Chapter 2

2

I waited for her reaction, but she only gave the dress a cold, dismissive glance.

"No, thank you," she said flatly.

The students around us began to whisper and snicker.

"Who does Jenna think she is, acting like that?"

"That dress probably costs more than she'd make in a hundred part-time jobs."

"Don't you get it? She's playing hard to get. She's fishing for a bigger catch."

Jenna's eyes turned red with shame. She gripped the hem of her faded dress, her knuckles white.

I shot a glare at the crowd, and they quickly scattered.

"Jenna, I just want you to be happy. Please, stop pushing me away," I pleaded softly.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Bennett, leave me alone. I can't afford to play games with rich boys like you."

I stood there, confused. I didn't understand what I had done wrong.

Jenna continued to work multiple jobs after school. To help her without her knowing, I secretly paid her employers to give her raises and lighter shifts.

I wanted to prove I wasn't just playing around. I started studying hard, using the brief glimpses of her passing my window as motivation.

Finally, we both got into the same elite university.

But college tuition was a different beast. Jenna's burden grew heavier, and I often saw her name in the campus job boards.

She was skipping meals just to pay for textbooks. When I heard she was selling her plasma just to survive, I decided I had to step in.

To protect her ego, I convinced my dad to set up a private scholarship fund at the university.

I made sure her advisor recommended her so her tuition would be covered for the next four years.

I also went around to all my wealthy friends, asking if they needed tutors for their younger siblings.

Tutoring for rich families paid incredibly well. I gathered the best leads and handed them to her, matching them to her class schedule.

By then, the hatred in her eyes had softened into something else. I was finally allowed to be near her.