Chapter 4
634 Words
I lifted my glass slightly, meeting her gaze with a calm smile. "I'll hold you to that offer. If your closet's truly open to anyone, does that extend to your private club access and yacht trips, too? Sounds like our whole class gets exclusive VIP treatment now."
I glanced casually at the surrounding students, my voice carrying perfectly across the quiet circle. "Looks like we've got all our senior social plans covered this year. Everyone owes Mia a huge thank you!"
A beat of stunned silence fell over the crowd before they caught on to my implication.
"Thank you so much, Mia!" someone shouted immediately.
"When's the first yacht outing?" another student pressed eagerly.
"Can we all come to the club dinner too?"
Nonstop questions flooded in, freezing the smug grin on Mia's face.
Her confident facade wavered for a split second.
She recovered fast, lifting her chin higher to bluff her way through the pressure. "Absolutely. All club gatherings and yacht trips are on me, no exceptions!"
She shot me a sharp, hostile look right after, her tone turning icy and dismissive. "But those venues have strict dress codes. They're exclusive spaces, not for just anyone. Some people can't even afford a decent gala dress—you'd just embarrass the whole class if you tagged along."
Her group of loyal followers chimed in instantly to back her up.
"Yeah, high-end venues have super strict rules. Basic outfits won't get you in."
"It'd totally kill the vibe if someone stuck out like a sore thumb."
"I never planned on crashing your little outing anyway," I replied flatly.
My refusal to rise to her bait only stoked Mia's arrogance.
She opened her mouth to hurl more insults, but a figure stepped forward abruptly to cut her off.
Jasper walked over holding a tiny Tiffany blue gift box, his face plastered with a desperate, ingratiating smile. "Happy gala night, Mia! I picked this out just for you. It's perfect for someone as amazing as you. I'm so hyped you're taking us to all those exclusive spots. It's such an honor to get to hang with you."
He held out the box eagerly, his eyes practically glued to Mia's face.
Mia's mood instantly brightened.
She tore open the packaging on the spot, clipped the delicate diamond bracelet onto her wrist, and flaunted it for the crowd's cameras, soaking up the endless compliments.
I spoke up quietly amid the chaos, "School rules strictly prohibit gifting luxury designer items on campus. You could get a formal disciplinary warning for this."
The smile vanished from Mia's face in an instant. She glared at me, tone dripping with bitterness. "Quit acting so pretentious. You're just mad you can't afford nice things for yourself, so you hate seeing others enjoy them."
"Just a friendly reminder." I shrugged, no desire to argue further.
I shot her one final indifferent glance before turning and walking away.
From that night on, Mia and I were official rivals.
*****
Following the gala, Mia flooded her i********: with constant posts geotagged at our private marina and exclusive luxury club.
Leeching off my family's assets, she built a tight clique of followers who worshipped her fake status.
Anyone with simple, unbranded outfits became a target for her public ridicule—and I was her main victim.
She'd deliberately bump into me in the cafeteria to mock my cheap clothing.
Her followers blocked my hallway path to joke nonstop about my beat-up Volvo.
During club activities, she stole every peer beside me to isolate me completely.
Days and weeks of unrelenting harassment chipped away at my patience.
She'd taken my kindness for weakness, pushing boundaries endlessly to feed her ego.
If she wanted a fake reputation so badly, I had no problem tearing it apart with my own hands.
- Writer
