The next morning, Emily and Brian shared the same room in the house of one of Brian's friends.
He slept on the couch, and she occupied the bed.
"Bro, until now, I am still wondering. Who is Emily Greyson in your life aside from being just a friend and neighbor, huh?!" Jake's tone was doubtful and teasing.
"She is…" Jake's curiosity was more triggered.
Brian looked at him first before he smiled and continued.
"Special… She is special…"
"Woah!" Jake patted Brian's shoulder, giggling. "Come on, bro! Why are you doing this to me? What special? Do you want to court her and be your official girlfriend?" Jake's curiosity was unstoppable.
Brian was a good talker, but when asking about Emily, he was too secretive.
Brian protected this girl on campus, that was why she survived despite her poor status.
"When did you become so nosy?" Brian quickly averted the topic.
Emily was indeed special to him, but he would rather keep it to himself than ruin their friendship.
Besides, friendship has no break-ups!
"Come on, we have to go!" At this time, Brian saw Emily at the corner.
His eyes immediately sparked as he smiled at her charmingly.
He tilted his head to signal her that they needed to head out.
Emily quickly got Brian's message and chased them out.
When the three arrived at the school, some of Brian's friends were gathered in the parking lot.
Chatting about different rich-kid topics.
When they saw Brian and Emily together with Jake, they could not help but be curious too.
"Wait a minute, Brian! Don't tell me you guys decided to cohabitate before graduating?" Blake Carlson asked with full malice in his tone, referring to Emily and Brian.
Emily stiffened as she blushed at Blake's remarks.
Brian saw Emily's reaction quickly, so he patted her shoulder.
"Buzz off!" Brian shooed Blake away cooly but Keith Brown butted in with another malicious word.
"Did you two get married behind our backs? Jake, you should tell us the truth; otherwise, I will not let you off the hook!"
Hearing this, Emily blushed more.
What on earth was she hearing this right now?
Though she knew Brian's friends, she still couldn't stand being put in a hotspot.
Jake just laughed.
Emily quickly took away Brian's arm around her shoulder.
"Keith, buzz off!" Brian chuckled lightly.
Girls on the campus chased Jake, Blake, Keith, and Brian because of their good looks.
Aside from that, they were the top varsity basketball players, flaunting impressive height and remarkable physiques.
On campus, they were the celebrities.
Emily left Brian and his friends in the parking lot, limping.
Her foot had been sprained the night before.
Although Brian had already applied an ice pack, the pain only eased slightly, and the hurt in her heart felt like it would never heal.
She cried all night over that rare opportunity that had just slipped through her fingers.
She was heartbroken.
"You are fired!!!" These words from Charles shattered her heart into pieces.
His eyes filled with anger toward her.
"E, wait up!" Brian cut her thoughts. He chased her and left his friends to help her walk properly, but she refused. She didn't want Brian's friends to make fun of them again.
When she entered the school, she felt a bit off. Some students were laughing and talking behind her back. Buzzing echoed everywhere, and Emily felt certain they were gossiping about her. She frowned but quickly dismissed the thought. Maybe she was overthinking!
Wobbling, Emily walked straight to her classroom, ignoring the people around her. From outside, she heard them lively discussing Charles Adam's whereabouts, as if they knew him personally or were very close to him. But when she appeared in the doorway, all eyes turned to her.
Emily looked at them with suspicion. She knew something was wrong. They all gazed at her with mockery. Charlotte, Valerie, and Lixie stood with their hands on their hips.
"Ladies and gents, announcing the arrival of the sugar baby in our class!" Charlotte's tone was provoking, and right after her introduction, she applauded.
Everyone clapped like welcoming a newcomer.
Emily was used to these bullies, but at this time, the word' sugar baby' was already below the belt.
These rich kids were truly mean and insensitive.
The room was filled with mockery and sarcasm, but Emily remained composed.
Until she knew that she was not doing anything wrong, she had nothing to say.
She didn't need to defend herself from this bunch of idiots!
She walked to her seat, but Valerie blocked her.
Valerie looked at her arrogantly.
She sneered at Emily.
"How dare you come to school today? Emily, drop the act! You are already busted! You are acting demure, but inside you are wild! Hahaha!" Valerie laughed at Emily disgustingly.
Everyone followed, laughing.
Amidst the mocking, Emily stood still.
5 months left to their graduation.
She didn't need to see them again in the future.
Emily could not wait.
"Yeah! You should be embarrassed by your actions! You should quit school because we don't want someone's cheap classmate, duh!?!" Lixie complained, rolling her eyes at Emily.
Emily was trying to understand their obsession with bullying her.
In the past, they kept bullying her because of her poor status, but she endured.
With Brian on her side, they eventually stopped.
"You are a whore!!!" Someone shouted and started throwing a ball of paper at her.
It hit her head.
"You don't belong here!" Another ball of paper landed on her shoulder.
"Emily, you are so shameless!!!" Another rage sounded.
"You go to hell for being a sugar baby!!!"
"Don't stain the reputation of our school! Get lost!"
"You are dirty! Slut!"
"A dirty woman like you has no place in this school!!!"
"You go with that old man and scram!"
Everyone was talking down to her, and the tension in the room escalated with Emily as the target.
Emily had never claimed to belong at the school.
They were the kids of the socialites, and she felt outmatched by them.
However, Emily believed that education is for everyone.
She had to achieve something for herself, and nobody could take that away from her.
Though she was poor, she was ambitious.
"What's happening here?" Brian's voice was suddenly heard, and his tone was indifferent.
He was passing by with his friends and at the same time, checking on Emily.
He was stunned to witness Emily being bullied again.
Upon hearing the strange voice, everything went quiet. Brian, leading his friends, wore a somewhat displeased expression. He looked at Emily's classmates as if he were already tearing them apart. He walked inside next to Emily, but she kept her head down. Brian felt an indescribable sadness in his heart as he noticed that the woman next to him was silent, even though he was already there. Clearly, she didn't want his support.
"Why are you bullying her, huh?" Brian had an intimidating demeanor.
Everyone's eyes were up to him, scared by his furious vibe.
At the same time, they like what they see.
The four celebrities in their school were inside their classroom.
Some giggled secretly amidst the high tension.
"Brian, Emily has an old man lover. Giselle saw her yesterday." Someone quickly spilled the news.
Gissele quickly went forward like it was her chance to shine and have a close-up with Brian.
She held her phone and gave it to Brian.
A picture was shown on her screen.
Brian's face twitched a little.
Even though Emily was hiding her face behind a book, her remarkable figure still made her recognizable.
She had a delicate, tall, and alluring physique.
She exuded the image of a woman from a wealthy family, though the reality was quite the opposite.
Everyone was aware of her social status, making it surprising that she was spotted being picked up in a luxury car yesterday with an older man.
"Here! See, the evidence doesn't lie. Emily Greyson has a sugar daddy!" Gisele's tone was excited and provoking, showing everyone her screen.
The older man was also captured opening the car's door for her.
Now, Emily had a clearer picture of what was happening.
These dogs were barking at the wrong tree.
It was yesterday's incident when Mr. Floss and Warren fetched her at the entrance gate.
Obviously, they labeled Mr. Floss's identity as the older man and her sugar daddy.
"Crack!!!" Suddenly, something shattered on the floor.
Everyone was petrified looking at Gissele's phone.
It was severely damaged and immediately broke.
"No!!!" Giselle cried out. She didn't expect Brian to snatch her phone and smash it to the floor.
No one dared to defend Giselle.
Everybody was shocked and held back their words because Brian was like a leader at their school.
Teachers liked him because he was not only handsome but also intelligent and demonstrated strong leadership in any organization he was a part of.
No wonder he was always the star player.
Giselle cried out not just because of her phone, but also because she felt shy and embarrassed in front of the four most popular students.
She had a crush on all four, but now she felt like her chances were gone before they could even begin.
Emily just stood there unbothered by the drama.
She knew Brian was not going to slip this away easily.
"You see, Brian? Your lady friend here is not what you think of her. She played well at being demure and conservative, but disgustingly, she is a dirty woman! How disgusting!" Charlotte took advantage of Brian's rage.
She had thought that Brian was also angry with Emily.
Who wanted to have a dirty friend?
Emily just told Brian because she is his friend.
"Shut up!" Suddenly, Brian shouted, raising his hand to Charlotte.
"I thought you learned your lesson before, but I guess not," Brian said, threatening Charlotte.
Before Brian filed a case, Charlotte had to take her parents to talk to the disciplinary dean.
In the end, she was given a toilet cleaner assignment as a punishment, with her friends, of course.
Remembering this, Charlotte's lips became pale. She didn't want to do it again.
"Brian, at this time, it's Emily's fault. She was staining our school and us." Lixie had a big crush on Brian. She said these words sweetly, trying to use her voice to seduce him, but Brian just looked at her sternly.
"If Emily is innocent, then why was she not even defending herself? She could not talk because she was guilty!" Valerie quickly supported her friends.
Brian was indeed shocked by Emily's image. There was an inexplicable feeling in his heart because Emily hadn't told him anything.
Everyone was looking at Emily, waiting for her to defend herself, but she didn't. Her eyes were distant and cold. Her pride had been crumpled last night, and these kids were adding to her wounds. Emily felt disheartened but was good at hiding it.
They were not worthy of her emotions. Her words were merely empty air because these kids were all full of themselves. Her words against theirs felt like a waste.
"Okay, what's happening here? It's time for my class. Everyone's not included in this class… out!" Suddenly, an old, strict man interrupted. He was their teacher. Brian wanted to grab Emily's hand and take her away from these judgmental people, but he had to control it.
Keith, Blake, and Jake signaled to him to go out already.
Brian leaned closer to Emily,
"I'm just outside. Let's talk later." he said, almost whispering to Emily, but everyone heard Brian. It was as if he was letting everyone know that he wasn't going away and that no one could bully her.
Emily smirked and nodded. She sat down in her seat and opened her book and notebook, unbothered. Everyone was looking at her with jealousy and rage, but she didn't mind them. They really wanted to kick Emily off campus like a wild weed on the ground that didn't belong among the group of refined grass.
It was already 5 p.m. when she finished all her classes.
She was heading to the club and tried to ask the manager if she could sleep there for a while since she worked there. She avoided Brian because she wasn't in the mood to talk right now.
Her mind was a mess, and her heart was still in turmoil and pain.
She already missed Charles, but her luck had run out.
Charles had just slipped away, just like that.
Really, it felt just like a dream! Now, she was wide awake.
She had to face the reality! Her struggling life—working to eat, paying rent, managing her allowance, and handling school projects—juggling work and studies, sleepless nights, and a tired body—it wasn't enough. When she walked down the hallway, everyone continued to mock her. Their eyes were laughing as if she were wearing a clown costume. Some chit-chat was deliberately aimed at hitting her dignity.
"Emily Greyson is a sugar baby!"
Emily didn't mind them. She walked to the exit, but fate's cruelty struck again. There were more students at the exit gate. They all seemed to be waiting for her, eager to see the luxury car and the older man again. Their presence was meant to prove and humiliate her. Emily understood, but she still didn't care.
After all, no one would show up again. Not anymore. She wanted to laugh mockingly at them, but then a black Bugatti pulled up, blocking Emily's way. She suddenly halted, and her heart began to race as she quickly realized who the owner of the car was. What is this car doing here? Everyone started honking their horns again.
"So, Emily, your sugar daddy is here!"
"You dirty whore! No smoke kept as a secret forever, dear!" Charlotte and her friends couldn't wait to humiliate her in the absence of Brian.
"Ew!!!"
"Yuck!!!"
"So dirty!!!"
The once-small crowd grew big around Emily.
Everyone was so disgusted that it wasn't until someone came out of the car that it changed.
In a swift motion, Emily was scooped from the ground and put inside the car.
Then the car drove away.
The next thing heard was the crowd's loud screaming and giggling.
"Charles!!!!"