classes could affect funding.

Meaning this version of me quite literally could not afford academic laziness.

Disgusting system.

I adjusted my bag with a sigh and started walking toward the business department building along with the crowd.

Fine.

If I was trapped in a parallel world, the least I could do was remain academically superior while suffering through it.