The Scholarship Girl

*THE AUTHOR'S POV*The morning sun hit the screen of Elora's phone, illuminating her best friend's face via video call."You're going to be fine, Elora. It's just a new school," Maya's voice crackled from thousands of miles away. "I've always known you to be one hell of a confident girl. Why is your esteem injured this morning?"Elora adjusted the stiff, designer blazer of the Saint Jude's uniform. It felt like a costume. "It's a school for the elites, Maya. I'm not going there because I'm an elite-I'm going because I won a scholarship. You know how these rich kids behave. They bully people who aren't of the same class.""Now I'm gonna stop you there. You think you're not worthy to be a student of St. Jude simply because your parents aren't rich and influential? Girl, I don't know where all this is coming from, but you've never been one to be ashamed of where you're from or your parents' status. Your parents provide for you. Y'all are comfortable. You don't have to be elite to feel wo

The hall was massive.The kind of space that could hold the entire school and then some. Polished floors reflected the bright sunlight streaming through the tall tinted windows, and the walls were lined with banners announcing achievements, trophies glinting under the artificial lights. Yet, despite the beauty and grandeur, a chill ran through me the moment the voice came over the microphone."Settle down, everyone! Quiet the noise!"The command was sharp, almost surgical. Chairs scraped as students hurried into neat rows. Whispers, shuffling, and muffled laughter died instantly. The room went still. Every single person - students and teachers alike froze in place, as though caught by an invisible hand.I stared, blinking, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. I had expected arrogance, noise, and chaos - rich kids rarely respected anyone. But this? This was obedience born of fear, not respect. Even the teachers flanking the podium had stiff postures, their tablets clutched in fro

I picked up my iPad and began to scroll through it—going through my courses, notes, and outlines—trying so hard to ignore the figure that had just walked in, who somehow seemed to consume the entire space.Without even understanding what I was seeing on the screen, I dropped the iPad and picked up the handout I had been given at the principal’s office.I skimmed through it, and everything I saw only added to my frustration.You must adhere to all laid-down rules.You must respect other students and always remember you are barely privileged to be here.All notes, assignments, assessments, and projects must be done, submitted, graded, and given to the counselor assigned to you for review.Constant slips in your grades will cost you your scholarship.Every semester, you must achieve an aggregate of at least 90 percent. Anything less will put you on probation.You must not be involved in any social media scandal.My irritation was rising. I was tempted to shred the leaflet or better still

Belle couldn’t care less that she had been called to the principal’s office. Obviously, it had everything to do with Dina and Nelly. She sat beside me nonchalantly, barely containing her excitement at the thought of Julian making a fool of himself.Now, I'm starting to think this is more than mere hatred.What exactly did the poor guy do?Mr. Greg talked about so many things before starting his class, and sadly, I barely registered any of it. I turned to Belle, like I’d been doing since Mrs. Peter left, and once again, there wasn’t a single trace of fear in her. She seemed very unbothered.“I know I’m pretty, Elora, but I don’t do girls,” she whispered, a playful smile dancing on her lips, her eyes still fixed on Mr. Greg as he continued his lecture.“How the fuck are you not scared?” I whispered back.“You should probably blame the fact that I’m not a scholarship student,” she replied with sarcasm, rolling her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.“Belle! This is the

“Girl, you’re a diva. Oh boy! Did you see how you handled Julian? I wish I recorded!” Belle fussed around me as we made our way back to our classroom.I don't feel so proud of myself. Fear and regret lingered somewhere in me.What if I’ve pissed him off real bad and he decides to frustrate my stay in this school? Or worse—set me up and make me lose my scholarship?Nobody loves defeat. And definitely not the meanest boy in school.“Girl, you see that part where you called him dumb? That was fire. Julian has never been called dumb—and he definitely doesn’t consider himself dumb. So calling him dumb? That was the perfect hit.”I just smiled.Why do I feel like I’ve crossed an invisible line with Julian?I don’t think I’m prepared for whatever form of revenge he has in mind.But why am I even scared? I only did the right thing. He stole from me and tried to humiliate me—twice. It’s only normal I fought back.Self-defense… right?Belle pinched me again, and I yelped.“What? Can you stop do