Chapter 1

“Luna, you evil!”

My lips instantly curl upwards to form a small smile when I hear Evelyn Dixon, a.k.a. Diva Eve, yell at Luna. My smile widened when Luna let out a loud chuckle, successfully making Evelyn frown at her.

Luna Phoenix and Evelyn Dixon always fight like cats and dogs. Luna is a cat here, a fierce cat, if I may add. Meanwhile, Evelyn always looks like a wounded puppy. They may seem like they were not close with the constant fighting and all, but I knew they cared for each other more than anything in this world.

“Will, look at this evil witch,” Evelyn pouted at her boyfriend, William Duncan.

As a loving boyfriend he is, William tries to cheer his girlfriend up by making a dork face while secretly signaling Asher Walker, Luna’s boyfriend, to do something about it.

Asher, being Asher, with his stoic face and cold personality, ignores William. He wraps his arm around Luna’s shoulder and smiles at her. I shudder at both of them.

This evil couple.

Nevertheless, I don’t know why, but my mouth always curves upwards in a smile whenever I look at them. It's just that Asher rarely smiles and doesn’t talk with people around him that much. But everything is so different when he is with Luna. He is so expressive when he is with her. It is magical to see how someone could love another person this much.

I hope there will be someone out there who will love me like that, too.

As I look at them—Luna, Evelyn, Asher, William, and the others; Violet Wiley, Luna and Evelyn’s best friend; Luis Ellington, Violet’s boyfriend; Andrew Benjamin; and Dylan Logan—my mind wanders to my first day at the university. If it weren’t for Luna, I would have never been here, let alone hanging out with the most popular students at the university. Why? Because they have everything a person wants. Good looks and rich. Who doesn’t want that?

***

On my first day at the university, of course, I was so excited to be here. I am the only one out of those who got admitted here. It is a big deal because nobody like me could ever be here if it weren’t for the scholarship. Yes, scholarship. A full one on top of that.

At first, I was hesitant to take the offer because I wondered why someone like me, a poor and broke person with a part-time job, dared to further my study here. I accepted the offer just because my Aunt Rose, I called her Aunt Rosie, was over the moon when the offer letter got into our house several months ago. It is hard to say ‘no’ when I see a big smile on her face, happy because I got into such a prestigious university with a full scholarship on top of that. Plus, the chance to land a job is higher once I have graduated from such a distinguished university. Besides, I want to repay Aunt Rosie, who has been taking care of me since my parents passed away in a car accident.

It is hard, knowing that all of my relatives don’t want to take me in just because I have nothing to offer them. It is difficult to know that I am a burden. I don’t have any fortune. My father is a firefighter, and my mother is a housewife. My family might not be well-off, but I will never trade them for anything. My parents are the best parents that anyone could ever have. When I had no one beside me, Aunt Rosie came and pulled me out from the darkness. Since then, I have been determined to make Aunt Rosie and my parents proud of me.

That is the reason why I enrolled here. If it wasn’t for them, my quietness and shyness would never have allowed me to be here, in the same place with these rich people. But I managed to overcome it and am hoping that I will graduate quietly.

“What the hell!”

My steps immediately stop as soon as I hear the voice. The voice booms in the place loudly, making all the people in the rest turn their heads towards it. I was passing by the area quietly while looking for my department when I heard the voice.

“How dare you bump into me, you disgusting pest! This is why I hate poor people like you! Just because you’re accepted here, don’t think that you can do everything you want! This is why I hate poor people so much. They disgust me! Ewwww.”

It is hard not to look at what had happened when I heard the insults. It is hard to ignore it when laughter fills the area. Is this a funny matter to them? So, I turned my head, and my heart beat so fast when I saw a girl kneeling in front of several girls. I bite my lower lip unknowingly when I see who she is. She is just one of the scholarship students, just like me. We even exchanged a smile at the gathering just now. My heart broke apart when I saw her tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I’m… I’m so…sorry…”

“How dare you talk to me, you garbage!” The bully’s voice roars, cutting off the soft voice that tries to apologize to her. “Damn, your face is so ugly that I wonder how you are still alive right now. If it were up to me…”

“She’s already apologized. Isn’t it enough?”

I am shocked when the bully suddenly turns her head towards me. Just now… Did I say it out loud? The realization hit me when the room went dead silent. I could see the anger in her eyes as she marched towards me.

For a moment, I'm in a panic. I’ve always been a quiet person. I’m not a brave person. In fact, I am a wallflower. I have always kept my thoughts to myself. I don’t have any self-confidence. I have never stood up for my own sake, let alone for other people.

But her words lit a fire inside me. No one, I repeat, no one, deserved to be treated like that. Everyone has feelings. Rich or poor, we are just human. Where was her humanity when she said something so irresponsible like that? I am so angry that I don’t realize I let out the words loudly.

“Let me guess, you’re a pest like her,” she throws the insult after looking at me up and down and makes a gesture wanting to vomit after that.

Of course, she is disgusted at my worn-out floral knee-length dress and flat shoes.

“We are not a pest”, startled at my bravery, I averted my eyes from her shocked ones to look at the girl.

To my surprise, she’s not there. As soon as I discovered that she had already run away, I suddenly became scared. The anger disappeared at once. Here I am, thinking to defend her, and she is leaving me alone when she gets the chance. I felt betrayed. I don’t dare to face the bully in front of me anymore.

“Then, what are you? Aha, I knew. Garbage. Trash. Dirt. Which one do you choose, huh? By the way, where did you get this rug? Even my dog wears better than this shit,” her comment made her friends laugh.

My face is red from embarrassment. I can hear mock laughter not only from her friends but from all of the other people around me. They treat me like I am an amusement to them. No one came to help. Not even a single soul.

"Now, your little mouth has nothing to say anymore? Let me tell you this, girl. Poor people like you don't have a place at this university. Don't act like you own the world because this university accepts you. YOU. DO. NOT. BELONG. HERE. Just go back to your poor world already, girl. I'm so sick looking at your cheap face here."

Another insult, another round of loud laughter filled the place.

Regret and embarrassment. That’s what I feel right now.

Regret that I didn't turn down the offer back then. Embarrassed to think that I could further my study over here.

All of the negative thoughts kept flying around my mind. Taking a breath has never been so painful. I stood lifeless as if I were a joke to laugh at.

"What are you waiting for? Don't you understand me? Wait a minute, is it because you can't understand it? Your small brain couldn't digest what I am saying, could it? Tch. That is a problem with poor people. They just don't get what you say because they have pea-sized brains. Aw, I pity you, poor kid."

The insults keep coming at me like an endless circle. I don't know if I could survive another one. The shame, the fear, and the anger mixed, making me nauseous. My silent plea for them to stop goes unheard as I keep hearing their mock laughter. I’m thinking of letting go of the last straw and letting them break me as they wish.

“Hey, scholarship student, know your place. If you want a peaceful life here, don’t ever try to defy me. Remember, I am above and beyond you, trash. You’re not even supposed to be here. Why don’t you go home and cry to your mommy and daddy, huh? Maybe Mommy and Daddy will buy you proper clothes, not this shit.” she angrily shoves my shoulder, catching me off guard.

I lost my balance and would have fallen on the floor if it weren’t for the arm that helped me. I look up to see my savior, and I am mesmerized by her beauty.

“That was a physical attack. Now, why won’t you go home and cry to your Mommy and Daddy and tell them a lawsuit is coming to you, huh?” Her voice is soft yet stern.

I looked at my bully, and was that scared written all over her face? I wondered about the identity of my savior because my bully seemed anxious all of a sudden.

“I…”

“Why don’t you just go? Just looking at you makes me angry,” she cut off the bully, and just like magic, the bully and her friends immediately scattered away, not before throwing a disgusted look at me.

“Geez, these snobby rich kids. They’re the ones who are disgusting, right?” My savior turned her head to look at me. When she saw no response, she let go of my arm and extended her hand to me. “I’m Luna, by the way. I’m very sorry for their awful behavior.”

I noticed the people around me were now whispering, anticipating whether I would take her hand or not. I suspect she must be well-known here since people couldn’t take their eyes off her.

At first, I am afraid to take her hand. I’m scared of the people around me, but the bright smile on her face told me otherwise. It warms me somehow. Slowly, I extend my hand and take hers gently.

“Hanna. Hanna Brooke,” I say timidly, but she doesn’t mind my lack of confidence as her smile widens.

***

“Hanna? Hanna? Hello, earth to Hanna?”

My eyes blinked rapidly as I stared at Luna.

“Err, yes?”

“You’re staring into space. Are you okay?” Luna asks; the worry in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed by me.

“I’m fine,” I say with a wide smile to reassure her that everything is just alright.

It's just me, recalling the day I met Luna. It was a year ago, and since then, Luna has always been by my side. She even introduced me to her friends. Evelyn and Violet especially have been so kind to me. They make me feel welcome, and Luna always takes care of me, making sure I am fine. She even makes me promise to hang out at the cafeteria almost every day at lunch hour.

Of course, I didn’t want to do it at the beginning. Because I know that everyone doesn’t like the idea of me, a poor scholarship student, getting to hang out with the most popular people at the university. Whenever I walk alone, the hateful gaze and whispers always follow me. I didn’t even know what about me that Luna found so interesting. I try to avoid her, but I stop doing it when I see disappointment in her eyes. I should be thankful to her for everything she had done for me instead of making her upset with me. After all, the peaceful and quiet life that I have had until now is because of her. If it weren’t for her, maybe I would have already quit a year ago.

“Hey, guys.”

A frown appeared on my face as I looked up to see the unfamiliar face, pulling a chair beside me before sitting down casually.

“OH. MY. GOD! IS THAT YOU? KAI FREAKING ADLER? IS IT YOU?”

Not only me, but everyone at the table and around us made a displeased face when Evelyn started to shout out of nowhere. William makes an apologetic gesture to Luna only because he is afraid that Luna will do something to her cute yet crazy girlfriend.

“Yes, Evelyn. This is me. You and your cheerfulness have still not changed, huh?” he says, amused.

“Evelyn Dixon, how many times do I have to tell you not to scream at the top of your lungs in the presence of everyone, especially me? Gosh, why do I have a crazy friend like you?” Luna scolds her.

I smile when Evelyn makes a sulky face. Both of them are so cute.

“Guys, Kai’s here. He’s finally here, guys. Yay!” William said excitedly.

And then, they proceed to high-five.

“Hey, buddy. Long time no see, huh?” Kai greets Asher while making a weird gesture. Just a code between best friends. Asher just nods his head, seemingly unfazed by meeting his friend. Truly a cold person.

I just watch their interaction as this Kai person shakes hands with Luis, Dylan, and Andrew. Then, he slightly nods his head to Violet.

“What’s taking you too long? We have been waiting for you to get here for ages,” Luis asks him.

Kai just shrugged his shoulder, not interested in answering his question.

“Of course, our Kai is taking his time with the girls. So, I guess the girls are interesting there, huh?” Andrew raises his eyebrows suggestively.

Oh, a playboy.

Dylan, beside him, stops eating and eagerly waits for his answer. Luis shook his head disapprovingly.

He smirked as an answer, which made me dislike him already.

“Boys,” Luna rolls her eyes at him while leaning against Asher’s arm.

“Come on, Luna. Don’t look at me like that, okay? Can we put aside our differences for a while? I’m finally here. At least, show some happiness, alright?” Kai tries to persuade Luna.

“Brat. Of course, I’m happy to see you.” Luna straightened her body and leaned forward to ruffle his hair.

She smiles with satisfaction when Kai complains about his messy hair.

I kept quiet throughout their conversation. It isn’t like I want to join them. Besides, I don’t even know this person. My first impression of him was not nice after all. He’s a playboy. Someone that I hate the most.

“Oh, I didn’t see you here.”

I turn my head to look at him; our eyes meet, and a frown appears on my face as soon as I see a grin on his face. I know I’m not that tall, but I’m a grown-up person, an adult. It is impossible not to see me here. But it is not a surprise. A wallflower like me, of course, he won’t notice me. But still, I am here, beside him.

A playboy and a weirdo. What a bad impression to make.

“Weirdo.”

Wait, did I say that out loud? What is wrong with me?

The grin on his face suddenly disappeared. For a moment, I’m afraid that he will scold me. After all, it is not nice to say something like that to him. I am about to apologize, but he suddenly let out a laugh that attracted everyone at the table.

“Hi, I’m Kai,” he extends his hand in front of me. The grin on his face widens.

I turn my head towards Luna, ignoring his hand. I don’t know what to do at the moment. It's just that I’m awkward with people, especially boys.

Evelyn is trying hard to swallow down her laughter; I could see that. When it became unbearable for her, she let out one that damaged our hearing.

“Kai Adler just got his first rejection. Wow, I can’t believe I lived to see this moment. Oh my gosh, this is so hilarious,” she talks between her laughs. Everyone is laughing, and I don’t dare to look at Kai. It is not my intention to humiliate him. Like I said, I’m not very friendly with people. “Luna, isn’t this funny? I can’t believe this!”Evelyn continues to talk between her laughs. Luna rolled her eyes before flicking her forehead. “It hurts! Luna, what is wrong with you?" finally, she stops laughing and rubs her forehead in dissatisfaction.

“I knew that was funny, but it is not anymore when my eardrums almost shatter to pieces because of your loud laugh,” Luna scolds her for the tenth time.

Evelyn sticks her tongue out at Luna as a protest, and when Luna leans forward to flick her forehead once again, she hides in William’s arms.

A small chuckle escaped my mouth as I watched both of them. They are so cute.

“Cute”

“I know, right? They are so…” I stop midway once I realize it is Kai’s voice.

Turning my head towards him, my eyes widen when I meet his. His elbow is on the table, propping his chin on his palm as he stares at me. My heart skips a beat at the unexpected situation, and I turn my head away from him as fast as I can. For a while, I stare at my fingers on my lap. I don’t know if anyone is aware of what is going on. They are too focused on Luna and Evelyn’s little banter to notice what has just happened.

After a while, I decide to shift my gaze away from my lap to take a glimpse at Kai. As soon as my eyes met his, I immediately averted my gaze from him.

What was that?

My hands are shaking, and I am so nervous. Because of the awkwardness, of course.

“Luna, I think I have to go now,” I speak quietly as usual.

Thank goodness Luna hears me.

“Okay. Tell me if something happens, alright”?, she says, as usual.

“Bye, Hanna. See you later.”

I nod at Luna, smile at Violet, and wave goodbye to Evelyn before hurriedly standing up. I could feel Kai's gaze as I walked away. As usual, hateful gazes and whispers follow me, making me hug my books around my chest desperately, as if my life depended on them.