Episode 2

The next day, Helen was in her room that she shared with her colleagues, studying her books ahead of the pharmacy exam they had the following week.

It was past 2 pm, and yet, she had not had her bath nor eaten her breakfast since morning. Due to her plus-size figure, Helen was trying to lose weight.

She busied herself studying for her project test and practical coming up the following week.

Tasha Thompson returned from having her lunch and looked stunned to see Helen cuddled up on the bed, her books in her hands, and it was Saturday.

"Damn it, Helen! How could you not leave this room for a whole day just because we have examinations and practicals next week? Come off it?" Tasha said, as she strolled up to the bed to meet Helen. Her hands reached for the book that Helen had been studying, and she snatched it and shut it closed.

"Tasha, give me back my book. I do not want to fail this exam," Helen said, as she frowned at her best friend's behavior.

"You are a beauty with brains, Helen. Obviously, you would not fail even if you didn't study your books for a week. So get out of the bed and go and have your bath and breakfast. This is already 2 pm. I will only return your book to you after that," Tasha replied bluntly as she refused to return Helen's book to her.

Helen wore a white night dress. She grimaced and got out of the bed.

"Tasha, I am trying to lose weight, and that's why I haven't had my breakfast. The weight-loss plan is a joke on me," Helen said, as she couldn't believe that despite how much time she spent trying to lose weight, she was still plus-size.

Tasha moved closer to the bed to meet Helen. She sat down on Helen's bed as she wore a red top and black skirt. She smiled and said, "Maybe you need a boyfriend to lose weight. Think about it. Sex is the only exercise to make you burn out all these calories that you are carrying."

"Tasha!..." Helen's eyes widened in shock.

"I don't need any boyfriend, and don't tell that crap again," Helen got out of the bed as she set to go and have her bath.

"Think about it, Helen. You will thank me later," Tasha said, her lips curling up in a smile.

"Damn you!" Helen cursed as she ran out of the room and went to the girls' bathroom to have her bath. It was Saturday, and they didn't have any classes on Saturday.

However, after Helen left the room, Tasha's phone rang, and it was an incoming call from Samuel.

"Hello, Sam," Tasha said with a grin as Samuel promised her that if she helped him convince Helen to be his girlfriend, he was going to pay her a million dollars for it.

Tasha's eyes had popped out. Though she liked Helen, she could not refuse such a huge offer. Besides, she wasn't from an affluent family like Samuel.

"How's the deal going? Have you succeeded in convincing your friend?" Samuel asked, his voice calm, but Tasha rolled her eyes.

"It's not going to be easy to convince Helen," Tasha said, as she was the only one in the room.

"You know that the exam is next week, so you have to exercise patience until after we are done with the practical exams and the main exams too," Tasha said, her voice soft, and Samuel sighed.

"Mmm. I will await your result. If you don't help me out, then forget about the money." The call came to an end, and Tasha bit her lips hard.

*Why can't Samuel date me instead of Helen? What did he see in her? Is it because she is a virgin?* Tasha pondered as she gritted her teeth.

"Damn that chubby girl?" She cursed out.

*****

Meanwhile, Helen had her bath and returned to her room to dress up. She got a phone call from her mother informing her that her father had fallen sick.

"What?" Helen shuddered.

With the examination the upcoming week, Helen could not leave for her family home to see her father.

"Mom, how is Dad? Is he recuperating better?" she asked, her voice tinged with sadness.

"He is not getting better. The doctor advised that we should prepare for the worst," her mother said, and Helen wiped her tears.

She wasn't able to focus on anything. She couldn't read, and she wanted to leave for her home immediately.

If anything should happen to her father, Helen knew that her brothers would want to fight for who would take over her father's small business, and it wasn't booming anymore, like when her father was younger. With his age declining and his illness getting worse, her father's small pharmaceutical company was set for bankruptcy.

Sitting in the room as the rest of her colleagues had gone out, Helen thought about her final year. She had only a year left for her to graduate as a pharmacist in the renowned university. If she could not be able to pay up the $500,000, which was her tuition and accommodation f*e at the hostel, then how would she graduate?

As Helen's eyes were filled with tears, Tasha came back to the room and saw Helen crying.

"What's wrong, Helen? You do not look cheerful. What happened?" Tasha asked when she saw Helen's eyes filled with tears.

Picking up her handkerchief, Helen wiped her tears off and said, "It's nothing. I will be fine."

"Don't tell me that. Talk to me," Tasha said, as she sat beside Helen again on her bed. But Helen wiped off her tears.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. I will be fine," Helen replied. She didn't want to tell Tasha about her family background. Helen was not from a rich family, even as she was very brilliant. She hid her family status from her friends, as she didn't want them to mock her or laugh at her.

"It's fine. If you do not want to tell me," Tasha said, and she didn't press for Helen to tell her what the problem was. But she could see that Helen was not alright.

As that week passed by, the examination and practical week arrived.

Helen was not able to focus as she got a phone call from her mother that her father hadn't improved. In short, he suffered a stroke after losing a huge funding in a scam account.

The scammer had posed as Kington's Pharmaceutical and scammed the Roberts Pharmaceutical in their state, claiming they would supply her father with a huge new products supply. This led her father to trust the scammer, but the man had run away, and all the money was gone.

Helen couldn't focus on her exam, and the pharmacy lecturer, Mr. Theodore Ruben, noticed Helen's melancholy state. So he invited her to his office after the practical exam was over.

"Helen, what's wrong with you? I noticed that you haven't been active or looking happy since this exam week. Is anything the matter at home?" Mr. Ruben asked, as he sat on his office chair.

Helen lowered her head, not wanting to discuss about her family. It was not something she would like to discuss, but she knew that she was going to repeat her final year if anything should happen to her father.

Dressed in a blue dress, Helen lowered her head and avoided meeting Mr. Ruben's eyes as she replied, "It's nothing, sir. I am fine."

"Mmm. It's okay if you do not trust me to tell me your problem. But if it's about money, I can help you out. You are one of the most brilliant students in this university, and I do not want you to lose focus on your exam. Moreover, you got credit instead of the excellent 'A' that you used to get."

Helen couldn't say anything. Her lips trembled, but she smiled tightly and said, "I will do better next time."

"Hmm. It's fine. You can leave," Mr. Ruben dismissed Helen. He was a 32-year-old man, and he was still single, but he knew that Helen wouldn't take him seriously, even as he liked her a lot. He kept his feelings to himself and decided to wait for her to graduate. He had joined the university four years ago, when Helen was a new student.