Finding Love in the World of the Rich

Chapter 2

Today is the official first day of school at the Starlight International Arts High School. The first period was homeroom and I was introduced by the homeroom teacher. I am glad that my classmates seem to be quite welcoming even though it was obvious that they were surprised to see a new student joining at 11th Grade. Best thing was that Braelynn is in the same class as me!

After a relaxing first period, the mood of the class changed entirely when the teacher for the second period entered. I was shocked. Everybody became serious and focused in class. I have never seen my class so quiet and attentive in my Secondary School class, back in Singapore. It was no wonder that the most successful people graduated from Starlight Academy.

I faced no issues with following what was taught in class as I had learnt most of it in Singapore. I am proud to say that I passed my O-levels with flying colours before coming to Korea. I still had to pay attention in class because even though the topics taught are mostly the same, they are taught in more depth.

The last lesson of every day is the class I look forward to the most at Starlight International High School. Every second-year student at the high school is given a chance to choose a course that they wish to major in. This is not compulsory and is mainly for those who are very sure of what they want to do for their careers. Students who do not make a choice will have to make a list of the top four industries they are interested in. Every semester they will attend a course that is related to the industries listed. This way, when the students complete high school, they will hopefully be able to decide which industry they like best after going through the courses for all four industries.

For me, I have chosen to major in Music as my dream is to become a renowned musical actress. It is part of my reason for choosing to attend school here, despite the high school fees. Everyone I know is always telling me about how I have a flair in performance arts but I have never received any proper training. Due to the support I received for my dream to be a musical actress, I wanted to see if I really am talented and whether I will do even better after undergoing professional training.

***

Lunch is another favourite session of mine. I headed to the nearest cafeteria with Braelynn, thinking about what we wanted to eat today. Entering the cafeteria, we realised that it was fully packed with hungry students. The cafeteria at the high school block is apparently the most popular out of the ten on campus, not including the various convenience stores.

“Ugh… how are we going to find seats? It looks like every table is taken. Let’s go to another cafeteria, Evie.” Braelynn suggested. I was about to agree when I heard someone calling my name. I looked in the direction of the person calling me and saw Elan and Eden gesturing for me to join them. I didn’t expect to see them here. They told me yesterday that their school is on the other side of the campus.

“Do you mind if we eat with the boys, Bree?” I asked Braelynn for her opinion, just in case she feels awkward eating with strangers. Braelynn was happy to join them, relieved that we do not have to find another place for our lunch. 

“Hey! What are you boys doing here? Didn’t you tell me that you and your friends don’t usually come to this side of the school?” I questioned the twins as I approached them. I got to admit that it was nice to see them again.

“We wanted to see how you are coping on your first day of school,” Elan replied and reached out to me for a hug. I returned the hug and he gave me a pat on my head.

“Evie!! Give me a hug too!” Eden said to me. I let out a small laugh and hugged him. He kissed my cheek before releasing his hold on me. In response, I gave him a smack on his back, feeling quite embarrassed. I would have been fine with the kiss usually but there are other people at the table and Braelynn is here too. I didn’t want people to misunderstand.

"Who's that, babe?" A girl sitting beside Eden asked and glared at me. She even grabbed Eden’s arm towards her, as if telling me that he belongs to her. See what I mean? I bet she thinks we are in some sort of relationship. I looked at her and thought to myself that she doesn’t look like the type of girl Eden will date. Although she is prettier than most girls, I don't think Eden will fall for someone that dresses like that. She was wearing a pastel pink short-sleeved mini crop top that ends right below her breasts and her white plaid skirt was so short, it barely covered her butt. I am surprised she hasn't exposed herself. I wonder how she climbs the stairs.

"Oh, guys. This is Everleigh, a friend from Singapore. Since she is new and doesn't really know anyone here, I hope you guys will look out for her around the school." Elan introduced me to their friends. The twins then made space for Braelynn and me to sit between them, forcing the girl to move to the end of the table. I can tell that she was very unhappy about that.

“Hi! I’m Braelynn, Everleigh’s roommate.” I am quite envious that she is not too shy to introduce herself. I definitely cannot do that. I know I have to get used to it someday, especially if I have to perform on stage in front of an audience in future.

After exchanging hellos, the rest of the lunch went quite well. Everyone was quite friendly, making sure to include Braelynn and me in their conversations. Everyone except that girl, Penny. I learnt that she is the head cheerleader for the soccer team and the other boys are on the soccer team with the twins. Throughout lunch, I could feel her watching me. This made me super uncomfortable and I could not eat peacefully. I tried to eat as fast as I could to avoid her. Once I finished, I stood up to clear my plates after making sure that Braelynn was done eating too. I told the twins that we were leaving first to get ready for our next lesson.

"Argh! Argh! Please… please… please stop hitting me. I will do better next time! Please give me another chance! I promise that I will get you the grades you want! Please don't hurt me! I beg you." As we approached the lockers, we saw a girl kneeling on the floor, cornered by three other girls standing in front of her. I recognised the girl kneeling on the floor. She is in my class but I can't recall her name. When the girl standing in the middle went to grab the hair of the girl kneeling down, I wanted to go and stop her but was stopped by Braelynn.

"I know you feel bad for Mia but you don't want to offend Poppy. She picks on those that attend Starlight Academy on a scholarship. She thinks that they are not worth studying here because of their social status. If you stop her, you will be her new target." Braelynn warned me. Yes, I remember her now. The girl kneeling on the floor is Mia and Poppy is the girl in the middle.

"Bree, I still have to do something. Mia is our classmate. I have to help. You can stay back if you are afraid." With that, I went ahead to stop the Poppy. I grabbed her wrist just as she was about to strike Mia.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STOPPING ME LIKE THAT?! DO YOU WANT TO TAKE HER PLACE INSTEAD?!" Poppy screamed at me.

"Whatever she has done, it is no reason for you to abuse her." I reasoned then I saw the girl standing on the right whisper something in Poppy's ear.

"Oh, so you are the mysterious new girl that managed to get admitted in the second year of high school? Tell me, which family are you from that you can pay enough for the school to let you in. Hannah just told me that the school doesn't have records of your parents and you are brought up by your grandparents in Singapore. Yet you are not on a scholarship?" Poppy enquired.

"I am brought up by my grandparents and my parents are none of your concern. If you really want to know, all I can tell you is that they are not anyone notable." I answered, not wanting to disclose too much about my family background as my parents are very particular about their privacy.

"Don't give me such a vague answer! Or else, I have no choice but to assume that you are providing indecent services in exchange for someone to pay for your school fees. You wouldn't like that, would you? If that is the case, your status in school will be the lowest. For that is more disgusting than the beggars with scholarships." Poppy stated, clearly annoyed that she is not getting the answers she wants.

"I will have you know that I am here based on my own capabilities. I went through all the proper procedures, auditioning and paying for my own school fees. I will not allow you to make an ass out of you and me by assuming unreasonably." I argued.

"DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME! You have no right until you prove that you deserve to be here, talking to me and studying in this school, as if I am your equal. I will give you a week to do so. By next Monday, show me your family records, bank statements and anything else that can prove your status in society. Until then, you are at the bottom of the social ladder." Poppy commanded. To Mia, she said, "congratulations you have just been replaced". She then walked away with Hannah and the other girl following behind her, like a mother hen and her little chicks. The crowd also started to disperse.

"Hi, I'm Everleigh. You are Mia, right? Are you okay? Do you need me to bring you to the infirmary?" I asked Mia.

"Yes, my name is Mia. I am fine. You saved me before they could hurt me more. Thank you so much for your help. You have no idea how grateful I am. I'm also so sorry that you got implicated by me. Nobody has ever helped me like you just did. Please let me return you a favour. Let me know how I can help you. As long as it's within my means, I will do it." Mia said to me.

"Don't worry about it. It's the right thing to do. I have no intention of proving anything to anyone." I assured Mia.

“Evie, you shouldn't think that way. You will be putting yourself in a very dangerous situation if you do not do as Poppy asked. Her family is very affluent in Korea, you don't want to offend her, especially since you plan to go into the entertainment industry in future. They own the largest broadcast company in Korea. You will not be able to survive in the industry if you get blacklisted by them. Hannah also practically owns this Academy. Her dad is the President of this school and her mum is in charge of managing the students. One word from Hannah and you could be expelled from this school. So Evie, please promise me you will do something to protect yourself. I'm sure you can find something to prove yourself." Braelynn pleaded.

"Alright, if you put it that way, I promise I will think of something. Come on, let's go to class. We are going to be late. Mia, come with us if you don't mind being friends with me and my roommate, Braelynn." I promised Braelynn and asked Mia.

"I would love to be friends. Thank you once again. I couldn't make any friends since I came here from Vietnam last year. Everyone avoided me like a plague because I became Poppy's target. She heard that I am good at Science and was offered a scholarship to study here so she made me do all her homework and help her cheat in her Science tests." Mia replied.

As we head to class, I think about how I am going to deal with Poppy. I might not have shown it but I am very worried as well. My parents are not going to be happy about this. It's only the first day of school and I have already broken my promise that I will finish high school and graduate from University quietly without drawing too much attention to myself. Hopefully, they will forgive me because I did it to save my friend. They have to forgive me.