I Have Nothing, But I Found Another World

Chapter 1

The restaurant was almost empty.

It was already late, and most of the customers had gone home. The waiters were cleaning the tables while I was taking out the last bag of garbage.

I looked at the clock.

I was exhausted.

But I still had another shift after this.

I worked three jobs just to keep things going.

During the day, I went to college. Whenever I had free time, I worked as a tutor. At night, I worked at a convenience store.

And this restaurant job?

This was the one that paid the most.

That's why I couldn't afford to lose it.

I was about to carry the last bag outside when the manager called me.

"Grey."

I stopped and turned around.

"Yes, Boss?"

He walked toward me with a serious look on his face.

"You're fired."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"Today is your last day. Don't come back tomorrow."

For a moment, I thought he was joking.

"Boss... what did I do?"

"You don't need to know."

"But I work hard. I never come late. I always finish my work."

"I said you're fired."

I tried to control my voice.

"Please, Boss. I need this job."

He looked at me like my words meant nothing.

"That's not my problem. Take your last paycheck and get out."

I clenched my fists.

I wanted to argue.

I wanted to ask him what I had done wrong.

But what could I do?

He was the manager.

I was just a part-time cleaner.

I took the envelope he handed me.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

I turned around and walked away.

I was angry.

Deep down, I was furious.

But I couldn't afford to waste time being angry.

I had another shift to catch.

I checked my phone.

**10:38 PM.**

"Damn."

My shift at the convenience store started at eleven.

I quickly walked toward the exit.

Then I heard someone laughing.

"Hahaha!"

I stopped.

I knew that voice.

I turned around.

Billy.

He was standing near the entrance with Samantha beside him.

My ex-girlfriend.

She was holding his hand.

Billy looked at the envelope in my hand and immediately smiled.

"Oh, Grey."

He walked closer.

"What happened?"

His eyes moved toward the manager.

"Did you just lose your job?"

He laughed.

"Hahaha! By the way, you should know that my uncle is the manager here."

My jaw tightened.

"You..."

My hands curled into fists.

For one second, I seriously wanted to punch him.

This guy.

It seemed like stealing my girlfriend wasn't enough for him.

Now he was enjoying watching me lose my job.

I looked at Samantha, who beside him.

For two years, she had been my girlfriend.

She wasn't always like this.

She used to be simple.

She didn't care about expensive things.

She didn't care about fancy restaurants or branded clothes.

But after she started hanging around with her rich classmates, everything changed.

She became obsessed with money and status.

She started looking down on me because I couldn't give her the things she wanted.

She would insult my clothes.

She would complain about the places I took her.

Sometimes, she even embarrassed me in front of her friends.

And in the end, she cheated on me with Billy.

Even after she was the one who betrayed me, she acted like I was the problem.

I looked at her now.

Maybe some part of me was still hoping to see regret in her eyes.

There was none.

Instead, she just smirked.

Billy smirked.

"So, what will you do now?"

He glanced at my uniform.

"Going to your next shift?"

He laughed.

"What a poor bastard."

Samantha laughed.

I felt my blood boil.

But I took a deep breath.

I didn't have time for them.

I had a job to get to.

I turned around and walked out.

Behind me, I could still hear Billy laughing.

I ignored him.

I checked my phone again.

10:44 PM.

Sixteen minutes.

I started walking faster.

I still had my convenience store shift.

After that, I had to go home, sleep for a few hours, and wake up for college.

Tomorrow, I would also have a tutoring session after class.

Losing the restaurant job meant less money for my family.

Less money for tuition.

Less money for food.

But I couldn't stop.

My family was counting on me.

My name is Grey Anderson.

I'm from Willow Creek Village, a small village far from the city.

Not many people from our village get the chance to study in the city. For most families there, sending a child to college is already a big dream.

That's why when I was accepted into college, everyone was proud of me.

I was supposed to be the pride of our village.

At first, my family could afford to send me to college without me having to work.

My parents had a large farm back home. My father, Nelson Anderson, worked as a farmer, while my mother, Maribel, worked as a cook.

We weren't rich, but we had enough.

The farm gave us food and money. As long as the harvest was good, we could survive.

But then the famine came.

The crops started failing.

Food became more expensive, and the income from the farm became smaller and smaller.

And just when we thought things couldn't get worse, the government announced that they wanted to take the land from the farmers in our area.

They gave the people of Willow Creek one year to leave.

One year.

At first, it sounded like a long time.

But time moves faster than you think.

Now, only three months are left.

Three months before my family and everyone else in our village could be forced to leave the only place they had ever called home.

That's why I couldn't just focus on school anymore.

I needed money.

A lot of it, so that I could bring my family in the city and Rent an family apartment.

I took whatever job I could find.

Tutoring students.

Working at a convenience store.

Cleaning restaurants.

Sometimes I worked jobs that only lasted a few hours. Sometimes I worked until I could barely keep my eyes open.

I didn't care.

As long as I could earn something, I would take it.

I also have two younger siblings.

Blue and Purple.

They're twins and both are still in high school.

My parents never asked me for money.

They never complained about not having enough.

Whenever I called home, they would always say they were fine.

"Don't worry about us."

"Focus on your studies."

"We can manage."

I knew them well enough to know when they were lying.

They didn't want me to worry.

So I stopped waiting for them to ask.

I simply sent whatever money I could.

Sometimes, I wondered if they even knew how many jobs I had.

Probably not.

I didn't tell them.

I didn't want them worrying about me either.

Besides, I was already in my final year of college.

Next month, I would start my internship.

I was finally getting close to finishing the life I had worked so hard for.

But now, everything felt uncertain.

Even if I graduated and found a good job, would it be enough?

What would happen to my family when the three months were over?

Where would we go?

What would happen to our farm?

What would happen to Willow Creek?

I didn't have the answers.

All I knew was that I couldn't give up.

I had too many people depending on me.

My parents.

Blue.

Purple.

And the home we had spent our whole lives building.

I looked at the last paycheck in my hand.

It was less money than I had hoped for.

I sighed.

"One less job."

I put the envelope inside my bag and started walking toward the convenience store.

My shift was about to start.

********

It was already four in the morning when I finally returned to the dorm.

I slowly opened the door, trying my best not to make any noise.

The dorm was quiet.

Jericho and Lyjohn were already asleep.

I carefully closed the door and took off my shoes.

I didn't even bother changing my clothes.

I was too tired.

I walked straight to my bed and collapsed onto it.

I wanted to take a shower, but my body refused to cooperate.

Just five minutes, I told myself.

I closed my eyes.

And that was it.

I fell asleep almost immediately.

---

**Beep! Beep! Beep!**

My alarm woke me up.

I reached for my phone and turned it off.

**8:00 a.m.**

"Shit..."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

My body felt heavy.

I barely got four hours of sleep.

I looked around the room.

Jericho was already awake.

He was sitting at the small table near the window, eating his own breakfast.

Jericho was one of my closest friends.

He wasn't rich, but his family was doing okay. They were middle class, and unlike me, he didn't have to worry about working several jobs just to stay in school.

He was also pretty good-looking.

Actually, most girls on campus thought he was handsome.

But between the three of us?

I was still the best-looking one.

At least, that's what Jericho always complained about.

"Good morning, dude."

Jericho looked at me and held up a plastic bag.

"I bought you breakfast."

I looked at the food.

"You don't have to do that, dude."

He rolled his eyes.

"What? It's just breakfast. I had extra anyway."

He placed it on the table.

"Don't act like we're not friends."

I smiled.

"Thanks."

I sat down and opened the food.

The smell immediately woke me up.

I hadn't eaten much last night, so I started eating without wasting time.

As I ate, Jericho looked at me.

"You look like shit."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious."

Before I could answer, someone groaned from the other bed.

"Why are you two so damn loud?"

That was Lyjohn.

He slowly sat up, his hair completely messy.

Lyjohn was the opposite of Jericho.

He was the funny one.

He loved gaming, parties, and basically anything that involved having fun.

His family was rich enough that he didn't have to worry much about money, but they weren't the kind of rich people who owned half the city.

Still, compared to me, Lyjohn lived a very comfortable life.

He had the latest phone, expensive gaming equipment, and somehow always had money for food and parties.

He looked at me.

"Wait."

He suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you look like you fought a war?"

Jericho laughed.

"That's what I told him."

I continued eating.

"I had a long night."

Lyjohn sat up properly.

"Speaking of long nights..."

He grabbed his phone.

"Dude, how's the situation with Samantha?"

I stopped eating for a second.

"What about her?"

Lyjohn looked at me like I was living under a rock.

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

He turned his phone toward me.

"The whole campus is talking about it."

I looked at the screen.

There were already posts and messages about Samantha and Billy.

I sighed.

"So it's already all over campus?"

"Yep."

Jericho shook his head.

"Those two really have no shame."

I continued eating.

Lyjohn looked at me.

"So... what happened?"

I took another bite.

"Last night?"

"Yeah."

I nodded.

"The restaurant fired me."

Both of them stopped.

"What?"

I swallowed my food.

I continued telling them what happened.

Then I told them about Billy.

The moment I mentioned his name, Jericho's expression changed.

"Wait. Billy was there?"

"Yeah."

"And Samantha?"

I nodded.

"They were together."

Lyjohn groaned.

"That bastard."

I continued eating while telling them everything.

I told them billy's uncle is the restaurant manager.

How Samantha just stood there beside him.

And how they both acted like they were enjoying what happened to me.

Jericho slammed his hand on the table.

"I swear, I'm going to find that guy."

Lyjohn immediately nodded.

"Count me in."

I laughed.

"You two are crazy."

"I'm serious!" Jericho said.

"What's his dorm?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"So we can talk."

"Your version of talking usually ends with someone getting punched."

Lyjohn laughed.

"He's got a point."

I shook my head.

"Forget it. I don't want trouble."

Jericho looked annoyed.

"But he keeps messing with you."

"I know."

"But you're just going to let him?"

I shrugged.

"What can I do?"

I looked down at my food.

"I have more important things to worry about."

My family.

Our farm.

The deadline.

My tuition.

My internship.

Everything.

I finished my breakfast and stood up.

"Anyway, thanks for the food."

"No problem."

I grabbed my towel and headed toward the bathroom.

I needed a shower badly.

I still smelled like garbage from last night's shift.

After a quick shower, I changed into clean clothes and returned to the room.

I checked the time.

**8:42 a.m.**

"s**t!"

I grabbed my bag.

"My class starts at nine."

"Just hurry."

I put my notebook and drawing materials into my bag.

Being an Architectural Engineering student wasn't easy.

The course wasn't only about drawing beautiful buildings. We also had to understand how buildings were actually built and how different systems worked together—structures, materials, electrical systems, plumbing, ventilation, safety, and construction.

And the projects weren't cheap.

Drawing materials alone could cost a lot.

Then there were models, printing, plates, equipment, and other school expenses.

My scholarship covered most of my tuition, but not everything.

That's why I still needed to work.

Especially now that I was in my final year.

Next month, I would begin my internship.

I should have been excited.

Instead, I was thinking about money.

I had to finish school.

I had to help my family.

And I had only three months left before my village could be forced to leave.

I put my bag over my shoulder.

"I'm going."

"Good luck," Jericho said.

"Don't fall asleep in class," Lyjohn added.

I gave him the middle finger.

He laughed.

I walked out of the dorm.

my classroom wasn't far.

I just had to cross a few buildings.