Chapter 8

I didn’t expect the truth to hit me like that.

The moment I said his name, the air in the room changed. Ava and Sophie exchanged a look, one of those looks people give when they’re not sure whether to laugh or ask if you’re serious.

“You mean… that Odell Johnson?” Sophie asked carefully.

My stomach tightened. “What do you mean, that Odell Johnson?”

Ava leaned against the desk, arms folded. “Nicole,” she said slowly, “Odell Johnson isn’t just a student here.”

Sophie let out a quiet breath. “He’s one of the biggest names on campus.”

They started talking over each other.

“He’s rich-rich.”

“Like old money, powerful family.”

“Everyone knows him.”

“Everyone watches him.”

I stood there, barely breathing.

Ava continued, “He’s insanely handsome, for starters. Tall, built, always dressed as if he stepped out of a magazine. Professors respect him. Students worship him. People move when he walks.”

“And the rumors,” Sophie added. “There’s always something. Power. Influence. Connections. If Odell wants something, it happens.”

My head spun.

This wasn’t the Odell I knew, This wasn’t the boy who used to sit beside me and share snacks, This wasn’t my Odell.

“And,” Ava said, almost casually, “he’s dating Isabella.”

The name landed like a slap.

“Dating… who?” I asked.

“Isabella Moreau,” Sophie said. “One of the richest girls here. Gorgeous. Perfect. Elite. They’re the definition of a power couple.”

My chest tightened painfully.

Odell… is dating someone?

Questions crashed into me all at once.

Is that why he was distant? Is that why he barely spoke to me? Was it guilt? Embarrassment?

“I—are you sure?” I asked, my voice barely steady. “Like… really sure?”

Ava pulled out her phone. “Here.”

She scrolled once and turned the screen toward me.

The picture stared back at me.

Odell.

His arm was around a stunning girl with flawless skin and designer sunglasses. They looked effortless together. Untouchable.

“That’s him,” I whispered.

Ava’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait. You know him for real?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

Sophie frowned. “How?”

I hesitated, then said quietly, “Our families are close. We grew up together. His mum helped me get here.”

Ava stared at me as I’d just confessed to royalty.

“Do you know how crazy that sounds?” she said. “I’m rich, and I can’t even talk to him. And you’re here, a scholarship student, saying he’s your childhood friend?”

I felt exposed.

“If that rumor spreads,” Ava continued, “you’d be… a whole different story on this campus.”

My heart jumped.

“I don’t want that,” I said quickly. “Please. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t like attention. I just want to settle in.”

Ava nodded slowly. “Okay. We’ll keep it between us.”

Relief washed over me but it didn’t last long because my thoughts were already racing ahead.

If Odell were this powerful… this untouchable… then seeing him again wouldn’t be simple.

Still, my heart refused to listen to logic.

“I need to tell him I’m here,” I said softly. “I need to see him.”

Ava hesitated. “That won’t be easy.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t stay on campus,” she explained. “He lives in Valley Hill Lodge.”

My breath caught.

“That place?” I asked. Even I had heard of it, a private estate, heavy security, luxury beyond imagination.

“Exactly,” Sophie said. “You can’t just walk in.”

Hope flickered and then Ava smiled. “But,” she added, “he’s throwing a party.”

My heart leapt.

“A big one,” Sophie said. “Like… the kind people talk about all semester.”

Ava shrugged. “I’m invited, obviously and I’m bringing my girlfriend.” She paused, then looked at me. “I could sneak you in.”

I stared at her. “Really?”

“I’m sure if he sees you,” she said, “everything will work out.”

My pulse raced.

“Thank you,” I breathed. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Inside, something dangerous stirred.

Odell Johnson, the king of campus and my childhood crush.

And now… I was about to walk straight into his world.

………..

I finally settled into the room after everything quieted down.

I unpacked slowly, arranging my clothes, lining my books on the desk, smoothing the sheets like I was trying to convince myself this was real. The room was beautiful, bright, neat, and calm. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, warming the space, and for the first time since I arrived, I felt… okay.

I had a good roommate.

That mattered more than I thought it would.

Later, Sophie insisted on showing me around campus. And nothing, absolutely nothing, had prepared me for what I saw.

The place was unreal.

Manicured lawns that looked fake. A varsity pool that shimmered like something out of a luxury resort. Private lounges, cafés, and study halls that felt more like hotels. We passed a massive university stadium with a full track, tennis courts, and seating that stretched farther than my eyes could follow.

“This is a school?” I whispered, shaking my head.

Sophie laughed. “Welcome to rich-people education.”

I was amazed, overwhelmed, and a little scared.

But through all of it, my thoughts kept drifting back to one thing.

Tonight.

As evening crept in, the energy on campus shifted. Music echoed faintly from somewhere far away. Students moved differently now, more confident, more dressed up, more alive.

“The party’s tonight,” Sophie said, opening the wardrobe.

“I know,” I replied, suddenly nervous.

She turned around and burst out laughing.

I frowned. “What?”

“You cannot be serious,” she said, staring at the simple dress I’d laid out. “You’re going to see your childhood friend, the most powerful boy on campus and this is what you’re wearing?”

I looked down, embarrassed. “I didn’t know what else to—”

“No.” She cut me off. “Absolutely not.”

She snatched the dress from my hands and tossed it aside. “If you’re walking into Valley Hill Lodge, you need to look hot enough to make him forget how to breathe.”

She pulled out a gown, sleek, fitted, dangerously beautiful.

“Wear this.”

I hesitated. “Sophie, I can’t—”

“Trust me.”

She did my hair, fixed my makeup, her movements confident and gentle. She lined my eyes softly, brushed color onto my lips, and stepped back.

“Go look.”

I turned to the mirror and froze.

The girl staring back at me didn’t look like someone who begged for acceptance.

She looked confident, beautiful, and sexy.

My breath caught.

“Is that really me?” I whispered.

Sophie smiled. “That’s you. And honestly? He’s not ready.”

My heart started racing.

Tonight, I was finally going to see Odell again.

Not as the girl he barely spoke to, not as the forgotten childhood friend.

But as someone new.

And I couldn’t wait for him to see me.