Chapter 1 - The Broke Idiot of Riverside College
Eli Carter had been called a lot of things at Riverside Community College.
Lazy.
Stupid.
Delivery Boy.
His personal favorite was “human late fee,” which came from Trevor Cross after Eli borrowed twenty dollars and took three weeks to pay it back.
Trevor was everything Eli was not: rich, athletic, loud, and apparently powered by expensive protein powder and parental disappointment.
That morning, Professor Bell returned midterm exams.
“Mr. Carter,” she said, placing his paper face-down. “Thirty-eight percent.”
Trevor leaned across the aisle. “Bro, you guessed and somehow offended mathematics.”
The room laughed.
Eli smiled because smiling was cheaper than therapy.
After class, Trevor stopped him in the quad.
“You scratched my car last night.”
“I delivered noodles last night.”
“My camera caught your backpack.”
“So did forty thousand other people in America.”
Trevor stepped closer.
“Apologize.”
“I didn’t do it.”
“Then tomorrow I’ll teach you manners.”
Eli walked away before the situation became medically expensive.
He spent the evening delivering food until a final order took him to a dead shopping plaza at 11:47 p.m.
No customer.
No tip.
Just a cracked jade coin on a broken vending machine.
The second he picked it up, his phone vibrated.
[UNKNOWN APPLICATION INSTALLED]
Eli frowned.
“I cannot afford spyware.”
The screen turned black.
Then white text appeared.
[WELCOME, HOST.]
[CURRENT STATUS: BROKE. WEAK. ACADEMICALLY CONCERNING.]
Eli stared at it.
“Okay. Rude.”
A new notification appeared.
[TOMORROW, 10:13 A.M.: HOST WILL BE PUBLICLY HUMILIATED.]
May you like
[QUEST: REVERSE IT.]
