Breaking the Facade, Becoming the School's Sweetheart

The classroom went dead silent. One could almost hear a pen drop.

The lazy look on Steven Bart's face vanished at once. His expression darkened. I jumped to my feet and tugged on Cecily Young's sleeve, then turned to him with an awkward smile.

"She's just… I'll go instead, Mr. Bart!"

The gloom on Steven's face eased a little. He pulled out his phone and exchanged numbers. "I'll text you the list."

I clenched my phone and was about to leave when Cecily suddenly grabbed my arm, her nails nearly digging into my skin. "Are you crazy? Why would you want to run errands for a spoiled rich brat like him?"

"Excuse me?" I frowned and shook her hand off, countering, "You don't want to do it? Fine. But don't stop me."

Her face flushed red before quickly turning pale. She raised her chin and snorted coldly. "I'm not spineless like you. I came here to learn, not to serve a bunch of parasites!"

Those words finally set Steven off. He took a step forward and looked down at Cecily from above, his voice cold.

"You don't like it? Get out. Do you think your tuition waiver and scholarship just fell from the sky? The so-called parasites you look down on donate enough money to the faculty every year to cover ten years of your tuition."

He pointed at her backpack, a custom version specially approved for low-income students, three times more expensive than a regular one.

"The clothes you wear, the things you use—all of them are paid for with the money you despise so much. Don't even try to act morally superior while you're here. It's too late."

Cecily's lips trembled, but her eyes stayed stubborn. She lifted her chin and argued, "I came here for the teachers. If it weren't for the good faculty, I wouldn't want to stay here! You can donate all the money you want, but you'll never stop being idiots!"

Watching her act so brazenly haughty, I finally lost my patience and snapped, "Do you have any shame at all? The college waives your tuition and provides you with financial aid, and you don't even feel grateful at all.

"Instead, you're here nitpicking and acting superior. If you get in my way again, I won't be so nice the next time."

She bit down hard on her lower lip, tears threatening to roll down her face. In the end, she held back her tears, flung my hand away, grabbed her backpack, and stomped toward the door.

As she passed Steven, she hurled one more insult. "Just being in the same classroom as people like you makes me feel dirty!"

The door slammed shut with a bang. I quickly turned to the other students with an apologetic smile. "Don't mind her. She's just not right in the head. She's got nothing to do with me, by the way."

I turned to Steven. "I'll buy your breakfast right away. I'll be quick!"

With that, I clenched my phone and ran toward the cafeteria. I couldn't let that ungrateful leech ruin the chance I had miraculously received.

…

I was the eldest daughter in my family and had a younger brother who bled me dry.

On the day I turned 18 years old, I received my first birthday present. It was an order to marry Howard Backman, a disabled man from my hometown.