Chapter Six

Maya's POV

"Asshole!" I muttered within my breath and dashed out of the lecture room, slamming the door behind me. I felt the tightening of my throat as I raced to the bathroom to avoid breaking down in the hallway. Tears threatened to escape my eyes but I forced them back, my heart aching with anguish.

When you're eighteen, you make a lot of mistakes. You make out with a lot of boys, attend numerous parties and even do drugs if you can afford them. But selling my body to Damon wasn't a mistake; it was a choice, one that I would have to endure the consequences longer than I expected.

I never thought I would see him again. When Madam Julia refused to give out his personal details, I had given up on finding him. But who knew that I would run into him several miles away from home? I wouldn't have thought he was a professor, let alone, in a prestigious school like Emerald.

"You don't fall in love with every guy who sticks his dick into you." His words replayed over and over in my head with each step I took. Perhaps, he was right about that but he shattered something deep within me.

For the past few weeks, the memories of what we shared in that motel haunted me day and night. Each time I stared at myself in the mirror, I was overwhelmed with shame. I felt dirty, felt cheap for selling myself to a random man.

I had tried to convince myself I did it for the right reasons but hearing those words from Damon crumbled every bit of self esteem I had left. He thought of me that way, just a cheap whore he fucked easily at a motel. Well, that cheap whore was now his student and I was determined to erect a wall between us.

I had no idea why I expected better from him. After all, he was a college professor with a kinky preference for younger women. I was mesmerized by his guileless gaze and failed to see he was a dirtbag.

A single drop of tears welled up from the corner of my eyes and I quickly wiped my eyes. Thanks to Damon, my first day was ruined and I was trudging to the bathroom to cry out my pain.

I could hear whispers about me as I crossed the chaotic hallway. Fingers were jabbing in my direction but I pretended not to see them.

"Just keep moving." I whispered within me. "Keep your eyes down, avoid eye contact and walk straight to the bathroom." I reminded myself. I kept my eyes on the bathroom door ahead of me, nearly hundred meters away, hoping that if I ignored everyone, they would ignore me too. Foolish, but it was worth the shot.

In my rush to avoid the stares and to hide my tear stained face, I slammed into someone with an unexpected force, sending our papers flying in the air.

"Jesus! Watch where you're.....Maya?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm-I'm so...." I lifted my eyes to meet Jasper's gaze and he was looking down at me with a small smile on his face. I exhaled. "You know, you're the second person I'm crashing into today. I was really expecting the worst." I told him as I scrambled to pick up our things from the floor.

He chuckled and joined me to gather our things from the floor. "First day nerves. It happens to the best of us."

"I doubt that. Everyone seems to be getting along here. I feel like a fish out of water and it's so suffocating."

He handed me some of my brushes. "Come on, it's not that bad. Well, except when Professor Griffin ignored you intentionally. That was so unprofessional of him and I heard he's one of the best. Makes me wonder how terrible the rest would be."

I didn't know why but I quickly came to Damon's defense. "It's not a big deal. Maybe he did omit me unintentionally."

"And you believe that?"

Jasper was persistent. "I don't really like to delve deeper into such things. He apologized and that's all."

"Wait, he apologized?"

I nodded. "Yeah. That's why he called me." I suddenly realized amidst our conversation that I didn't need to use the bathroom anymore. Jasper was enough distraction to keep my thoughts stable. "Can you walk with me to my locker?"

"Sure." He seemed excited as we made our way to my locker. The whispers didn't stop but the stares had somehow gotten worse. "Everyone is staring." He whispered.

"Yeah. Why?" I was fairly certain it had nothing to do with Damon or Jasper either. So why was everyone staring at me like I had suddenly grown a second head?

"I'm surprised Mr. Griffin didn't talk to you about it at all. I thought he ignored you in class because..."

"Because???"

He cocked his brows and stared at me with a puzzled look. "I'm guessing you don't know yet."

I turned sharply to him. "Know what?!"

Jasper sighed and paused right in front of my locker. "You know how I told you I knew your secret."

"Yes, you did." I snapped, barely able to wait for him to finish his sentences. I was chewing on my bottom lips as nervousness tore through me. "What did you mean by that and what does that have to do with anything?"

He cleared his throat. "Every year, Emerald admits three students from low income families as 'special needs students.' Their tuition is reduced by over sixty percent and sometimes even more. This information is not stated in the acceptance letter but the names of the students are published in the Vice-chancellor's board. The thing is...."

"I'm a special needs student." I voiced out almost immediately. I scoffed and licked my dry lips. That explained the stares and nasty whispers. However, a part of me was relieved that the secret had nothing to do with Damon. In fact, I was excited because I didn't know how I could handle such a scandal on my first day.

"Yes, you are." Jasper continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. "But that's not the only problem. You see, for the past 2 decades, none of the accepted special needs students showed up to Emerald despite the slashed tuition fee. No one really knows why but the point is that you're the first special needs student in years. You're like a myth and somehow...." He paused, then swallowed. "....an object of mockery."

"An object of mockery? Why?"

"If you haven't figured it out, Emerald is a very conservative institution. Most students here can afford the tuition and their parents even leave generous donations. As a special needs student, it means you're nothing compared to them."

I heaved a heavy sigh and silence settled between us for some seconds. "If that's the case, it's not really a big secret." I stated and my lips twitched. "Everyone knows I don't fit in here."

"That's dumb." He said gruffly. "You fit in more than you think. They are just jealous of you."

I giggled, finding him truly funny. "Jealous? Of a special needs student?"

"Well, for most of them, their parents' riches paved their way into Emerald. As a special needs student, it simply means Emerald was compelled to offer you admission because of your talent. Trust me, they would kill for what you have."

"I doubt that." I shook my head. "How many are we? I mean, the special needs student."

"It's just you." He answered and my stomach sank. "Like every year, the other two didn't show up. I guess that's why everyone is shocked to see you."

"That's reassuring."

"You don't have to worry about bullies. I can handle them for you." He offered me a warm smile.

"I can take care of myself." I responded. "This is not high school. I don't think anyone would try to bully...."

"Hey! Special needs!" Someone yelled at the hallway and cut me off. I heard snickers behind me but didn't turn immediately. I knew whoever said that was referring to me but I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of embarrassing me.

I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind. "Are you deaf? I thought special needs are supposed to be smart."

I turned sharply to meet the disdainful glare from a brunette. Several other students had gathered and they all looked amused. "Go away. I don't want any trouble."

"I don't want trouble either. I just want to know what you did to get into Emerald. It seems you're one of the first....ummmm....what's the word again.."

"Shut up!" Jasper tried to push past me but I held him back. One of the perks of being an orphan was being able to defend yourself. The street was harsh to me and I had learned to protect myself.

I took a step closer to the brunette and flashed her a smile that didn't quite meet my eyes. "If you're looking for attention, you won't get it from me. Run along child."

"Ooooooooo." A collective exhalation escaped from the crowd of gathered students. I had struck a nerve and I could tell from her reddened face. The smile on her lips had turned into a frown as she glared at me.

"You bitch!" She cursed, her voice echoing across the hallway. "I'm going to...."

"What's going on here?!" Damon's voice boomed off as he arrived at the scene just as quickly as the drama had started. Perfect! Why did it have to be him? "Step aside!" He yelled, as he pushed the students aside to get to us.

His gaze flickered between me and the brunette briefly, before he turned to me. "What is going on?"

I shrugged carelessly. "I don't know. Ask her. She's in a great mood to be a bitch!"

"Language, Maya." He warned. "Both of you, my office. Now!"

"Excuse me but Maya didn't do anything." Jasper blurted out and I saw the muscles on Damon's jaw twitch aggressively.

With tight lips, he turned to Jasper. "Excuse me but who are you?"

"Jasper. You should recognize me from your class."

"Jasper. Maya. And You." He pointed to the brunette. "Three of you, my office. Immediately."