Chapter 6

"You guys are really loyal to Joshua." I felt a mix of admiration and confusion. Sure, Joshua had money, but was that really enough to make them fawn over him like this? Unable to make sense of it, I went online to search for some answers. "Is it common for college students to be so superficial?" One of the top replies, with over 30 thousand likes, said, "Yes, it's pretty common. For one, smart people started building networks for future jobs. And second, those who get into good universities usually have high ambitions, so it's natural for them to gravitate towards the powerful." I scoffed at that reasoning. Building connections and following the strong? That's what led me to use my allowance to start a foundation to support students in need. Just as I was thinking about this, Mike called me. "Mr. White, there's something I need to report. One of the students we've been supporting for the past six years has been diagnosed with leukemia. She's currently receiving treatment at the Welsington Hospital." I frowned. "Who is it?" "A girl named Jane. She's just started her senior year of high school. Her dream is to get into your university so she can personally thank you for your help. I could tell from Mike's tone that he had a good impression on Jane, and he probably hoped I'd step in to help. "How much does the surgery costs?" I asked immediately. "The surgery alone will be around three hundred thousand dollars, but with other expenses, it could go up to four hundred thousand dollars." I had that amount saved, so I replied without hesitation, "I'll visit the hospital tomorrow and personally cover the surgery. There's no need to go through the foundation for this." "Yes, sir. I'll send you the address and room number." After hanging up, I read through Jane's file and sighed. Both of her parents had passed away, and she had been raised by her grandmother, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness when Jane was 13. Now, at 18, Jane had been struck by leukemia. Why did misfortune always seem to find the same people? Just as I was lost in thought, the door to the dorm flew open, and Joshua stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. I stood up immediately and glared at him. "Joshua, who gave you the permission to wear my shoes?" Zack and Louis, who had already climbed into bed, sat up in shock, staring at Joshua at disbelief. Joshua, still reeking of alcohol, lazily kicked off my shoes and tossed them at me. "It's just a pair of shoes. What's your problem? They're knock-offs anyway! I only wore them because I noticed my shoes weren't clean when I left. You should be thankful that I even bothered to wear them." Zack heaved a sigh of relief and quickly jumped in to defend Joshua. "Yeah, exactly! You should be grateful. Honestly, you should thank Joshua. Your shoes were knock-offs, but now that he's worn them, they've got some value!" I couldn't help but laugh at how shameless Zack had become—a complete sycophant at Joshua's feet. I decided I wasn't going to tolerate Joshua any longer. Grabbing him by the collar, I demanded, "Apologize! And pay for my shoes. I don't want them back after you've worn them." Joshua, clearly drunk, swayed but couldn't break free. He grumbled, "Let go of me!" Louis jumped down from his bed and glared at me fiercely. "William, you'd better let him go. We don't want to have hurt you." Ignoring them both, I looked directly at Joshua. "Wearing my shoes without permission is stealing. These shoes are worth 3800 dollars, and it is enough to file a police report. I don't mind calling the police and reporting it to the school. Let's see how the authorities handle this." The mention of the police sobered Joshua up a little. He quickly shrugged off his jacket and broke free from my grip. "Fine! I wore your shoes, okay? I'll pay you. 3800 dollars, right? I'll send it to you now." Joshua pulled out his phone and started transferring the money. Zack was visibly upset and tried to protest. "Joshua, don't listen to him! He's trying to rip you off. Those shoes aren't even worth a hundred dollars." But before Zack could finish, Joshua interrupted him, "I'm short on cash. Please transfer six hundred dollars to me." Zack was caught off guard and became speechless. Zack laughed awkwardly and said, "Joshua, you still owe me a thousand dollars from last time." Joshua grew impatient. "Please be patient. I'll pay you back next week. Just transfer it to me. You've never complained when I treated you to food and drinks before. Now that my credit card has been frozen, you're going to ignore me? From today onward, please don't say that you are my friends!" "Alright, alright. I'll send it. But I'm down to my last thousand dollars for the month, so after I transfer this, I'm broke," Zack said. "Yeah, yeah, I got it," Joshua replied. After receiving Zack's transfer, Joshua kept his word and sent me the full 3800 dollars. I couldn't help but shake my head. Joshua was broke but still putting on a show. I would never understand his way of thinking. Louis snorted disdainfully. "If I were Joshua, I'd teach you a lesson." Joshua burped and said, "William isn't worth my time for it." Louis nodded in agreement. "Exactly." He then picked up the shoes from the floor and threw them off the balcony without hesitation. "There, problem solved. I tossed those knock-offs for you, Joshua!" Joshua instinctively raised his hand to stop him, but it was too late. He just stood there, staring blankly at Louis, as he was too stunned to say a word. Louis, however, looked pleased with himself, thinking he'd done Joshua a favor. I almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous they were. "Hey, Joshua, there's a new game out that's really fun. Have you played it yet?" Louis asked. "I don't have time for that. I'm going to sleep." Joshua yawned. As he drifted off, Louis turned to Zack to play the game instead, blasting the music on speaker. Despite the noise, I didn't care. I got into bed and fell asleep. The following day was Saturday, and I had no class. I got up early, bought some flowers and fruit, and headed to the hospital. When I walked into the ward, Jane, who was lying in the bed, immediately sat up. Her hair had been shaved off, and she looked a bit bloated, likely from the medication. "Are you William?" Jane asked, her eyes filling with tears. She quickly covered her head with her hands and grabbed a piece of clothing to hide it. "I'm sorry…" I felt a pang of sadness. There was an 18-year-old girl in the prime of her youth, now facing this terrible illness.