The Bait Boy's Billionaire Secret

The preliminary exam for the Presidential Scholarship was about to begin. I stared at the essay prompt: "The Nature of Ambition." I knew exactly what to write.

A flawless essay, every sentence a stroke of genius, destined to secure my spot in the finals and launch my brilliant future.

But in my last life, that perfect essay became my death sentence. Mere minutes before I could hand in my paper, my rival, Ethan, uploaded an identical one online.

Then, he and my girlfriend, Jessica, launched a brutal campaign, painting me as a fraud, a plagiarist who stole from the school's golden boy.

The scandal utterly destroyed me. I was expelled, the scholarship snatched away. The immense stress broke my mother's weak heart; she died, still questioning my integrity.

My father, a humble bait-and-tackle shop owner, spent his entire life savings trying to clear my name before he perished in a suspicious boating "accident." Left with nothing, watching Ethan celebrate his Yale graduation online, I extinguished my own life.

The cold, hard rage of that injustice consumed me, even in death.

How did they know every thought, every perfect turn of phrase? How could they have replicated my genius so flawlessly, systematically dismantling my life while I was powerless?

Now, I'm back. In the same exam room, at the same desk, with the same clock ticking down. This time, I' m not just rewriting an essay. I' m rewriting history. And the script calls for a reckoning.

The preliminary exam for the Presidential Scholarship was about to begin. I stared at the essay prompt on the screen.

The Nature of Ambition.

I knew exactly what to write. I knew every word, every comma that would create a perfect essay. An essay that would guarantee my spot in the finals.

An essay that would lead to my death.

In my last life, I wrote that perfect essay. My rival, Ethan, submitted an identical one online, just thirty minutes before I handed in my paper copy.

He and my girlfriend, Jessica, launched a campaign on TikTok. They painted me as a fraud, a plagiarist who stole from the school' s golden boy.

The scandal destroyed me. The school expelled me. The scholarship was gone.

The stress of it all made my mother' s weak heart give out. She died in the hospital, asking why I would do such a thing.

My father, a simple man who ran a bait-and-tackle shop, spent his life savings trying to clear my name. He died when his fishing boat capsized in a storm. The official report called it an accident. I knew better.

I ended my own life on the day Ethan graduated from Yale. I saw the pictures online, him smiling with his tech mogul father. I had nothing left.

Now, I was back. In the same exam room, at the same desk. The clock on the wall showed I had two hours.

I picked up my pen.

My hand was shaking, not from fear, but from a cold, hard rage.

I would not walk into the same trap. I would not die again.

I spent the next hour and fifty minutes writing garbage. I wrote an essay full of flawed logic, terrible grammar, and half-formed ideas. I even crossed out entire paragraphs, making it look like the work of someone who had a complete mental breakdown.

When the bell rang, the proctor walked down the aisle to collect the papers.

I stood up.

Everyone looked at me.

I walked to the front of the room, past the proctor. I took my university applications from the submission tray.

Then, I ripped them in half.

And then in half again.

The pieces of paper fluttered to the floor.

"I'm dropping out," I announced to the silent room. "I'm going to work at my father's bait-and-tackle shop."

I turned and walked out, leaving the whole school in shock.

News of my breakdown spread through the school like a virus. By lunch, everyone was talking about it.

"Did you hear about Liam?"

"Yeah, he completely lost it. Ripped up his Ivy League applications."

"I guess the pressure finally got to him. Sad."

I walked through the crowded hallway, and the whispers followed me. Ethan and his football friends were leaning against the lockers. He was the school's star quarterback, a TikTok influencer with millions of followers.

He smirked as I passed.

"Couldn't handle the competition, huh, bait boy?" his friend jeered.

Ethan just shook his head, a look of fake pity on his face. "It's a tough world, Liam. Not everyone is built for it."

I ignored them and kept walking.

Later, Jessica found me by the library. She was an aspiring actress, beautiful and popular. She was also my secret girlfriend, a fact we kept hidden because she was publicly linked to Ethan for social status.

"Liam, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice full of practiced concern. "Everyone's worried about you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, my voice flat.

"No, you're not. Withdrawing? Working at a bait shop? This isn't you. You're throwing your future away."

I looked at her, at the face I once loved. The face that smiled next to Ethan in photos while I was being destroyed.

"My future is my business," I said, and walked away from her.

The next day, the preliminary exam results were posted on the main bulletin board. I didn't need to look, but I did anyway.

A crowd was gathered around it.

Liam Hayes: F.

Ethan Vance: A+. Perfect Score.

Someone in the crowd laughed. "From genius to failure in one day. What a fall."

Ethan and Jessica were standing nearby, accepting congratulations. He was the hero. I was the cautionary tale.