Chapter 5

/MAYA/

I stood on the driveway, tugging at the collar of the stiff, navy-blue blazer Jax’s people had dropped off at my apartment the night before. The urge to turn around and go back home was nearly as strong as my weariness of Jax

“Why even am I here?” I sighed. I knew beyond doubt that I would stick out like a sore thumb. I lived in the slums all my life, there was no hiding that.

Students were rolling past me in cars I'd only seen in magazines and on TVs. Yeah, I was definitely just walking right into getting picked.

“Whatever, let's just do this,” I sighed as I walked through the gates, ignoring the stares that came from all angles.

For someone who said he was keeping me around to watch me, he sure was anywhere but in sight. I looked at the registration map crumpled in my hand. I needed to find Engineering Block C, sit through my lectures, and go to the hospital to check on mom.

"Hey," a quiet voice said from behind me. "Are you lost too?"

I turned around, my hand instinctively tensing. A girl with large, round glasses and an oversized cardigan was standing there, clutching a massive stack of textbooks to her chest. 

"A little," I admitted, lowering my guard a fraction. "Just trying to find the administration hall first."

"I'm heading there now to hand in my scholarship paperwork," she said, offering a small, nervous smile. "I'm Ava. Ava Miles."

"Maya," I replied, walking alongside her as she started down the paved path.

"It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" Ava murmured, looking around at the gothic buildings. "Everyone here acts like they own the place, probably because their parents actually do."

I didn't have what to say about all this. I truly was overwhelmed but I also needed to be careful about how I talk on school grounds. I couldn't go slandering the rich when I was in their territory and didn't even know who anyone was.

As we rounded the corner into the main quad, we bumped into a group of girls i could already tell would be bad news. The one in the middle had bright blonde hair, tailored clothes that fit her perfectly, and an expression that suggested she was better than everyone else.

"Well," the blonde said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "I didn't know the university started a charity program for the local slums. Did you lose your way to the kitchen, or are you just here to deliver something?"

The girl next to her, a brunette with a heavy layer of lip gloss, giggled on cue. "Look at her shoes, Briar. I don't think I've ever seen those kinda shoes before."

Ava shrank back, her shoulder pressing against mine as she stared at the ground. I'd only heard about bullies like this from TV, guess they were actually true.

"I'm here to register," I said, my voice bored as I stepped forward, putting myself between Ava and the group. "And unless your name is on the door, you're blocking the sidewalk. Move."

The brunette, Lily, gasped. "Do you even know who you're talking to? This is Briar Hilton. Her family basically built the new library."

"Good for them. Maybe she should spend some time inside it learning some manners," I retorted. I glanced at the third girl in their group, a girl with silky black hair and a detached expression who was leaning against a stone pillar, watching us with bored, amber eyes. She didn't say a word, just raised an eyebrow like she was watching an amateur theater production.

Briar’s face flushed red under her makeup. She took a step closer, her perfume hitting me in an unpleasant way. "You think you're tough because you look like you crawled out of a dumpster? People like you don't last a week here. You're an eyesore."

"And you're loud," I said, looking her up and down. "Are we done here? Because some of us actually have to earn our place, not just buy it."

A few nearby students paused, whispering to each other as they watched the exchange. Briar looked around, realizing she was losing her audience. Her jaw tightened, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

Before she could spit out another insult, the sound of footsteps on the gravel cut through the tension. The crowd of students suddenly parted, shifting away from the main path.

A black car had just pulled up to the curb, and stepping out of the backseat was Jax Worth.

Briar’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. The anger vanished from her face, replaced by a bright smile. She smoothed down her skirt and took two steps toward him. "Jax! Oh my god, I didn't think you'd be on campus so early today. Did you see what—"

Jax didn't even look at her. He walked right past her, his shoulder brushing against Lily, who scrambled out of his way. His eyes landed on me for a while and I could hardly maintain eye contact with him and I nearly thought he'd talk to me or say something stupid but he looked away and continued walking. I wasn't surprised that he didn't acknowledge me but it still annoyed me since he was the reason I was here in the first place. Ugh! What was I saying?

“Let's go,” Briar who was burning with embarrassment said to the other two and stormed off.

Ava let out a breath she’d been holding, clutching her textbooks tighter. "Wow. That was Jax Worth. He's... exactly like the rumors say."

I stared at the closed doors where Jax had disappeared. My anger bubbling over.

“Yeah, a real jerk,” I muttered as I walked off with Ava running after me.