The Ghosted Offer: How I Crushed My Corrupt Advisor and Two-Faced Roommates

In the college group chat, the academic advisor posted the list of accepted students for the highly coveted internship program. Immediately, my roommate sent three "celebration" emojis, pushing the image up. I scrolled up and stared at the screenshot for a long time, only to realize my name wasn't on it. How could that be? I got the Dean's List scholarship every year, and my interview had gone flawlessly. Besides, Horizon Tech was the only company I wanted to intern for. I gathered my courage and DM'd the advisor to ask why. I didn't expect him to ignore my private message and instead post a passive-aggressive comment in the main chat: "If you didn't get accepted, just don't ask. You'll only humiliate yourself." "If you're not cut out for campus recruiting, just be a good girl and apply for a minimum-wage factory job." I wanted to explain. But he just blocked me. Left with no other choice, I had to swallow my pride and call my dad: "I didn't get the internship at our subsidiary." 01 At 11:59 PM, the group chat, which was supposed to announce the accepted interns today, finally showed some activity. But strangely, the advisor only posted an image without tagging anyone. I was puzzled. As soon as I refreshed the chat, my roommate, Chloe, spammed three "party popper" emojis. "Chloe, stop messing around." I anxiously scrolled up to find the image and my eyes widened in shock. My name wasn't on the list. I remembered clearly that the HR representative was very impressed with me during the interview. He even said he'd keep a close eye on me once I joined the company. But now, everyone in my dorm except me had been accepted. Even Chloe, who failed classes regularly, got in. I, the one who won scholarships every year, was the only one rejected. A cold sweat broke out on my back as I counted the names on the list again. Exactly eight. No more, no less. Which meant there was no "accidental omission." I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Meanwhile, Chloe had somehow produced a bottle of champagne. "Girls, let's party! We got into Horizon Tech, our futures are bright!" Horizon Tech was a major player in the electronics industry, definitely a step up from the other companies recruiting on campus. I was frustrated. I gathered my courage and DM'd the advisor. "Mr. Davis, do you know why I didn't pass?" I just wanted to know the reason. I didn't expect him to not only ignore my direct question but also post a snarky comment in the main chat: "If you didn't get accepted, just don't ask. You'll only humiliate yourself." Confused, I slowly typed a question mark. It was like I had stepped on his tail. He unleashed a barrage of messages in our private chat: "What do you mean by that? Are you suspecting some kind of shady business?" "Don't think you're so great just because you have good grades. Companies look at overall soft skills." I felt he was misunderstanding and tried to explain. But the messages kept coming: "If you're not cut out for campus recruiting, just be a good girl and apply for an assembly line job at a factory." "Why keep asking? What's there to ask? Look at the time! You have zero professional etiquette!" I really didn't get it. What time was it? Why did he post the list at this hour? I was going to swallow my pride and play nice to smooth things over. But then, he blocked me. My anger flared up. In a flash of realization, it hit me— "Chloe, why did you spam three emojis right after the list was posted?" 02 The air in the room froze for a second. "Aria, what are you trying to say?" "Are you implying that you not being on the list is because of my three emojis?" "Why did I do it? I was trying to be considerate! I was afraid you'd be heartbroken, so I tried to push the message out of sight." "You're biting the hand that feeds you!" The more she spoke, the more "hurt" she became, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. "Chloe, don't cry. Don't let her get to you." The dorm RA frantically handed Chloe tissues. The other two roommates also jumped to her defense. "Aria, I can't believe you're such a bitch. Taking out your failure on someone else." "Exactly! Chloe even said she was going to share her champagne with you to spread the good luck." "I don't think you should drink it anyway. Bad vibes." They teamed up, rolling their eyes at me. If this wasn't a modern, science-based society, I'd seriously suspect they were possessed. Normally, we all got along great. Before every finals week, I tutored them for free. Except for Chloe, who was truly hopeless, the others barely managed to pass because of me. They always thanked me profusely: "Aria, thank god for you! You're an absolute angel!" I didn't expect that after three years of being an "angel," I'd suddenly become a "bitch." I replayed my tone from earlier in my head. It was calm, not emotional at all. Besides, I was positive the image hadn't been in the chat for more than two seconds before her emojis pushed it up. Chloe was lying. She couldn't have opened the image, read the list, and reacted that fast. She knew the results beforehand! I clenched my fists in anger. The RA stood up and yelled at me: "Aria, you're definitely in the wrong here." "But we're all sisters. If you apologize to Chloe, she'll forgive you." I found it laughable. What kind of "sisters" were these? They were clearly taking her side. I couldn't be bothered to argue further and pulled the covers over my head to sleep. But it wasn't over. The advisor called me five times in a row, screaming the second I picked up: "Who do you think you are? How dare you bully a classmate?" "Sometimes, grades really don't reflect a person's character." "I'm warning you! If you don't apologize to Chloe, don't even think about graduating!" He had a lot of nerve! I glanced at Chloe, who was still putting on a tearful act. Why was the advisor protecting her so fiercely? 03 The next day, I went to the career services office and got the contact info for the Horizon Tech representative. He remembered me and enthusiastically asked if I was ready to sign the internship offer letter. I was confused. I opened the group chat image and stared at it. It didn't look Photoshopped. I hit record on my phone and asked him, "Mr. Smith, I was accepted by your company, right?" His voice rose with excitement. "Aria, you were the very first candidate we decided to accept." I knew there was something shady going on! I immediately contacted my academic counselor. The counselor promised to investigate but stalled me for three days. During those three days, the advisor didn't post anything in the group chat. But the other students had already quietly signed their offer letters. I was furious and stormed into the counselor's office. She looked sympathetic and handed me a bottle of water. "You can't really blame Mr. Davis for this. The company only wanted to hire 8 people, but because there were so many outstanding candidates, they accepted one extra. So when Mr. Davis took the screenshot, he just cropped it wrong." Seeing I didn't move, she shoved the water into my hand. "Don't worry. A student as excellent as you will do just as well at any other company." "It's just an internship. Does it really matter where you go?" "The ultimate goal is graduation, right?" This was getting ridiculous. "Counselor, there were 9 names on that list. You expect me to believe he accidentally cropped out the very first one?" She patted my shoulder, continuing to gaslight me. "The company has already finalized the process. You need to let it go. Besides, causing a scene won't do you any good. A major company like Horizon Tech usually only recruits from Ivy League or top-tier universities. This is their first time partnering with a state school like ours. If word gets out that there was a mistake on the acceptance list, it'll ruin the school's reputation." I refused to back down: "I was supposed to be notified to sign the offer letter days ago! He clearly did it on purpose!" Seeing she couldn't fool me, her face hardened. "Aria, why are you being so difficult?" "Even if you take this to the Dean or the President, the administration will prioritize the university's interests." "The best way to resolve this is to say Mr. Davis cropped the image incorrectly, and that you voluntarily declined the offer." She shifted the blame onto me and threatened: "Don't say I didn't warn you. If you tarnish the university's reputation, you won't be graduating." Graduation, graduation, always threatening me with graduation. I was burning with rage. Why was everyone against me? 04 When I got back to the dorm, my roommates were happily packing their bags. "Oh my god, this is great. We can apply for early departure in a few days." Seeing me return, Chloe cleared her throat very dramatically. "Girls, let's keep our excitement to ourselves so we don't upset the jealous monster and have her snap at everyone." "I heard that if we perform well during the internship at Horizon Tech, we might get full-time offers." "It's normal for some people to be jealous of us." She was saying it specifically for me to hear. And I gave her the reaction she wanted. "Chloe, how do you have the nerve to show off?" As far as I knew, Horizon Tech had a cutthroat corporate culture. "With your grades? Barely passing makeup exams after begging the professors? Are you sure you can survive at Horizon Tech?" Maybe because I was usually so easygoing and rarely argued, Chloe wasn't expecting such a strong reaction. She froze for a second, then lashed out in embarrassment and anger. "Aria, stop bringing up grades every time you open your mouth." "Whether I survive or not, at least I got in." "And you? You don't even have an internship. What right do you have to put me down?" "So what if you have good grades? So what if your resume is perfect? It was all for nothing! I hate your arrogant 'I have good grades so I'm better than everyone' attitude!" I didn't know she resented me that much. But back when I stayed up late designing that perfect resume, they all praised it and practically stole it to use as a template. They even had me review and edit theirs. I remembered Chloe putting a lot of false information on hers. I warned her then that getting caught lying wouldn't be worth it. She brushed it off, saying she was just "embellishing." But Horizon Tech's HR department wasn't stupid. How could they not see through her cheap tricks? Unless Horizon Tech was in on it too? Then I really was going to have to "snap at everyone." "Chloe, since I'm such a 'jealous monster,' I'm going to report you to Horizon Tech right now for resume fraud." Chloe didn't seem scared. She smirked at me smugly. "I always knew you were a snake." "Do you know why Horizon Tech came to our school to recruit this year?" "Because of me. I'm the reason there are 8 spots." She paused. "If I don't go, I can't guarantee those other spots will still be there." That bombshell shocked my previously silent roommates into attacking me. "Aria, we've been friends for years. Why are you doing something so vindictive that ruins things for everyone?" "If you dare ruin this for us, I swear I'll curse you to get struck by lightning." It wasn't even raining. I grabbed the door handle to leave. My arm was yanked back by the RA, who gritted her teeth. "Aria, let it go. I can get you a job soldering circuit boards at my uncle's factory, okay?" She acted like she was making a huge concession. "That factory pays really well." I felt sick to my stomach. "Go work there yourself." 05 Hearing that the 8 Horizon Tech internship spots were at risk, the advisor rushed over. "There's another good company coming to recruit soon. I'll give you a strong recommendation." His expression was like he was bestowing a massive favor upon me. The counselor, who must have heard the rumors, also called me. "Aria, doing this is unfair to the other students who earned their spots." "You need to understand, this is how the real world works. Connections matter everywhere." "You can't just think about your own interests. You have to look at the big picture." Fairness? The big picture? They really thought they could walk all over me. I contacted Mr. Smith and reported Chloe for resume fraud. But Chloe didn't seem worried at all. Not only was she partying every day, but she also completed her early departure paperwork right on schedule. On the day they were leaving campus, Mr. Smith finally replied. He said the documents had been verified and there were no issues. I found that strange. "Her fake credentials passed the initial screening?" This time, Mr. Smith didn't reply. What was even more interesting was that in the internship group chat, the advisor stopped being sneaky about Horizon Tech info. He made a very public announcement tagging everyone: "Notice: The eight students accepted by Horizon Tech, please gather at the school gates today at 2:00 PM. The company will send a private shuttle to pick you up." Chloe replied "Received" instantly. Then she DM'd me to gloat. "How does it feel? Have you accepted defeat?" "If you get on your knees and beg me, maybe I'll consider bringing you along." Ha, does she think her family owns Horizon Tech? I ignored her and headed straight for the university's disciplinary committee. They seemed to be expecting me and deliberately stalled, much like the counselor had. Taking my statement alone took two hours. It didn't matter. I pressed the button on the voice recorder in my pocket. I was going to take down this whole nest of rats. Walking out of the disciplinary office, I instinctively checked my phone. Chloe had posted a Snapchat story and specifically tagged me. "Just finished washing the balcony, and this crazy wind blew all my hard work away. So tragic." The attached photo showed a floor covered in clothes, pants, and underwear, soaking in a puddle of muddy water. Coincidentally, they were all mine. Immediately following that, Chloe messaged the dorm group chat. "We've been roommates for years, so I helped you put the clothes back on your bed." Wow. She didn't even spare my bed. She had been holding this in for days just for this moment, right? I rushed back to the dorm. There wasn't a soul in sight. I furiously took photos of the disaster on my bed, posted them on my story, and tagged a bunch of people. "What should you do when you're bullied by roommates?" Not long after the post went up, the advisor called, demanding I delete it. "What are you trying to do? How does smearing the university benefit you?" "Aria, I'm officially notifying you: given your recent behavior, the university will not recommend you to any recruiting companies. You're on your own for an internship." Through the phone, besides the advisor's vicious threats, I could also hear Chloe's gloating laughter: "Acting so arrogant with zero backing. Truly stupid." "A nerd who only knows how to study. Do you really think you can find an internship on your own?" "My advice for her: if you're incompetent, just go work an assembly line at a factory." They seemed really obsessed with forcing me to work in a factory. I didn't have any other special skills, so I had to humbly contact my dad: "I didn't get accepted into our subsidiary."