Chapter 7

This time, I traveled alone.

No first-class seats. No quiet luxury. No Odell’s mum arranging everything down to the last detail.

Just me.

I booked my flight myself, economy class, squeezed between strangers, my bag tucked under my feet. The hum of the plane was loud and ordinary, nothing like the soft elegance of my first journey here. Still, my heart beat fast the entire time.

I was finally coming back.

When I landed, I took a taxi straight from the airport to the university. As the gates came into view, my breath caught.

The campus was enormous.

Not just big, intimidatingly vast. Tall glass buildings reflected the sky, white stone structures stood as monuments, and wide walkways stretched endlessly in different directions. Everything looked expensive, deliberate, elite. This wasn’t just a school. It was a world built for people who had always belonged.

I clutched my bag tighter.

Odell’s mum had told me I could ask Odell to show me around once I arrived. That thought was the only thing keeping me steady.

I’ll see him today, I told myself, I’ll finally see him properly.

As I walked deeper into campus, I noticed a line of cars parked in front of a massive glass building.

A matte-black G-Wagon, a silver Bentley, a sleek white Porsche, a deep blue Range Rover.

My steps slowed.

These are students’ cars?

The pressure settled heavily on my chest. This place wasn’t just elite, it was unapologetically wealthy. And yet, despite everything around me, my thoughts were fixed on only one thing.

Odell.

I barely noticed the group of students standing a few steps ahead of me, three girls and one boy, until their voices drifted my way.

“Wait… look,” one of the girls murmured.

“She’s new.”

“She’s so pretty.”

Another voice laughed softly. “Should I go talk to her? Who knows, she might be old money. Connections are important these days.”

They stepped toward me, smiling brightly.

“Hi,” one of them said. “Are you lost?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I’m trying to find my room.”

“Which block?” the same girl asked sweetly.

I handed her my room card.

She glanced at it once, then immediately dropped it.

She wiped her hands with a handkerchief, her face twisting in disgust.

I blinked, confused. Slowly, I bent down, picked up my card, and brushed the dust off.

“What was that?” I asked quietly.

The girl laughed. “Oh my God. It’s a poorvert.”

“Excuse me?” I said.

“You know,” she continued casually, “poor people… pervert… poorvert. Scholarship students.” She looked me up and down. “That’s you.”

My stomach dropped.

“You people should be grateful,” she went on. “This school is basically doing charity for you. At least have the sense to behave yourself.”

She pointed down the road. “Just keep walking. Down. That’s where your block is. Down suits your place in the chain anyway.”

The others laughed.

“If you’re poor, why not attend poor people’s schools?” another girl added. “Must you always try to live like the rich? It’s embarrassing.”

They turned and walked away, still laughing, leaving me frozen in place.

I didn’t even know when the tears started.

My vision blurred, my chest tight, my hands shaking. I stood there, surrounded by beauty and money and cruelty, wondering how quickly a dream could turn into humiliation.

Then someone stepped in front of me.

A handkerchief appeared in my view.

“For your tears,” a soft voice said.

I looked up.

She was pretty, naturally so, with calm eyes, and a kind expression.

“Thank you,” I whispered, wiping my face.

“I’m Ava,” she said. “What’s your name?”

“N—Nicole.”

“Well, Nicole,” Ava smiled gently, “why is a pretty girl like you crying on her first day?”

I tried to explain between broken words. She listened without interrupting, her expression tightening with every sentence.

“I’m really sorry,” she said when I finished. “Some students here are just… horrible. Come. I’ll take you to your block.”

As we walked, I asked quietly, “Are you a scholarship student too?”

She shook her head. “No. I paid. But don’t worry, I’m not like those bitches. Not everyone here is like that.”

I smiled weakly. “Thank you.”

When we got closer to the building, she glanced at my card. “You’re… in Block C, room 41.?”

I smiled. “Yeah.

She laughed. “What a coincidence, same block as my girlfriend.”

I stopped walking. “Your… girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” she said casually. “Looks like you’ll be meeting her.”

We reached the door. Ava knocked.

A stunning girl opened it, beautiful, confident and glowing.

“Ava!” she smiled. “You’re already here? And who’s this? Don’t tell me you’re here to break up with me and introduce your new girlfriend!”

“Relax,” Ava laughed. “She’s not my new girlfriend. She’s your new roommate. She ran into some of those rude rich bitches”

The girl turned to me. “Hi, I’m Sophie.”

“I’m Nicole.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sophie said warmly. “And I’m sorry about whatever nonsense happened outside. Some rich girls here are just… awful. Not Ava thou, she is the best”

Ava grinned. “You’re lucky I’m your girlfriend.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “True.”

I smiled, feeling lighter for the first time that day.

“Well,” I said softly, “I know not everyone is like that. Especially my Odell.”

Silence.

“Wait,” Ava said slowly. “You know someone here?”

“Yes. His name is Odell.”

Sophie’s eyes widened. “Odell… what?”

“Odell Johnson,” I said.

Both of them froze.

Then Ava laughed sharply. “Shut up.”

“What?” I frowned.

“There is no way,” Ava said, staring at me. “Do you even know who Odell Johnson is?”

My heart skipped.

“He’s… my childhood friend,” I said.

Ava’s smile vanished.

“No,” she whispered. “You’re lying.”