Chapter 2: A $600 Lie

I double-checked the details and confirmed the address was correct. My heart was pounding like I’d just pulled off a prank and almost got caught.

I messaged the buyer: [Local pickup is available.]

But the buyer insisted on having it shipped by UPS, so I even paid an extra $5 to send it with free shipping.

A few days later, class president Derek Mason announced in the group that the $600 drone from the official website had arrived.

He posted a photo of himself picking up the package at the mailroom.

[Our class drone has arrived! At the next event, we can do panoramic shots.]

[Normally, the drone will be kept by me and the student council. If you need to use it, just message us in advance.]

[Everyone can borrow it, but only for one day at a time. Please return it on time.]

I stared at the photo in the group.

Wait a minute—wasn’t that the secondhand drone I just sold for $75 with free shipping?

How did it turn into a $600 flagship model in the class president’s hands? I stared at my phone, waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I was being punked.

Someone was the first to question in the group:

[You spent $600 of the student fund on a drone just for a few days of shooting?]

[Why use everyone’s money? Why can’t you and the student council buy it yourselves?]

[If you’re spending this much, shouldn’t we at least vote on it?]

Class president Derek Mason quickly replied:

[Bro, times have changed. It’s cost-effective if we use it for years. Other classes have bought one too—we can’t fall behind.]

[Split between everyone, it’s only $15 each, and everyone can borrow it. Super cost-effective.]

His reply reminded me of the start of the semester, when Derek Mason insisted on buying a printer for the instructor’s office, saying it’d be convenient for everyone. But after two weeks, the printer jammed and leaked ink everywhere, ruining all the instructor’s documents. In the end, the printer vanished, and the student fund was gone. The memory made me snort—apparently, we were all just walking ATMs for whatever tech he or Aubrey wanted.

I was happily lurking in the dorm, watching the group chat on my phone.

My roommate Caleb tagged @Class President:

[I heard the class president in the next class bought the drone with his own money.]

[Why do we have to use the student fund?]