Abigail Lacoste
A few days later
My heart was racing, anxiety consuming me. It was a dream come true and, even though I was excited, I felt nervous. The first day at my new college wouldn’t be easy—after all, it wasn’t just any college, it was the college of my dreams, where I would graduate and start an internship in the place I always wanted to live. I took a deep breath and walked into the classroom. My hands were trembling, and when I saw the highly respected professor, my legs went weak. He was a psychology icon—and now I was his student.
"You must be the new student," he said, coming over to greet me. I couldn’t open my mouth; the words just wouldn’t come out, I was so nervous. "Abigail Lacoste."
"She’s mute!" shouted a boy behind us. I gave a bitter smile, realizing I was making a fool of myself.
"Yes, Abigail." I greeted him with a timid smile. "You’re Professor Mason Jones."
"Yes, welcome. Pick a seat and make yourself comfortable."
I clutched my notebooks to my chest and walked toward one of the seats up front—I wanted to take in every word. He was an idol to me. Time flew by, and I was gathering my things when a young man with light hair and dark eyes stopped in front of me. He was the same one who had mocked me earlier. Smiling, he extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you, I’m Ethan Brown." I was about to take his hand when a brunette girl with blue eyes approached and slapped his hand away before glaring at me.
"What do you think you’re doing?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Melissa, you’re back at college?" I stood there, listening to the two of them argue, and I could only assume they were probably dating.
"Came back today." She looked at me with disdain. "Who’s this?"
"I’m Abigail Lacoste." I reached out my hand, but the girl didn’t shake it. Instead, she pulled the boy away, nearly dragging him.
I shrugged, finished packing my things, and left the classroom. I was so happy that nothing could ruin my peace. Walking through the hallways, I could feel the eyes on me—the famous rich boys smiling—while I, shyly, lowered my head. I didn’t want to draw attention, let alone be the college’s new topic.
"Hey, you!" the blue-eyed girl shouted, walking up to me. "You’re new here." She got closer, looking at my supplies. "Judging by what you're holding, you probably don’t have money. How are you paying the tuition?" I looked her up and down, studying her face, and the memories flooded my mind—she was the governor’s daughter.
"I don’t believe I owe you any explanation about my life," I replied, and everyone around us shouted and laughed.
She glared at them before turning her fury back to me. Melissa smiled. I wouldn’t let her—or anyone—humiliate me.
"For someone poor, you’ve got a sharp tongue," she mocked.
"Have a lovely afternoon." I turned and walked away from her. That girl was going to be a problem, and I needed to stay calm to avoid losing my temper. I was living a dream, and a spoiled brat like her wouldn’t ruin it. I wouldn't let Melissa get to me.
The following days flew by, and what should’ve been a dream turned into a nightmare. Melissa made a point of humiliating me day after day, constantly picking on me. I tried my best to keep my anger in check, but that brat was disturbing my peace, and now I was counting the minutes until I could leave college behind.
Sitting down in the cafeteria, I took a sip of my grape juice—my favorite. Classes had just ended, and I was eating something before heading to the bus stop. I sighed when I saw the governor’s daughter approaching. I stood up, but she laughed out loud, holding her boyfriend’s hand.
"Look who’s here, the scholarship girl," she said to him. "People like her shouldn’t be allowed in such a prestigious college."
I grabbed my things, counting to ten in my head. It wasn’t easy hearing her insults, but I had to control myself.
"You’re only here because of charity. It’s a joke that a scholarship student is sharing the same space as people like us."
I gave a bitter smile and tossed my materials onto the table beside me, holding only my cup of juice. I was tired of the humiliation. Even though I came from a humble background, my parents always taught me never to let anyone humiliate me like that.
"Listen here," I said, turning to look her in the eyes. If no one had ever set boundaries for her, I would do it now. "I have every right to be here. I studied night after night to pass an exam that many people competed for. I earned my scholarship through merit, through my own effort. You, on the other hand, are only here because of Daddy, and you’ll never know what it’s like to fight for a dream."
"Besides being poor, you’re jealous. Admit it, Abigail—you’re dying of jealousy over me, over my fortune." I burst out laughing.
"I pity you—a petty, spoiled girl living in her father’s shadow."
"Bitch!" she lunged at me, but I opened the lid of my juice and threw it in her face. "I’m going to destroy you!" she shouted, trying to slap me.
I grabbed her hand, smiling. She needed to hear some truths, to understand that life wasn’t limited to her little privileged bubble, and even the richest person in the world couldn’t go around humiliating others the way she had. Money means nothing without character, and Melissa had just proven she had none.
"Grow up, girl. Try being something more than a spoiled, arrogant daddy’s girl."
I pushed her, making her fall to the ground. Melissa fixed her hair while glaring at me with hatred. Her boyfriend tried to help her, but she refused and got up on her own. She grabbed her phone, smiling.
"You messed with the wrong girl, poor thing. I’m going to ruin your life. I’ll get you kicked out of this college and send you back where you came from."
I was about to go after her when I heard the dean shout behind me. My whole body trembled, and only then did I realize what I had done—what I might lose because of this argument. My dreams were slipping through my fingers thanks to a spoiled girl. We walked together to his office, and she smiled as she stared at me. My heart raced, my hands were sweating, and all I could think about were the sleepless nights I spent to get to this point, to earn that scholarship, to finish my psychology degree. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I shouldn’t have let anger take over.
"You can start talking. What was that mess?" He crossed his hands on the desk, staring at us. Melissa and I sat in armchairs across from him.
"It’s simple. You let uneducated people into this school, and now I have to deal with people like Abigail who have no manners."
"Abigail, you know you’re a scholarship student, you just got here, and you’re already fighting with another student in the middle of the cafeteria."
"Sir, I…" Before I could defend myself, the door opened, and to my complete surprise, the governor walked in, with his piercing blue eyes and commanding presence.
"Dad," said Melissa, jumping up from her seat. She seemed shocked by his presence. "You came?"
"Good afternoon, Dean." Orion didn’t even glance at his daughter. He walked over to the dean, who was already standing with a wide smile, and extended his hand to greet him.
"Good afternoon, Governor. It’s an honor to have you here."
I remained silent, simply watching that man before me—the same one who haunted my thoughts, who I often looked up online and sighed over. Someone impossible for me. Someone who would probably be the reason I lost my scholarship.