ChapterTwo
1350 Words
Aching Heart
Chapter 2 – The Golden Lies
If buildings could talk, the west wing of Starlight College would probably say, “Get out unless your father owns oil.”
It was the oldest part of the school. Red-bricked, ivy-coated,Shiny as diamond cause that is where wealth lives, With huge mansions and Mini Mansions that looked like the white house, where the president himself lives and as dramatic as a telenovela. No freshmen were allowed in unless escorted by a senior with at least one private jet. That was an actual rule—Printed on a banner so large that nobody that enters the west wing will not notice, the banner is under the banner that reads “Welcome to West Wing of Starlight College”
The west wing housed the Hall of Influence—a marble-floored corridor filled with portraits of alumni who had gone on to “change the world.” Most of them were now running Fortune 500 companies or political scandals.
There was Michael Crane, who funded his own tech empire before turning 21—and later got sued for embezzlement. Madison Lynn, who started a wellness app that made her a billionaire—before the app was banned for promoting “toxic positivity.”
And of course, there was Silas Wellington—Zayden’s father. Founder of Wellington Enterprises and The Owner Of Starlight College before passing it down to Zayden. Investor in everything from luxury hotels to renewable energy. A man so powerful he made governors sweat and Presidents Shiver.
Students whispered about Silas like he was part myth. Some said he owned the FBI. Others said he’d once made a teacher disappear for giving Zayden a B.
The truth? No one knew. But the Wellington name was enough to make even the dean check his tone.
Anastasia was learning.
Not just academically—but strategically.
By her second week, she’d picked up on more than just the syllabus.
She knew that Bianca Rose got lip filler touch-ups during lunch break. That Vice Chancellor Gomez had a secret espresso machine in his office. That Ava Monroe did Butt Enlargement more than three times and she has dated 99 guys within three years of staying in Star-Light College.That the library’s restricted section could be accessed using a magnetized credit card and the phrase “Et tu, Brute?” spoken into the bust of Julius Caesar.
She also learned something called “The Golden Lie.”
It was an inside joke at Starlight. A rite of passage.
You’d walk up to a first-year and tell them something outrageous but delivered so seriously that they had no choice but to believe it.
“All juniors are required to take fencing.”
“You’re not allowed to wear green unless your family owns land.”
“If you kiss someone under the clock tower at midnight, your bank account increases.”
The catch? The lie had to sound rich. Absurdly rich.
Anastasia got hit with three of them within her first 48 hours.
The problem? She didn’t blink.
No matter what nonsense they fed her, she simply nodded or gave a look that screamed, Try harder.
And that only made them more obsessed.
One particular day, in between Calculus and Advanced Political Warfare (yes, that was a real class), Anastasia was ambushed by Ava Monroe and Bianca Rose outside the private yoga suite.
They were both dressed like they were attending a gala—except it was 11:30 a.m. and they were holding green juices with names like “Wealth Elixir.”
“Hey, scholarship girl,” Ava cooed, smiling wide. “Have you heard about the Interview?”
Anastasia blinked. “The what?”
Bianca leaned in like she was about to drop ancient knowledge. “Every new girl gets an Interview. It’s tradition. You sit with the Royals, and they decide if you’re... social material or Not.”
The Royals. Zayden’s elite friend group. They basically ran the school’s unofficial government.
“It’s scheduled for tomorrow,” Bianca said, swiping on another coat of lip gloss. “In the Zen Garden. Wear something expensive.”
Anastasia’s lips curled upward—just slightly.
“Can I wear my dignity?” she asked.
Ava burst into laughter. Bianca looked personally offended.
“You’re funny,” Ava said, grinning. “You won’t last.”
“Leave her alone, let her be cracking jokes like she is even wealthy,” Bianca said.
Liam Callahan, meanwhile, was perched on the third-floor balcony of the science building, watching the exchange with mild amusement.
“This girl is tough”, he thought with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
He sipped his black coffee and took notes on his tablet. Liam didn’t just observe—he analyzed. He was Zayden’s best friend but operated like his conscience. If Zayden was the fire, Liam was the ice.
He had noticed Anastasia the first day.
But he was watching her now.
Her movements. Her reactions. The way she didn’t chase approval—but didn’t retreat either.
“She’s different,” he muttered to himself.
From below, Zayden sauntered out of the admin building, his Gucci Shirt Sparkling like he is going to a club fluttering in the breeze like it, too, was rich.
“You’re stalking her now?” Zayden called out, squinting up at Liam.
“Just observing,” Liam replied, hopping down the stairs.
“You’re starting to sound like Mr. Glenroy,” Zayden teased, referring to their philosophy teacher who quoted Nietzsche like it was gospel.
“She’s got teeth.”
Zayden raised an eyebrow. “So do piranhas.”
“She’s not scared of you.”
“Neither is my housekeeper. What’s your point?”
Liam just shook his head. “You’ll see.”
Later that day, in the Starlight Cafeteria—where chandeliers hung over sushi bars and velvet booths—the first-year scholarship students sat at a golden table which is the less attractive table in the Cafeteria, they sat near the exit. They called it “The Ledge.”
Not because it was dangerous.
But because one wrong move, and you’d be pushed off the edge of relevance.
Anastasia sat at the end, quietly dissecting a tuna roll while listening to the whispers swirl around her.
“She’s pretty, but like... in a sarcastic way.”
“I heard she speaks four languages.”
“She corrected Mr. Dawson in class. On purpose.”
“Who does she thinks she is”
“She is not just wealthy but I like her composture”
“I wish to be her friend, but I don’t know how to go about it”
“She is crazy”
Across the room, Zayden sipped sparkling water while scrolling through his messages. He wasn’t even looking at her—but somehow still knew she was stealing attention he didn’t authorize and he did not like that.
He didn’t like mysteries.
He especially didn’t like ones that didn’t bend to him.
That night, as the school’s golden lighting bathed the courtyard in an ethereal glow, Anastasia wandered through the garden paths with her hoodie pulled over her head and her earbuds blasting Nina Simone.
She walked past the koi pond, past the marble statue of Athena, past two seniors making out behind the bonsai trees.
Everything felt so... curated.
Every inch of Starlight was designed to be perfect. And yet, it was all so fake.
Her phone buzzed. A text from her little brother back home.
“Did you eat today? Don’t skip. Mom says hi.”
Anastasia smiled, thumb hovering over the screen before she replied:
“Yeah. Sushi. Real ones. Tell Mom I’m fine.”
She slipped the phone into her pocket and looked up at the sky. No stars. Just money in the form of solar-powered security drones buzzing softly in the air.
The price of opportunity.
And beneath the glamor and gossip, she knew—this school was a game.
And she’d already figured out the rules.
Anastasia liked it that she already knew all their stupid rules.
- Writer
