6. Damien Ferrari
2021 Words
Emily
The moment I get back to my dorm and push the door open, I nearly die on the spot.
There is a person on the floor.
I actually gasp.
Then I blink and realize it is just a girl kneeling beside an open suitcase, tossing clothes onto the bed carelessly.
I exhale loudly. “Jesus Christ.”
She looks up.
Long golden hair falls over her shoulders. Bright blue eyes, slightly messy eyeliner, oversized hoodie, and that chaotic energy she carries everywhere like a personal brand.
Nicole…my roommate. My emotional support human. The closest thing I have to a friend in this insane school.
She probably just got back from break.
“Emily?” she says, squinting at me. “Where have you been? I just got back.”
“Same,” I mumble, dragging myself inside. “I returned today too.”
I collapse onto my bed like a fallen soldier.
Nicole pauses mid unpacking and watches me. I can feel her staring without even looking.
Three seconds later, she zips up her suitcase, walks over, and plops down beside me.
“Em,” she says softly. “What happened? Your eyes… did you cry?”
My hands fly to my face instantly like that will somehow erase the evidence.
“No,” I mumble, which is the most obvious lie in human history.
How do I even explain this?
Even on the walk back here, I kept trying to scrub the image out of my brain. Jack…. f*****g that girl. The awful sounds.
And now Nicole wants details.
Fantastic.
I stare at the wall. “I caught Jack… with another girl.”
Nicole freezes.
“What?” she asks slowly.
“f*****g,” I say flatly.
Her jaw drops open so wide I am surprised it doesn’t hit the floor.
“HOLY CRAP,” she shrieks.
I flinch. “Can you not alert the entire building, please?”
“What girl?” she demands immediately. “Do you know her? Who is she? I will fight her. I will literally commit a crime today.”
I shake my head. “No. Blonde. Never seen her before. She ran out like her life depended on it.”
Nicole’s eyes narrow into pure rage mode.
“And him?” she asks. “What did he say?”
I laugh weakly. “Called me dramatic. Said I should be grateful he even dates me.”
Her face darkens.
“He insulted me,” I whisper. “Like… really insulted me. Said I was boring. Bland. Not exciting enough. Then he said maybe we should try an open relationship.”
Nicole goes dead still. Then she explodes. “THAT f*****g BASTARD!”
I nod, swallowing hard. “He knows how much I need money. For grandpa. He knows. And he still threw it in my face. Called me a charity case.”
The word tastes bitter in my mouth.
“Said I’m useless,” I whisper.
And that is it. I break.
Tears spill out before I can stop them. Ugly crying.
Nicole grabs my shoulders. “He said ALL that? I cannot believe this. I swear I will key his car. I will ruin his bloodline.”
I laugh through my tears because only Nicole can threaten generational destruction while hugging me.
She pulls me into a tight hug. “I never liked that bastard,” she mutters into my hair. “Never. He always gave me bad vibes.”
I blink, pulling back. “Wait… really?”
“Yes,” she says immediately. “I just couldn’t explain it. He always felt… fake. Like he was dating you for convenience. Not because he deserved you.”
That hits harder than I expect. Because deep down… I think I always knew.
She cups my face. “Forget him. Seriously. Forget that idiot.”
I sniff. “I was so embarrassed. His hockey teammates were there. They heard everything.”
Nicole winces. “Oh no.”
“Yeah,” I mumble. “But… one of them actually stepped forward and defended me.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Wait. A decent hockey player?”
“Apparently.”
“Who?” she asks instantly.
I shrug. “I don’t really know much about him. He said he’s the captain of the hockey team. Damien Ferrari.”
Nicole's eyes widen.
I blink at her. “Why are you looking like you just saw a ghost?”
Her mouth opens slowly. “Oh. My. Goodness.”
I frown. “What?”
She grabs my arm. “EMILY.”
“What?”
“Damien Ferrari?”
“…Yes?”
Her eyes nearly bulge out of her skull.
And now I am officially confused.
“Okay,” I say slowly. “Is he like… a big deal or something?”
Nicole looks at me like I just asked if water is wet.
“Of course he is,” she says dramatically.
Then she pulls out her phone so fast I swear she has been waiting for this exact moment her whole life. Her fingers start flying across the screen.
Within seconds she shoves the phone in my face. “Just look at him.”
It is a picture of Damien in his hockey uniform, helmet off, holding his stick like some sports god. His jaw is sharp, his expression focused, sweat glistening on his neck. He looks intense. Confident. Hot as f**k.
“He’s the best hockey player in this school,” Nicole continues proudly. “He won the Chicago college tournament for our university twice in a row. Twice. Do you know how insane that is?”
I nod slowly, staring at the picture. “He actually looks good in that.”
Nicole snorts. “Actually? Girl, please. He looks illegal.”
Then she scrolls again.
“And his father is also very rich. Literally a billionaire.”
“Billion what?” I blurt out. “As in with a B?”
Nicole nods casually. “Yeah. Billionaire.”
My brain stops working.
Why did a billionaire’s son talk to me? Why did he defend me? Why did he ask me out?
Jack comes from money too, but his family is not billionaire money. Not even close.
Nicole scrolls again and starts listing things like she is reading from a Forbes article. “The Ferrari Family Group. Hotel chains across Europe and the US. Luxury restaurants. Resorts in Italy. High end malls. Real estate. Tech investments. They basically own half of everything cool.”
She shows me pictures. Huge hotels. Fancy resorts with pools that look like they belong in a music video. Corporate buildings with glass walls and logos that scream money.
I shake my head slowly. “They must be really f*****g rich.”
Nicole gives me a look. “Must be? They are.”
I lean back slightly, overwhelmed. But why would he want to go out to dinner with someone like me? Or does he just want to f**k me like Jack said? I mean… he does look like a playboy.
“Here,” Nicole suddenly says, cutting into my spiraling thoughts.
She turns the screen toward me again.
I squint. “What’s this?”
“His grades.”
I stare at her. “What?”
“From year one to year two,” she says proudly. “He’s not just a pretty face. All straight As. Every single semester.”
My eyes narrow. “Is that his GPA?”
She nods like it is nothing.
I look at her slowly. “This isn’t your department. Isn’t this the computer science portal or something? How did you even get in there?”
She shrugs. “I hacked into it.”
I immediately jump off the bed. “Nicole, are you f*****g insane?”
I know she is a badass engineering student, but this is next level criminal mastermind.
She waves me off. “Relax. This is easy for me. I can even do more.”
I freeze. “More like what?”
She grins. “You know. Nothing serious. Just increasing your grades a teeny tiny bit.”
“Nicole.” I clap my hand over my mouth. “Isn’t that illegal?”
“No one is going to find out,” she says calmly. “If you ever want to increase your grade, just tell me. I’ll help you.”
“No thanks,” I say quickly, sitting back down. “I choose freedom.”
She rolls her eyes.
“So,” she says, crossing her arms. “He’s handsome, hot, smart, and f*****g rich. What do you think?”
I shrug. “Yeah… but I don’t know him personally.”
“He’s crazy,” she says. “But he’s got a good heart. Trust me.”
That makes me pause.
“You seem to know a lot about him,” I say slowly. “How come?”
She clears her throat and suddenly looks very interested in the wall.
“Well,” she says casually. “He’s my cousin.”
I jump up again. “What?”
She winces. “Keep your voice down.”
“Your cousin?” I whisper shout. “Your actual cousin?”
“Yes.”
“Wait. Your surname is Ferrari. I thought it was just a coincidence. Like some cool Italian thing. How…”
She shrugs. “Well. Now you know.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “I don’t understand. You’re here in this ugly dorm with peeling paint and shared bathrooms. He’s in that luxury dorm with private chefs and heated floors….”
“You’re saying I’m poor?” she cuts in.
“Well… if you put it that way,” I shrug.
She laughs. “It’s a long ass story. I chose to be here. Don’t worry.”
I shake my head slowly.
Now it makes sense. Nicole never lacks anything. She has whatever she wants. Her clothes are expensive. Her shoes alone could probably pay my tuition.
“So,” she says, suddenly grinning. “Do you like him?”
I sigh deeply. “I don’t know. This whole thing is weird.”
I sit beside her again.
“He asked me out on a date tomorrow,” I admit. “I told him I’d give him an answer tomorrow.”
My phone suddenly rings.
My heart drops. I pull it out quickly. It better not be that cheating bastard Jack.
“Who is it?” Nicole asks, leaning over dramatically.
“Unknown number.”
“Pick it,” she urges like we are about to uncover a murder mystery.
I answer and press it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hello beautiful,” says a familiar deep voice.
I freeze. Could it be…
I mean I gave him my number earlier.
“Oh,” I say softly. “Damien?”
“Bingo,” he replies smoothly. “I’m glad you recognize my voice.”
“Uh… yeah,” I mumble, suddenly flustered.
Beside me, Nicole is grinning like a f*****g fool.
“So,” he says. “What’s your decision?”
I scoff. “I told you I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” he says. “But I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about you.”
What the f**k is wrong with this man.
Nicole mouths, Say yes. Please. Please.
Crazy ass girl.
He did help me though. Maybe I should just go. Just dinner. To thank him. Then I can end this whole thing.
“Yes,” I blurt out. “I’ll go with you.”
He literally groans into the phone.
“Thank you so much,” he says. “Now I can sleep. I’ll text you the time and place tomorrow.”
Then he hangs up.
I stare at my phone.
This is insane.
I should be studying. I should be focusing on grandpa. Not going on a date with a billionaire’s son.
Nicole grabs my hands excitedly. “I’m so happy! You’re going to love him!”
I squint at her.
Why is she more excited than I am?
- Writer
