Love Beyond Rejection.

“Aria, you would be late on your first day of college.” Her mom echoed from the kitchen. Aria immediately rushed out as it was never her intention to be late on her first day. She had also missed a few weeks of resumption, so going late won't be the best way to start her session. She bade her mom goodbye as she hurried to the bus station. The bus dropped her a few miles close to her school. The sun was already harsh by the time Aria stepped through the ornate gates of Harmony College. It glimmered on the polished windows, bounced off luxury cars parked like ornaments, and seemed to spotlight her every step. Her chestnut-brown thrift blouse clung too tightly in the heat, and the frayed strap of her faded bag slipped repeatedly off her shoulder as she nervously approached the academic block. Whispers began trailing her like perfume gone sour. “Who is the new girl?” "Who let that girl in?" "She must be lost. This isn’t a public school." A group of girls in designer skirts giggled loudly, flicking their hair with synchronized perfection. Aria kept her head down, trying to ignore the weight of their stares, the judgment in their eyes. Her clothes might be secondhand, her shoes might squeak from wear, but she had worked too hard to get here to let their venom break her. Still, it hurts regardless because she is human. She reached for the doorknob of her lecture hall, heart hammering. As she stepped in, a fresh wave of snickers broke out from students already seated. “Is it a cultural day?” someone mocked. Another voice echoed, “Maybe she’s the cleaner’s daughter sitting in by mistake.” Laughter erupted in the lecture room. Aria swallowed the lump in her throat and kept walking, finding an empty seat at the back. She sat stiffly, hands clenched, pretending not to hear them, pretending she couldn’t feel the sting of humiliation crawling over her skin. It was then that she saw him. Josh. The boy she had admired from afar since secondary school. He was the kind of person Aria thought existed only in dreams, he was tall, effortlessly charming, with a sculpted jawline and a crooked smile that could make even the bitterest teacher forget a wrong answer. Here he was again, in the flesh, laughing with his friends like he belonged to another universe. One she had no ticket to enter. Her breath caught as she watched him toss his head back in laughter, his light brown eyes scanning the hall until they landed on her. Just for a second. And then he looked away, as if the sight of her physically offended him. The class went on, but Aria couldn't concentrate. Her mind spun with conflicting emotions, embarrassment, longing, and a simmering hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d remember who she was. Maybe this time, she wouldn’t just be a nobody. The lecture ended and students filtered out, many of them bumping her shoulder on their way, none offering an apology. Aria made her way toward the garden, needing air. As she rounded a corner, her heart leapt. Josh was leaning against the wall alone, scrolling through his phone. It was now or never. With trembling steps, she approached. “Hi Josh,” she said softly. He looked up. Confusion passed over his face, followed by recognition. “Do I know you?” She nodded. “We went to the same secondary school. I used to… sit a few rows behind you.” Josh laughed very loud and cruelly. “Oh. You were that weird girl who always stared at me like you had nothing else to do.” Her heart cracked, she never expected him to be rude like everyone else. “I wasn’t….” she began, but he held up a hand. “Let me guess,” he said loudly, drawing the attention of nearby students. “You’ve been fantasizing that one day I’d sweep you off your feet and make you rich like in some Cinderella movie, right?” More laughter eluded the place. Phones came out. Someone whispered, “Record this.” Aria’s face flushed crimson. “I just wanted to say hi.” “Well, say bye instead,” Josh sneered. “Because even in a dream, I wouldn’t be with someone like you.” Tears welled in her eyes as the students jeered. She turned to flee—and bumped into someone solid. Gasps rippled through the hallway. It was Danny. Every movement in the hallway froze. Danny was not someone you crossed, he was powerful, untouchable. Son of the school’s biggest benefactor, rumored to be the reason a lecturer lost his job over a minor offense just in a few days. No one dared mess with Danny. He was effortlessly handsome, skin like milk, tall, dressed in black, with a gaze as sharp as a blade. And right now, that gaze was on her. Aria stood, trembling, eyes fixed to the floor. Danny walked close to her but said nothing. He simply pulled a crisp white handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “Clean yourself up,” he said quietly. She looked up, shocked just as everyone else was. Their eyes met and time paused. His eyes softened for the first time ever. Just a flicker. Then he walked past her, not sparing Josh or the others a glance. Vivian, who had followed close behind him, stopped abruptly. Her eyes flicked from Danny to Aria, and something dark bloomed in her gaze. She looked at Aria from her head to her toes trying to see what was classy about her that caught Danny's interest. Aria clutched the handkerchief to her chest, her tears long forgotten as she watched Danny walk away. Because in that fleeting moment, something had changed. She was no longer invisible. Everyone just witnessed a scene that had never happened before. Did Danny just give her his handkerchief? That could cost a fortune. Everyone began murmuring about the scene as Aria gently walked away and Josh was looking all humiliated. But who cares now? All talks were about the great Danny.