Chapter One
Jonathan sprinted as soon as he step off the bus that stopped in front of the school gate, since he was a few minutes late for class.
In addition to winning numerous academic and non-academic prizes and competitions, Brown Hills was the best and most prestigious college in the state. During the short time he had been a student there, he had also helped the school in these endeavors.
He had always been proud to study there because he was one of the few who earned his studentship, as opposed to the majority of spoiled brats who were admitted thanks to their parents' and families' wealth and affluence.
He accidentally hit a girl as I was running to the class.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He apologised, gasping for breath.
He was quick to apologize before she did. She had decided to do so because she thought she was at fault; thinking that she had blocked the way as she was admiring the school's open area.
He was so tall that she was certain she wouldn't be up to his shoulder level. So, she concluded that he would be approximately 6'2 since she was 5'7.
He was fair, light-skinned, and had a balbo beard that extended along his jawline. His hair was cut relatively short and maintained at a low length, close to the scalp. From the way his blue round neck cloth fitted with his body, she was certain that he did gym because she considered his body perfectly well-built. His physique was a perfect example of her specifications.
"It's okay." She brushed her hair with her hand, which revealed her face, while still lying on the interlocked floor.
He was gobsmacked to see her face; seeing his favorite artiste stood in his front made him glue to my stance.
She was still breathtakingly stunned by his physique when she realized that he was also staring at her, like he was expecting a reply from me.
"I hope you are not hurt." He reached out to help her up by offering her a hand, but she rejected it.
She wasn't going to accept his help, not because of what he did but for another reason.
She rejected his proposal because if she had held his hand, she might have acted awkwardly for him to notice due to her instant admiration for him, and she had never been the type to act vulnerable when she saw or met guys of her type.
She ignored his concern and tried to stand up.
She stood up on her own instead, ignoring him and walked away.
He had forgotten that he was late to school already until she left him standing and walked into the school, prompting him to snap himself out of the admiration and fantasies and finally left for his class.
"Good morning, sir." He grumbled.
"Do you think you are special because you were admitted through scholarship?" His classmates chuckled.
"I'm sorry, sir." He slouched in my seat.
The teacher's and his classmates' actions didn't surprise him because that is how scholarship winners and beneficiaries, were usually treated in the school. The majority of the students, the teachers, and even the principal frequently regarded them as outcasts. Even though the school's motto was "equality to a greater world," they didn't show any examples of equality in action.
Apart from the school's scholarship to the lower classes offered by the board, the school did not adhere to the school's motto; there was an obvious display of segregation between the two classes. But, he was not moved by it. Since he was anti-social and found peace in solitude, he quickly adapted to the school's way of life.
Many students who had gotten in through the scholarship exams had withdrew because of it, but he was persistent not to, as he was determined to excel in the school and further his education.
Mr. Smith had been teaching for over ten minutes after he had entered the class when the principal entered the class with the girl he hit outside some minutes ago.
"Good morning, Mr. Smith." The principal shook hand with him.
"Morning, Principal Dawson." He smiled.
"So, Lauren here is a new student of this prestigious school, and she is a student in this grade."
"A new student?" Some of his classmates muttered.
Like the others, he was not astonished that the school could grant her admittance even though they had already passed halfway through the semester; he was only startled that they were unaware of the new student who was timidly standing next to the principal. She was one of the few musicians he enjoyed listening to their songs. Despite that she was still an up-and-coming artiste, she was his favorite.
"Oh, the one you told me about earlier, right?" He smirked.
"Yes. So, I'll leave her to you, for her to get introduced to her mates."
"Sure, I will."
Lauren stood there, clutching the strap of her backpack tightly. Her face was flushed with anxiety and shyness as the principal and the teacher conversed.
"Okay, kid. I hope— no, I am confident that you'll enjoy your stay and time in this school, so mingle and get the best of it." The principal turned to face her, who had been standing by his side all the while.
She honestly wish she could do as he said, but it was not in her nature. She rarely talked to people and suck in maintaining friendship after eventually establishing one.
She only nodded in affirmation, and the principal left the class afterward.
"Attention class!" He addressed the class, as the turmoil and chirping of some of the students went on.
"As you all know that we have a new student among us, whose name is..." He tried to recall her name.
"Lauren." She smiled.
"Lauren. Welcome, Lauren, and enjoy this school."
"Thank you sir." She smiled.
"There's a vacant seat over there." He pointed at the seat next to Jonathan's.
"Hope you're comfortable sitting there?" He asked her.
Mr Smith's statement made him remember the first day he entered the class.
****My First Day*****
The principal did not accompany the scholarship recipients to their classes on their first day at the school when they went to his office. He didn't actually take them there; he only gave them the directions.
"You are one of the beneficiary students, right?" Mrs. Jane, another elitist teacher, asked him after he had greeted her, immediately he entered the class which the principal directed him to.
"Yes, ma." He grinned broadly in happiness.
"Okay. Go seat over there." She directed him to a seat, which was in the right corner of the classroom.
"But ma, there are two vacant seats apart from that seat. Sitting in corners make me uncomfortable." He explained.
"Who do you think you are to defy my instruction, uh?"
"But ma, I was just—"
"Just doing what? You think your choice or opinion matters here?" He was frightened by her loud voice.
"I'll pardon you because this is your first day. If you ever repeat this, I promise you that you won't like how it ends." She threatened.
He didn't know what she would do to him if he did that or something relating to it, but he didn't have the courage to dare her, because he was not ready to lose the scholarship through any misconduct. Ever since then and some other scenes that showed segregation between the societal classes in the school, he had learned to live with it.
****Present Day****
"Yes, I am." She walked toward her seat.
He wondered why Mr. Smith treated her like the other privileged kids because he knew she was not really financially secure.
She stated a few months ago on her Twitter page that she needed money to finish her upcoming project, but was unable to pay for it. She then requested her fans and followers for donations in an indirect manner, and several of them did, including him.
"Why is he treating her the same as the other kids? If she is truly as destitute as she consistently claimed to be on her Twitter page, then how did she manage to get admitted in the middle of the semester?" He wondered.
"Oh no, not him again." She muttered, realising that the person who she would be sitting next to was Jonathan.
She wished she could tell the teacher that she did not want to sit there anymore, but she had no choice as she didn’t want him to know that she was running from him.
"Hi." She swiftly waved her hands at him, smiling. Her smile revealed her dimples, which he had never noticed when he saw pictures she posted online.
"Hi." He smiled back.
Mr Smith continued his teaching after she had settled in.
"Oh s**t," She rummaged her backpack repeatedly while Mr Smith was teaching, making sure not to distract the class. She finally brought out the books from her backpack after some few seconds of searching endlessly.
She placed her hands on her head, downright, in frustration.
Jonathan assumed from the look of confusion on her face that she could have misplaced her pen, and he took it as a chance to get close to her.
"A pen?" He whispered, offering her his spare pen.
"Yeah..."
"Oh, thank you." She realized he offered her one.
"Jonathan?" He hurriedly turned to face Mr. Smith.
As he handed Lauren the pen, he realized right away that Mr Smith had caught them, but, as usual and expected, he chose to pick on him rather than the two of them.
"I'm sorry, sir." His classmates turned back to look at him.
After staring at him without moving for a few seconds, he resumed his lecture.
"So..." He continued
