Chapter 6

Chapter 6  

"What's with all the yelling?" Justine said as she stretched from her bed and walked toward the bathroom.  

Her cousin came out of it, visibly upset. "There's no water, Justine! I can't believe this. My whole day is ruined. I knew I was going to mess it up. It sounded too good to be true anyway." Tears began to drop from Sophia's eyes.  

"Hey, stop this nonsense," her cousin snapped at her. "It's just water, not the end of the world."  

Sophia sniffled. "But how can I—"  

"I have a little trick," Justine interrupted, holding up a bottle of lotion and body wash. "Take this lotion and wash, apply it around your body like you're bathing. It’ll leave you smelling like flowers. You really need to learn to improvise for times like this, my dear Sophia. Now hurry up and do this; we don’t have all day!"  

Sophia reluctantly grabbed the lotion and wash from her cousin and walked back into the bathroom. Pouring the mixture into her hands, she began rubbing it around her body as fast as she could. She applied extra to her armpits and pubic area, muttering under her breath, "God, never did I think a day like this would come. Why does all this have to happen today?"  

"Come on, cousin, hurry it up! You don’t want to be late for your fancy school interview," Justine teased from the bathroom door.  

"God, we really need to make money—at least enough to pay the freaking water bill," Sophia groaned as she came out of the bathroom. "Now I’m going to the University of Lerudia without even taking a proper bath. God, I’m going to stink so bad, aren’t I? This is definitely not the first impression I had hoped to make."  

"Relax, cousin, and go get changed. It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. I’ll quickly go and fix you something," Justine said, trying to pacify her.  

"Oh no, there’s no time for that," Sophia said as she took off the towel and slid into her underwear. She rummaged through her closet, still confused about what to wear. Finally, she decided on a pair of black pants and a white top.  

She quickly checked her phone for the time. It was a few minutes past 8 o’clock. "Dang, now I have to hurry," she muttered.  

"How does this look?" Sophia asked Justine as she put on her clothes, anxiously waiting for her cousin's approval. 

   "You look great, cousin! Now, there’s one tiny issue with your hair. Let me quickly fix it up for you," Justine said, walking over to Sophia.

She brushed Sophia’s long hair, rolling it up into a neat ponytail, and added a pretty butterfly hairpin for an extra touch. Turning Sophia’s head towards the mirror in the room, Justine beamed with pride. "Perfect as always!" she complimented, pleased with her handiwork.

"Thanks a lot. Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without you," Sophia said, her voice filled with gratitude.

"Of course, I know," Justine teased, smirking. "Now we best hurry up and leave. A whole new chapter of your life awaits, and we definitely wouldn’t want it delayed. Also, I already helped Granny out of bed and fed her a little. The old woman went right to sleep after that, so you don’t have to worry."

"Oh, thank you!" Sophia exclaimed, hugging Justine tightly.

Both of them got up and walked out of the room. Though Sophia wasn’t the religious type, she paused to say a little prayer and kissed her grandmother on the forehead before leaving the house.

The cousins began walking toward the bus station. "We best increase those steps if we want to make it to the bus station. It’s only two blocks away," Justine said, glancing at Sophia.

"Well then, it’s a good thing I opted for these sweet sneakers instead of the loafers I intended to wear," Sophia replied, smiling. They both picked up the pace, jogging slightly.

The bus station came into view, and Sophia’s smile faded. It was slightly crowded—one of the things she detested. Crowded bus stations always carried a mix of unpleasant smells: cigarettes, coffee, sweat, and sometimes the exhaustion of night-shift workers from nearby factories. All of it meeting at a singular spot made her sick to her stomach.

As they drew closer, Sophia covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from gagging. And then came the pushing—people shoving their way onto the bus, as though they wouldn’t make it on unless they bulldozed through.

This was one of the reasons Sophia worked hard: to get herself and her loved ones out of this kind of life. She knew it would happen. Today was already a big step in the right direction.

They reached the bus station just in time as the bus heading to Lerudia made its stop. Justine hurried to the nearby stand, purchased two tickets, and handed one to Sophia.

But then, Justine spotted a problem. The bus was already half full, and the two of them were still stuck at the back of the line. There was a huge chance they might not make it onto the bus in time. Justine knew she had to act quickly—something desperate.

"Sophia," Justine said, lowering her voice, "I need you to stay calm because what I’m about to tell you will definitely get your nerves up. But I don’t think we’re going to make it onto the bus unless we cut in line."

    Sophia gasped, tired of the frustrations she had faced, and it was only morning. She hated having to cut in line. She was always the type to want things to be done fairly.  

"I don't think that will be necessary. We can just catch the next bus, I—"  

"Oh, and then miss your fancy school interview?" Justine interrupted Sophia. "What happened to you wanting to make a good first impression?"  

"Maybe I can, you know, explain to them why I couldn't make it in time. I'm sure they will understand," Sophia shrugged.  

"Well, that is a risk I cannot allow you to take. I know how hard you worked for this. It cannot be toyed with just like that. Now come with me. I have the perfect idea," Justine said, her voice confident as she grabbed Sophia's hand.  

"Justine, Justine, please let's think this through," Sophia was reluctant to go on with the plan. "We are already moving away from our line. You are going to make things worse," Sophia kept on at it, wondering if Justine would change her mind.  

But she remained adamant. She finally stopped at where two men were standing, also waiting in line to get on the bus, but it was closer to the entrance.  

Justine looked at a man sipping his coffee and the other one behind him with his hands in his pockets who seemed to be in a hurry to get to work. She knew that one was off limits. She decided to focus on the man sipping his coffee.  

Justine looked at him, tapped his shoulder, and spoke to him with a feminine tone. She smiled at him and lowered her voice.  

"Please, I and my sister here are running late. Would you please let us stay here? It's really important, and we cannot miss this bus," Justine tapped the man's shoulder in a kind of flirty way.  

It was uncomfortable to watch for Sophia and even more so for Justine.  

The man looked at her and smiled, revealing his crooked set of teeth. Then he began talking.  

"I will let you ladies stand in front of me," his voice was in an accent Sophia couldn't quite tell, "if you let me grab and squeeze that behind of yours while we wait in line." He looked at them, licking his lips as he continued giving them a crooked smile.  

Justine immediately let go of the man's shoulders, already disgusted that she could even talk to a man like this.  

Sophia twisted her face in horror, then spat out under her breath, "Fricking pervert."  

The man heard her.  

"What did you just call me? I heard what you said," his smile disappeared immediately. "I only want to help you dumb ladies cut in line," he began laughing sarcastically. 

    "Let's leave. I told you it was a dumb idea," Sophia said to Justine, who felt bad about the whole situation.

They both turned to leave.

"Where are you going, pretty ladies?" the man said as he stretched his hand and grabbed Sophia.

"Let go of her!" Justine yelled as she hit the man's hand with such force that he let go of Sophia. He lost his balance and staggered backward, spilling the coffee in his hand all over the man standing behind him—the same man who had been looking aggressive as he was in a hurry to work. What made it worse was that the man was wearing white, and the coffee stained his shirt.

"Oops," Sophia muttered under her breath.

The man with the stained shirt turned to the person who spilled the coffee all over him and pushed him in the chest.

"Have you gone mad?"

The other man retaliated and pushed him back, scattering the line. A fight was about to break out.

It was then that the idea came to Sophia that they could take advantage of this.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the whole crowd chanted as they turned to watch the ongoing drama.

The man with the stained shirt threw a direct punch that connected squarely with the man's jaw.

"Serves him right," Justine said under her breath.

Sophia saw an opening in the line and quickly dragged Justine along with her. They handed over their tickets to the bus conductor and got on the bus.

"We did it!" Sophia said as soon as they were seated. "That was wild. I didn't even think of that."

"You did well, cousin. I'm sorry I almost ruined it for you," Justine responded.

"Oh no, you didn't. You gave us an advantage. Plus, the scumbag is getting what he deserves." Sophia pointed at the window, and they saw the man getting a beatdown. A series of punches were being landed on his face.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Justine yelled out in triumph. "Get the freaking pervert!"

At this point, the bus was already filled up and getting ready to leave the station.

Sophia quickly glanced at her watch. It was just a few minutes to 9 o'clock. They could still make it in time.

The bus began moving, and Sophia heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's been quite an eventful morning, hasn't it?" Justine said to her.

"Yeah, it has. Actually, one to look back on and laugh about, especially when I picture that pervert's face getting punched," Sophia replied with a smile.

They both laughed out loud but quickly stopped when they noticed some of the commuters on the bus were starting to stare at them.

After that, the journey was silent. Sophia kept nervously scrolling through her phone, while Justine gazed out the window, taking in the sights of the city. Unlike Sophia, who would likely be coming here every day, this might be Justine's only visit, so she decided to soak in every detail.

Sophia, on the other hand, was engrossed in watching videos on how to handle academic interviews. She reviewed tips on how to compose herself, which questions to ask, which to answer, and even researched potential career paths. It was clear she was over-preparing, but it helped calm her nerves.

Finally, the bus came to a stop, signaling their arrival.

“Come on, Justine. We’re here,” Sophia said, giving her cousin a quick tap.

The two of them stepped off the bus, and Sophia immediately felt overwhelmed. She had seen pictures of the city online, but experiencing it in person was something else entirely.

They walked for a few moments and soon arrived at the university gates. As they stepped inside, they were both struck by the beauty of the campus.

“Wow,” Justine muttered under her breath, her eyes wide as she looked around.

The university grounds were perfectly manicured, with neatly tarred paths winding through the campus. At the center stood a magnificent statue, meticulously sculpted and commanding attention.

“That must be the founder of the school,” Sophia thought to herself as she gazed at the statue.

She noticed young people stepping out of luxurious cars, while others drove in with their own vehicles. The sight reinforced what Justine always said—this was a school for the wealthy.

“Would you look at that?” Justine said, snapping Sophia out of her thoughts. “It must cost an arm and a leg to get in here.”

Sophia smiled faintly. “Come on, I need to find the administrative offices. You can go sightseeing while I handle this.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own? You literally don’t know anywhere here. How are you planning to find your way there?” Justine asked, her concern evident.

“I’ll just ask around,” Sophia replied with a shrug.

Justine gave her a skeptical look. “The Sophia I know is shy when it comes to talking to people. I’ll just follow you until we find someone to ask. Now, let’s hurry.”

They continued walking together until Justine spotted someone nearby.

“Hey, excuse me,” Sophia called out to a young girl passing by.

The girl, however, completely ignored them and kept walking.

  "Well, these rich kids are quite rude and arrogant, I must say!" Justine remarked.

"I definitely agree with you," Sophia nodded. "How about we ask one of the staff next time instead?"

Sophia quickly glanced at her watch. She only had 15 minutes to find the administrative offices.

"We need to hurry then. We're running out of time," she said, her voice filled with urgency.

They both walked into one of the buildings and spotted a janitor going about his work.

"Well, we can ask him then," Justine said, pointing at the janitor. They both hurried over to him.

He seemed like a nice person and greeted them with a warm smile as they approached. He looked like he was in his early thirties.

"Hi! Good morning," Sophia greeted him politely.

"Good morning," he replied with equal politeness.

"Um, please, I’m so sorry to disturb your work," Sophia began, her voice nervous. "But I was hoping you could please direct me to the administrative offices."

"Oh," he said, smiling back at her. "You’re in the right building then. Just take the first set of stairs that lead upstairs. You’ll find a hallway to the right. That’s the administrative block. Each door of the offices is tagged with the name of the person occupying them."

"Do you have a name you’re looking for?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," Sophia replied. "Thank you so much for your help. It means a lot."

"Anytime, young lady!" the janitor said with a friendly smile and returned to his work.

"So, I guess you know where the offices are now?" Justine asked as she turned to Sophia.

Sophia sighed in relief and forced a small smile.

"Hey! Stop being nervous about this. Just go in there and kill it. I trust you, cousin. You’ve got this," Justine said, her tone encouraging.

For the first time in a while, Sophia felt motivated and encouraged to carry on.

"Thank you, cousin," she said softly.

"Now hurry and get in there. I’ll be outside here waiting and also checking out more things in this fancy school."

Sophia nodded and turned around. She made her way up the first flight of stairs, just as she had been directed. She reached the administrative block and, indeed, found many offices with name tags, just as the janitor had said.

She read each name carefully as she walked forward until she got to the one that said:

"Office of Helena Cartz."

It was the name on the letter—the one that had invited her to the school. She took a deep br

eath and said a little prayer yet again, for the second time that morning.

Summoning her courage, she knocked rather softly on the door.