|MONDAY MORNING|

MARIANA

“Mariana, wake up. It’s time for school.” My mother’s voice cut through my deep sleep.

“Ugh, mom! Five more minutes, please.” I groaned, snuggling deeper into my pillow.

“Five more minutes? It’s 7:55, and you’re still asleep! Have you forgotten that today is your first day at ROYAL GATE HIGH SCHOOL, and you’re already late?” Mom snapped, and I groaned loudly as her words finally sank in.

“Did you say it’s 7:55? Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” I scrambled out of bed, tangled in my blanket.

“It’s 7:57 now, and don’t blame me. I’ve been trying to wake you up, but you kept saying five more minutes.” She sighed.

“Oh no! I can’t believe I’m going to be late on my first day.” I rushed to the bathroom, quickly undressed, showered, and brushed my teeth. Wrapping a towel around my body, I stepped out to find mom gone.

I hurried to the wardrobe, grabbed my underwear, and slipped it on. I picked a blue mid-thigh denim skirt, a black tank top, and a blue denim jacket, finishing off the look with white sneakers—my birthday present.

I braided the front part of my hair, tying it into a high ponytail, applied lip gloss, and was ready to go. Grabbing my school bag from the corner, I went to the kitchen.

“Morning, sis. Morning, mom.” I greeted as I saw mom and Brianna eating.

“Morning, darling. Morning, sis.” They replied in unison.

“I see you’re ready for school,” Mom said.

“Yes, I am.” I nodded.

“Great. Sit and eat, Brianna has already served you.” Mom motioned to the table.

“I can’t eat right now. I’m late.” I started to turn away.

“But you can’t go to school on an empty stomach. Sit, have a few bites before you go.” She urged. I was about to refuse when Brianna spoke.

“I made pancakes.” She placed the plate in front of me, and my stomach growled. Pancakes and maple syrup—one of my favorites.

“Damn, you know I can’t say no to pancakes.” I grinned and sat down, licking my lips. Mom and Brianna laughed.

“Foodie,” Brianna teased.

“A man can’t ignore his favorite food,” I shot back, and they both chuckled as I dug in.

Minutes later, I finished the tower of pancakes (well, almost) and washed it down with water. A loud burp escaped my lips.

“Excuse you, young lady.” Mom raised an eyebrow.

“Pardon me.” I grinned, patting my tummy, as Brianna rolled her eyes.

“You can go now. You don’t want to be even later than you already are.” Mom waved me off.

“Yeah, I’m heading out now.” I stood up.

“Let’s go together. I’m heading to work,” Brianna said, grabbing her handbag.

“Bye, mom,” Brianna and I said simultaneously.

“Bye, girls. Have a nice day.” She called as we left the house.

We caught a taxi, and Brianna got off first, heading to her workplace. As we neared Royal Gate High School, an unexpected nervousness washed over me. This school was for the rich. Would I fit in? Would they be friendly? What if they found out I was poor? My thoughts raced, fueling my anxiety.

“We’re here, miss,” the driver’s gentle voice broke my train of thought. I took a deep breath and opened the door to step out. Before I could move, the driver spoke again.

“I can tell you’re nervous, miss. I also know it’s your first day here. Don’t worry. Just be yourself, and you’ll do fine.” His reassuring words eased some of the tension.

“Thanks, sir. That’s exactly the motivation I needed.” I smiled, and he returned it.

“You’re welcome. Go on in, just be yourself.” He gave me a thumbs-up, and I felt the nerves fade away.

I entered the school gate, where the words ROYAL GATE HIGH SCHOOL were proudly displayed in bold gold lettering. The school’s modern glass buildings reflected the bustling activity of students moving around with books in hand. Some were in groups, probably discussing their luxurious weekends. I looked around for my friends, who I was supposed to meet at the gate, but they must’ve left when I didn’t show up on time. Looks like I was on my own to find the principal’s office.

As I walked deeper into the school, I noticed a few students staring at me, their eyes curious and assessing. I kept walking, hoping to find the office, but after some aimless wandering, I realized I needed help.

“Need some help?” A voice startled me from behind. My heart skipped a beat. I turned to find a guy standing there, looking at me with interest.

“Uh, yes. I need help.” My voice was nervous.

“What are you looking for?” he asked.

“The principal’s office,” I replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I’ve been walking in circles.”

He chuckled. “Okay, follow me. I’ll take you there.” He led the way, and I followed him quietly. Soon we arrived at a door with PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE on the sign. He spoke briefly with a lady at the desk, and she nodded before allowing me to enter.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said to the guy as I entered.

“Anytime. I’ll wait here for you,” he said with a smile.

Inside, the principal—a middle-aged man—looked up from his paperwork as I entered.

“Good morning, sir,” I greeted.

“Good morning. Have a seat,” he said curtly. I sat down, trying to calm my nerves.

“You must be Mariana Jackson, one of the scholarship students from Crescent Valley High?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” I replied.

“Wait here for a moment.” He turned to call a woman into the office.

“Miss Courtney,” he called.

“Sir?” she responded.

“Help Mariana with her timetable, locker number, school uniforms, and anything else she needs.”

“Of course, sir,” Miss Courtney said and gestured for me to follow her.

“You’ll come back later to collect your textbooks,” the principal called after me.

“No problem, sir,” I replied as I followed Miss Courtney.

She handed me my timetable, school map, and locker number, explaining how to secure my locker with a personal code. Then, we moved to another room where she handed me my uniforms: one for Mondays, one for Wednesdays (sportswear), and one for Thursdays. She explained that Tuesday and Friday were no-uniform days, and I nodded in understanding.

“Thank you, Miss Courtney,” I said, collecting the plastic bags.

“That’s all for now. Come back for your textbooks later,” she said with a smile.

As I left the room, the guy who had helped me earlier was still waiting.

“Are you done?” he asked.

“Yes, I just need to find my locker now,” I said, looking at him.

“I’ll help,” he offered. “What’s your locker number?”

“356,” I told him.

“Let’s go.” He led the way, and we soon reached my locker. After setting up my code, I sighed with relief.

“What class do you have first?” he asked.

“Chemistry,” I replied.

“No way, me too!” he said with a grin.

“What a coincidence,” I smiled.

“Let me grab my books, and we can go together,” he said. We walked to his locker, grabbed his books, and headed toward the Chemistry class, passing through groups of students who stared at us. I ignored their looks, focusing instead on the class ahead.

“We have another new student.”

“Wow, she looks beautiful.”

“What is she doing with Aiden, though?”

“Do they know each other from somewhere?”

These were the different murmurs I overheard from the students.

“Why are they standing so close to each other?” Another voice commented, causing me to step back a little from Aiden.

“Wow, Aiden, seems like you’re popular.” I whispered, and he chuckled softly.

“Yeah, I guess.” He smiled in return.

“I can definitely tell you’re popular. Thanks for all the help. Let me find myself a seat.” I said, then moved deeper into the classroom.

“Mariana! Mariana!” A female voice called out. Who knows my name already? I looked toward the sound, and there was Vanessa. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw her.

“Come sit here! There’s an empty seat next to me!” She shouted across the room. I walked over to the empty seat beside her and settled down.

“You guys couldn’t wait for me?” I asked, pretending to be angry after I sat down.

“We waited for a bit, but you didn’t show up on time, and the students started staring at us and saying things. So, we figured we should just head to the principal’s office.” She explained.

“Oh, okay.” I nodded in understanding.

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“They’re in their respective classes,” she replied.

“Who was that guy?” She asked curiously.

“Which guy?” I responded, confused.

“The one who came in with you,” she clarified.

“Oh, Aiden? He helped me find the principal’s office and my locker. He’s really nice,” I said.

“He’s really cute!” she gushed.

“Yeah, sure.” I replied, shrugging it off.

“What…?” she started, but was interrupted by the sharp voice of the Chemistry teacher.

“Silence!” the teacher ordered, and the classroom quieted immediately.

“Bring out your Chemistry textbooks and open to page 97.” She instructed, and students began fumbling through their bags for their books.

The teacher’s eyes fell on Vanessa and me. “Where are your textbooks?” she asked sharply.

“We don’t have them yet. We were told to collect them later,” Vanessa answered for both of us.

“Alright. You two are scholarship students, right?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” Vanessa and I answered in unison.

“Okay, introduce yourselves to the class.” She gestured toward the students, who all turned their attention to us.

“Hi, everyone! I’m Mariana Jackson. I hope we can all get along and do well together,” I introduced myself, waving at the class. A few voices chorused, “Hi” and “Hello.”

“Hey, fellow students! I’m Vanessa Hathaway. I hope we’ll all be friends and get to interact,” Vanessa added, earning more “Hi” and “Hello” responses.

“You can sit now,” the teacher said, and we did.

“Let the class begin,” she continued, starting the lesson.

|TWO HOURS LATER|

After two classes, we finally had a free period. Vanessa and I took the time to go pick up our textbooks. We were on our way back, arms full of books stacked high.

“So, how do you like the school so far?” Vanessa asked as we walked.

“I love it already. The teachers are great, and they teach really well,” I answered.

“I love it too. Plus, there are some really cute guys here,” Vanessa said with a flirtatious grin. I rolled my eyes.

“Seriously?! You’re ridiculous! Did you come here to study or to chase after cute guys?” I teased, laughing.

“Don’t blame me. I have my eyes set on that Aiden from this morning,” she said, not joking.

“Please tell me you’re joking. You don’t even know him…” I started, but my words were cut off when I accidentally bumped into someone, sending my textbooks flying in all directions.

“Oh, shit!” I exclaimed, quickly crouching to start picking up the scattered books.

“What the hell is this? Can’t you watch where you’re going, or are your eyes not working?” an angry voice shouted.

“I’m really sorry, but it’s not entirely my fault. You should’ve been watching where you were going too,” I retorted.

“You must be out of your mind. Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” the voice continued, dripping with arrogance.

“Who the hell are you that I can’t talk to you like this? Are you God, or the freaking President?” I snapped back, looking up to see who had the audacity to yell at me.

The person’s face froze when they saw me.

“You!” I gasped, wide-eyed.

“You!” they echoed, equally shocked.