Chapter 3
867 Words
Edward
I watch her leave for class from my car, headlights off,engine quiet. She looks tired. Not the cute kind of tired but the worn down kind that comes from fighting battles no one sees. Tuition deadlines, loan emails, overpriced books, night classes. Double shifts.
She shouldn’t have to fight like that.
Not when i can erase every obstacle in her path.
The second her taillights disappear down the street. I pull out my phone. There’s only one law school in the county offering night classes. I know this because i looked it up months ago, back when her schedule mattered to me more than it should.
The school knows my company. They know my name. They know my money.
So it doesn’t look suspicious when i call.
It should.
But it doesn’t.
The front desk picks up.
“ Law school admin. How can i help you”
“I need a student’s records for one of your night class enrollees,” i say my tone calm and controlled. “Grace Andrew’s”
Typing.A pause.
“…May i ask why you need her records”
Of course they ask they think they have the authority. They don’t.
“Well” i say slowly “I don’t think thats any of your concern but if you need a reason here it is: she applied for an internship with my company’s legal department. We pay by GPA, not experience. Her file is required”
It’s true enough she is applying for internships. And the school requires all students to submit applications through. There system. They’ll see her name. They’ll believe me.
But the woman on the phone is stubborn
“Why is the CEO handling this?” She asks skeptically.
I pinch the bridge of my nose
“I like to be involved. And I don’t have time to walk an assistant through it. Now send me the file.”
“That’s not our normal policy”
I cut her off, patience gone.
“Get me your supervisor. NOW”
Silence.
A scared silence.
“… yes sir. One moment.”
A click. Then a new voice warm, polite,deferential.
“Mr.hale, it’s good to hear from you. What can we help you with today?”
Finally someone who understands their place.
“I need Grace Andrew’s academic records” I say “my company intends to Sponsor her.”
A pause. A respectful one.
“Of course, for this semester only or?”
“For as long as she’s enrolled” i say instantly “ every semester. Automatically. Tuition, books, fees, everything.”
The supervisor exhales softly, almost gratefully.
“We will process the sponsorship immediately and notify her. You’ve just changed her entire academic path,sir”
GOOD.
“That’s the intention.”
I end the call and lean back in my seat satisfied. It’s done. She will come to my shop tonight overwhelmed but happy and grateful and I’ll get to see her genuine smile. Like the one in the pictures.
And I’ll be the one that put it there even if she doesn’t know it yet but eventually she will.
Grace
My phone vibrates halfway through my first class. Then again. And again. I try to ignore it, the professor hates interruptions, but the buzzing won’t stop. When I finally look down, my entire body stills.
“SPONSORSHIP NOTICE: Your outstanding tuition notice balance has been paid by an external donor.”
My heart jumps into my throat. I blink rapidly rereading it.
Paid? All of it?
Before i can process that, another notification appears:
“Your account has been updated to full sponsorship status for the duration of your enrollment.”
I stare.
Not one term. Not a one time grant. As long as i’m enrolled. Every semester. Every fee. Every book. Another vibration:
“All future academic expenses will be covered automatically by your sponsor.”
My chest tightens. My eyes burn. Someone just changed the entire trajectory of my life. But who? No one i know has the money for this. No one in my family. None of my classmates. Then stupidly, irrationally, a face flashes through my mind.
HIS.
The late night cashier with the rolled sleeves. The man with quiet eyes who makes my stomach twist for no reasonable reason. The man who works until close and probably makes barely above minimum wage.
NO. NO. Absolutely not.
He wouldn’t even know what school i go to. He couldn’t afford this. He’s just….. a guy. A guy who remembers my order. A guy who always notices me. But still just a cashier. Right? The thought wont leave though. Because someone did this quietly, generously, secretly. Someone who doesn’t want the credit. Someone who knows I’m struggling, someone who wanted to take the weight off my shoulders without asking for anything in return. I swallow hard. I’m seeing him tonight. And i have no idea how I’m supposed to act normal….. when my entire world has just changed and I don’t know who to thank. And just when all of this was running through my head two more notifications popped up on my screen. Actually three, two notifications and a text from
HIM.
EDWARD.
- Writer
