Chapter 36
It was already morning when Sophia blinked awake, groggy and still sleepy. The soft morning light was already filtering through the curtain.She rubbed her eyes, then turned her head toward the clock on her bedside table.
Her eyes widened.
“Shii…” she muttered under her breath.
This was the first time she had slept this late since the day she arrived at school,asides the first day when she came for clearance with her cousin. She sat up abruptly, pushing her covers aside as the things that happened the previous night flashed Through her head . It had been fun—probably the best night she’d had since coming to school. She and the girls had stayed up late, laughing, gossiping, and sharing stories until their voices turned loud from all the excitement.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. It was nice, having friends she could be herself around. She hadn’t realized how much she needed that sense of belonging.
But reality hit her fast. She had overslept.
Sophia swung her legs off the bed, stretching quickly before scanning the room. Her roommates were already up and moving about.to her shock , it was usually her waking up first, it was this that made her know she slept more than intended Mia was seated by the mirror, carefully applying her makeup, while Olivia was on her bed, scrolling through her phone lazily.smiling
"You’re finally up," Olivia teased, not even looking up from her screen.
"Ugh, don’t even start," how come you girls didn't bother to wake me up, and also how are the both of you awake before me Sophia groaned as she got to her feet.
Well I thought of of waking you up,but you looked so cute while asleep, Mia called from the mirror
“ Oh please”sohpia said with a chuckle
There was no time for her to have a proper bath. She had a class soon, and if she didn’t hurry, she’d be late. She bit her lip, debating for a second before remembering the trick Justine had told her about.
She grabbed her lotion and body wash, then hurried into the bathroom..
All she had to do was apply little water on her body,then use the lotion to back it up apply it on her pubic areas
It was going to be a quick one.
She shut the door behind her, exhaling as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her face slightly puffy from sleep, but there was no time to worry about that now. She turned on the tap, splashed some water on her face, and quickly lathered her hands with her body wash. And followed it up with the lotion. It wasn't the most refreshing shower, but it would do.
After rinsing, she grabbed a towel, patted herself dry, and applied a generous amount of lotion to her skin. Justine’s trick had been a lifesaver on days like this—she would smell nice after it , when time was not on her side but she still needed to feel fresh.
Sophia stepped out of the bathroom just as Mia turned to her with a smirk.
Dang you shower that fast? Could have sworn you usually spend 2 hrs in there Olivia commented as she stepped out
Measures have to be taken she said and smiled
"You better hurry up. We have like fifteen minutes before we need to leave," Mia said, twirling her mascara stick between her fingers.
"
"Yeah, yeah, I’m on it," Sophia muttered as she rushed to grab her clothes.
It was going to be a long day, and she still had to head to Pappies after class. She looked through her luggage, deciding what would be the best look to fit into both—look official and look good for class.
After a little debate, she settled on a black trouser and white button-up shirt combo, put on a wristwatch, then stood in front of the mirror to make sure she looked good.
Sophia wasn't self-aware, but she was a very stunning lady.
"Wow, you look good," Mia complimented her.
"She always looks stunning," Olivia added.
"Do I really look that different today?" Sophia blushed a little. Getting compliments was not something she was used to.
They all left the room together. It was a bubbly atmosphere this morning, with everyone exchanging greetings with each other.
They made it out of the hallway and walked toward the school buildings before parting ways to their respective departments. That was right after they wished her good luck on her application for the Pappies job.
Sophia felt a bit happier today, which was different from the feelings that had been choking her the previous day. Her friends had her back, her cousin was there for her, and she was going to find a way to make money to sort her school bills. Nothing was going to ruin her day.
She stepped into class, and it was the same atmosphere as yesterday. The class was already filled up, but there were still seats reserved close to where she sat yesterday. Katrina Beige and her friends sat close to the front as usual.
"Hey, look! It's the charity case," one of them said and pointed at her as she walked past.
She completely ignored them.
They weren’t going to get to her today.
Not this time.
Without sparing them a glance, she made sure to pick a seat far from their usual spot, somewhere she wouldn’t have to hear their nasty snide remarks or endure their judgmental stares. The last thing she needed was their negativity ruining her morning.
Taking a deep breath, she set her books on the table and adjusted herself in her seat. She was determined to focus, to make today a good day no matter what. Nothing was going to mess that up—not petty whispers, not sideways glances, nothing.
As she sat there, waiting for the lecture to begin, she allowed herself a small moment of peace, enjoying the silence before the professor arrived.
Meanwhile, across town, Lana was facing a battle of her own. Which was having to get these two up and go to school
Getting Zach and Taylor out of bed had been a nightmare. They were supposed to be the ones driving her to school, yet somehow, she found herself being the responsible one—again. If waking up Ryan was difficult, dealing with these two was even worse.
“Come on, guys,” Lana groaned, standing at the foot of Zach’s bed with her hands on her hips. “I need to get to school!”
“Five more minutes,” Zach mumbled, burying his face deeper into his pillow.
“No, no more minutes,” she snapped, yanking his blanket off. “You promised to drive me. Get up!”
Taylor groaned from the other side of the room. “Why are you even going? Just stay in ,with us. One day won’t kill you.”
Lana rolled her eyes. She should’ve known they’d try to pull this. She actually didn't want to be here a part of her wanted to see Ryan and the also didn't want to
“You know I can’t do that,” she said, already moving to open the curtains. Sunlight flooded the room, making them both groan in protest.
After what felt like an eternity of nagging, bribing, and threats, she finally managed to drag them out of bed. They grumbled the entire time, but at least they were moving.
Now! both you get into the shower I only have a few minutes please
Chapter 37They went into the shower together."Don't tell me you guys are going to bathe together? You know what, I don't care. Just hurry it up, please."They didn’t take much time bathing; they were soon out of the shower, and Lana watched them move with their towels.As they got dressed and grabbed their things, Taylor asked, "Have you called Ryan yet?""No, why do I have to?" Lana responded. "You both should be the ones calling him for the shit you pulled yesterday."The conversation naturally drifted to the events of the previous day."We don't have to call him. He owes us an apology for coming in here and talking like that to us," Taylor replied in a cold tone."Yeah, ours is understandable," Zach called out as he pulled up his jeans. "But why haven’t you? Even if it’s just to ask if he got to school safe.""No, I don’t need to call him. I'm sure he’s fine.""So… you’re really avoiding Ryan, huh?" Zach teased as he slipped on his jacket.Lana sighed, running a hand through her
Chapter 38As the lecturer stepped into the classroom, Sophia immediately noticed that he was different from the one they had the day before. This man looked to be in his early 40s—perhaps even younger. He carried himself with an air of confidence, his neatly pressed suit giving him a polished yet approachable appearance. Sophia was a little taken aback. She had expected someone much older in this field, considering the depth of knowledge required for public health. But then again, times were changing, and younger professionals were making their mark in academia. The lecturer walked to the center of the class, set down his materials, and offered a friendly smile. “Good morning, everyone,” he greeted. “Good morning, sir,” the class responded in unison. “My name is Dr. Reynolds, and I’ll be taking you through Public Health this semester. I expect all of you to be engaged because this course isn’t just about theories—it’s about real-world applications. Public health affects eve
Chapter 39Sophia exhaled sharply, massaging her wrist as she stepped back. A part of her felt triumphant—seeing Katrina riled up was satisfying. But she didn’t have time for all this She needed to get to Pappies on time, and dealing with Katrina wasn’t on her to-do list. Pulling out her phone, she checked the time. She hadn’t made an official appointment, which she now wondered if she should have, but there was no going back. She had to at least show up and try. As she made her way toward Pappies, the cool afternoon breeze brushed against her skin. It was a short walk from her lecture hall, but it felt unfamiliar. This was the first time she had come to this side of the school, and she took in her surroundings as she walked. The atmosphere was quieter here, with fewer students loitering around. Most of them seemed busy, either in hushed conversations or heading toward different buildings. Sophia adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and quickened her pace. She didn’t wa
Chapter 40Sophia couldn’t wait to share the news with her roommates. Her heart was still racing a little from the excitement of the interview, and the thought of actually getting the job gave her a sense of accomplishment. She quickly pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and opened their group chat."Hey guys, I might be resuming work here anytime soon," she typed, her fingers moving over the keys for a moment before hitting send. The little dot indicating that the message had been delivered made her stomach have a sensation Mia was the first to reply, sending a string of celebratory emojis. "Congratulations, girl! It was never in doubt," she wrote, and Sophia couldn’t help but grin at the message. Mia always knew how to make her feel good about herself. Sophia stared at her phone, waiting for Olivia’s response, but there was no reply yet. It seemed Olivia wasn’t online at the moment. She let out a sigh of relief, feeling like she had something to talk about when Olivia did finally
Chapter 41Ryan let out a dry chuckle. Yeah, well, welcome to my life. And you've always been there Lana smiled a little at that truth There was a moment’s silence before Lana spoke again. ’Okay, but about the whole professors reporting to her thing—what are you going to do about that? You can’t let this keep happening. ’Ryan sighed. 'I don't know. I was thinking about talking to my professors and asking them not to give her updates, but let's be real—if my mom wants information, she'll find a way to get it. 'Lana nodded. 'Of course, she probably has half the faculty in her pocket. 'there is a walsh auditorium for a reasonRyan rubbed his temples. Ugh, don’t even get me started on that. At this point I’d have to assume she paid someone to keep track of my attendance.Lana smiled. 'Anytime you feel the urge to disappear, just give me a call. I'll help you stage a dramatic getaway. 'you know I have your back Ryan chuckled despite himself. "Oh yeah? What’s the plan?"Lana rubbed
Chapter 42Olivia and Mia soon arrived at the dorm room, as they burst through the door. Without a word, they both rushed to Sophia and wrapped her in a tight hug.“Whoa! What’s this for?” Sophia laughed, caught off guard but secretly enjoying the warmth of their embrace.“Can’t we just hug you?” Mia teased, pulling back slightly.“Yeah, maybe we missed you,” Olivia added with a wink.Sophia narrowed her eyes playfully. “you girls can't be serious. I saw you guys this morning.” And how come you guys always seem to come in together? “Still,” Mia said, flopping onto Sophia’s bed dramatically. “A lot can happen in a few hours, plus you got the job .” and blame Olivia for that ,she is always looking for how to follow meSophia shook her head, grinning. “You two are so weird.”“We know,” Olivia said proudly. “Now, about my date—”“Ah, yes! What time does it start?” Sophia asked, straightening up. “Let’s get you all dressed up.”Olivia glanced at her phone. “In about two hours, but I ne
Chapter 43Ryan figured he needed to speak to Jessie. He hadn't seen or spoken to her all day—actually, not since last night’s incident. He felt like he owed her an apology, at least for how things had transpired. Leaving her mid-conversation to answer his mom’s call had been careless. He could have handled it better. Now, as he sat at the café with Lana, he found himself distracted, tapping his fingers against the table while Lana was completely busy with taking pictures of their food. He sighed. Somehow, she had convinced him to buy lunch for both of them, and now she was treating their meal like a personal photoshoot. "Are you planning to eat that or frame it?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow as she adjusted the angle of her phone. Lana smirked but didn’t look up. "Food this pretty deserves appreciation." She snapped another picture. "Besides, you paid, so I get to enjoy it however I want."thanks for buying by the way , you owed me after all Ryan rolled his eyes, but his mind
Chapter 44The walk to Jessie’s dorm was quiet, aside from Ryan mumbling to himself as he rehearsed his apology."Hey, Jessie, I was a jerk yesterday… no, that sounds too formal… Jessie, I messed up, but I really like you… ugh, too desperate."Lana shook her head,she was scrolling through her phone watching him stress over every word. "Dude, relax. Just be yourself.""Yeah, easy for you to say. You're not the one about to put your heart on the line."She smirked. "Nope and I don't think I ever will be , which is why I am here getting hurt over all this , she said to herself But I am the one who told you this was a bad idea."They reached the dorm building, and Ryan took a deep breath. "Okay. Let’s do this."Lana stood back, arms crossed. "Good luck, lover boy."Ryan shot her a glare before heading inside.As he walked down the hall, Ryan could feel his heart pounding in his chest. This was it. He’d knock, she’d answer, he’d give her the chocolates and note, they’d talk, and maybe—ju
Chapter 46Lana had just turned the corner when she saw a stranger leave her dorm room. A guy she had never seen before. Tall, dark hair, a confident stride—definitely not someone from their usual circle. She watched as he casually walked down the hall, disappearing around the corner.Her lips curled slightly, both in amusement and irritation. So this was the guy Ryan saw Jessie with. The reason Ryan had spent half the night crashing out Lana wanted to say something to Jessie about it, but then again, what was the point? She wasn’t going to stir up unnecessary drama. If Jessie wanted to sneak around with someone else while Ryan was busy convincing himself she was the love of his life, that was her business. Maybe now, at least, Ryan would finally stop obsessing over her.She shook her head and pushed open the door to the dorm.Jessie was sitting cross-legged on her bed, scrolling through her phone, but she looked up the moment Lana walked in. Her face lit up as she saw her “Hey, Lan
Chapter 45 It was quite late into the night, almost past 11, when Olivia finally returned from her date. She quietly pushed open the door to their dorm, careful not to wake Mia, who was already fast asleep. The lights in the room were turned off save for the bedside lamp, which was left on by Sophia, who was still up, scrolling through her phone.Sophia looked up as Olivia tiptoed in, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "Well, well, look who finally decided to show up," she teased, sitting up and patting the bed beside her. "So, are you going to spill, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?"Olivia grinned as she kicked off her heels, stretching her tired feet. "Oh my God, Sophia, it was amazing!" she whispered excitedly, settling onto the bed. "I don’t even know where to start.""How about from the beginning?" Sophia said, raising an eyebrow. "Glad it was that nice. Like, what even took you so long? I was beginning to think Jake kidnapped you or something."Olivia laughed
Chapter 44The walk to Jessie’s dorm was quiet, aside from Ryan mumbling to himself as he rehearsed his apology."Hey, Jessie, I was a jerk yesterday… no, that sounds too formal… Jessie, I messed up, but I really like you… ugh, too desperate."Lana shook her head,she was scrolling through her phone watching him stress over every word. "Dude, relax. Just be yourself.""Yeah, easy for you to say. You're not the one about to put your heart on the line."She smirked. "Nope and I don't think I ever will be , which is why I am here getting hurt over all this , she said to herself But I am the one who told you this was a bad idea."They reached the dorm building, and Ryan took a deep breath. "Okay. Let’s do this."Lana stood back, arms crossed. "Good luck, lover boy."Ryan shot her a glare before heading inside.As he walked down the hall, Ryan could feel his heart pounding in his chest. This was it. He’d knock, she’d answer, he’d give her the chocolates and note, they’d talk, and maybe—ju
Chapter 43Ryan figured he needed to speak to Jessie. He hadn't seen or spoken to her all day—actually, not since last night’s incident. He felt like he owed her an apology, at least for how things had transpired. Leaving her mid-conversation to answer his mom’s call had been careless. He could have handled it better. Now, as he sat at the café with Lana, he found himself distracted, tapping his fingers against the table while Lana was completely busy with taking pictures of their food. He sighed. Somehow, she had convinced him to buy lunch for both of them, and now she was treating their meal like a personal photoshoot. "Are you planning to eat that or frame it?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow as she adjusted the angle of her phone. Lana smirked but didn’t look up. "Food this pretty deserves appreciation." She snapped another picture. "Besides, you paid, so I get to enjoy it however I want."thanks for buying by the way , you owed me after all Ryan rolled his eyes, but his mind
Chapter 42Olivia and Mia soon arrived at the dorm room, as they burst through the door. Without a word, they both rushed to Sophia and wrapped her in a tight hug.“Whoa! What’s this for?” Sophia laughed, caught off guard but secretly enjoying the warmth of their embrace.“Can’t we just hug you?” Mia teased, pulling back slightly.“Yeah, maybe we missed you,” Olivia added with a wink.Sophia narrowed her eyes playfully. “you girls can't be serious. I saw you guys this morning.” And how come you guys always seem to come in together? “Still,” Mia said, flopping onto Sophia’s bed dramatically. “A lot can happen in a few hours, plus you got the job .” and blame Olivia for that ,she is always looking for how to follow meSophia shook her head, grinning. “You two are so weird.”“We know,” Olivia said proudly. “Now, about my date—”“Ah, yes! What time does it start?” Sophia asked, straightening up. “Let’s get you all dressed up.”Olivia glanced at her phone. “In about two hours, but I ne
Chapter 41Ryan let out a dry chuckle. Yeah, well, welcome to my life. And you've always been there Lana smiled a little at that truth There was a moment’s silence before Lana spoke again. ’Okay, but about the whole professors reporting to her thing—what are you going to do about that? You can’t let this keep happening. ’Ryan sighed. 'I don't know. I was thinking about talking to my professors and asking them not to give her updates, but let's be real—if my mom wants information, she'll find a way to get it. 'Lana nodded. 'Of course, she probably has half the faculty in her pocket. 'there is a walsh auditorium for a reasonRyan rubbed his temples. Ugh, don’t even get me started on that. At this point I’d have to assume she paid someone to keep track of my attendance.Lana smiled. 'Anytime you feel the urge to disappear, just give me a call. I'll help you stage a dramatic getaway. 'you know I have your back Ryan chuckled despite himself. "Oh yeah? What’s the plan?"Lana rubbed
Chapter 40Sophia couldn’t wait to share the news with her roommates. Her heart was still racing a little from the excitement of the interview, and the thought of actually getting the job gave her a sense of accomplishment. She quickly pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and opened their group chat."Hey guys, I might be resuming work here anytime soon," she typed, her fingers moving over the keys for a moment before hitting send. The little dot indicating that the message had been delivered made her stomach have a sensation Mia was the first to reply, sending a string of celebratory emojis. "Congratulations, girl! It was never in doubt," she wrote, and Sophia couldn’t help but grin at the message. Mia always knew how to make her feel good about herself. Sophia stared at her phone, waiting for Olivia’s response, but there was no reply yet. It seemed Olivia wasn’t online at the moment. She let out a sigh of relief, feeling like she had something to talk about when Olivia did finally
Chapter 39Sophia exhaled sharply, massaging her wrist as she stepped back. A part of her felt triumphant—seeing Katrina riled up was satisfying. But she didn’t have time for all this She needed to get to Pappies on time, and dealing with Katrina wasn’t on her to-do list. Pulling out her phone, she checked the time. She hadn’t made an official appointment, which she now wondered if she should have, but there was no going back. She had to at least show up and try. As she made her way toward Pappies, the cool afternoon breeze brushed against her skin. It was a short walk from her lecture hall, but it felt unfamiliar. This was the first time she had come to this side of the school, and she took in her surroundings as she walked. The atmosphere was quieter here, with fewer students loitering around. Most of them seemed busy, either in hushed conversations or heading toward different buildings. Sophia adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and quickened her pace. She didn’t wa
Chapter 38As the lecturer stepped into the classroom, Sophia immediately noticed that he was different from the one they had the day before. This man looked to be in his early 40s—perhaps even younger. He carried himself with an air of confidence, his neatly pressed suit giving him a polished yet approachable appearance. Sophia was a little taken aback. She had expected someone much older in this field, considering the depth of knowledge required for public health. But then again, times were changing, and younger professionals were making their mark in academia. The lecturer walked to the center of the class, set down his materials, and offered a friendly smile. “Good morning, everyone,” he greeted. “Good morning, sir,” the class responded in unison. “My name is Dr. Reynolds, and I’ll be taking you through Public Health this semester. I expect all of you to be engaged because this course isn’t just about theories—it’s about real-world applications. Public health affects eve