chapter 3

The class was over after an hour and they had a half an hour break before the next class was going to start. She was grabbing her things and stuffing them inside her bag when a girl appeared in front of her. 

"Hello! I'm Nancy" the girl offered her hand to Veronica. 

She took it and shook a little. 

"I'm Veronica" she introduced herself. 

"Nice to meet you, I guess we're friends from now on" she was more straight forward than Veronica expected. 

"Sure" Veronica had no reason to decline the friendship, after all she didn't know anyone at this new place. 

"I'm feeling hungry, can we head out to cafe?" The doctor offered her and she draped her bag over her shoulder to go with her. 

The girl bought herself and Veronica a coffee which Veronica clearly denied but she said that she was treating her for accepting her friendship. After a while Nancy finally convinced her to take the coffee. 

"You seem new here" Nancy spoke. 

"Yeah just got transferred" 

"Great man! Me too. Hope this place is exciting as I expect" Nancy had high expectations. 

"I'm looking for a part time job, do you know about any available position or where I can find it?" Veronica disclosed the most important matter which had been eating her since the moment she stepped into this city. 

"I think you're in luck because my brother is freshly appointed as manager in a new hotel and they are already looking for female waitresses" the girl said with so much enthusiasm that Veronica smiled. 

"Really? Can I get a job there?" Veronica asked in disbelief. Is she really this lucky to get a job so easily? 

"Yes dude! I'll take to him today and you can join the hotel from tomorrow. It's not much of a hustle as you're imagining" Nancy assured her as if it was not a problem for her and she can do it at her fingertips. 

"Thankyou so much Nancy, I'm really grateful" Veronica couldn't help but thank her sincerely. 

"Enough of this shit! I want treat when you'll get the job. I don't like these thanks" Nancy declared in a stern amusing tone. 

"Obviously, I'll treat you with my first salary" Veronica agreed. 

"Done"

After attending back to back classes, she was tired and went into the girls common room to stretch her limbs if she would get sore from the aching limbs. Sitting constantly in a sitting position for hours always made her uncomfortable and irritated. 

She laid on a couch and took a short nap while the girls were filled inside the common room as if it was there comfy home. 

The moment she woke up, it was late afternoon. She picked her bag and head out to the library. She collected some good novels from the rack and a couple of books related to her course. She got them issued with her students ID. Heading out of the university, she saw a guy who was watching her contently from a distance, leaning against the wall. He looked older than her and seemed to be a student as he wore an ID. She ignored and didn't pay any attention, walking towards the hostel in long and urgent strides. 

She reached the hostel before the curfew and dropped her bag immediately in her room to have the dinner. She was the last person to reach the dinner table as she sat down with Mina who waved her to come and sit with them. 

The next day, was a warm day. She wore a black turtle neck along with beige pants and the same coat which Rachel gave her. She was getting ready when Mina stepped beside her to brushe her hair and aplly makeup. 

Veronica only applied lip balm and was about to aside when she looked at her in surprise. 

"Gosh! Don't you wear any makeup?" She let out a scowl. 

"No, I'm just good without that" she felt weird with her reaction. 

"Girl come here and apply a lipstick and wing a eyeliner" she pulled her arm and made her stand in front if the mirror. She took out a nude pink lipstick as per her no makeup preference and made her wear that. Then she winged a eyeliner on her eyes with her own hands. And applying a bb cream, Mina was satisfied that she looked much better than before. 

Scared, Veronica looked in the mirror and found a new version of herself which she never came across before. She looked pretty, she didn't know if that was the way to define herself. 

She shouted a thanks to Mina and the other girls while draping her bag over her shoulder. She grabbed a croissant from the breakfast table while rushing out of the hostel. 

She was getting late. She was taking quick steps on the path while she looked down and found her white shoes fading. 

"Don't worry, I'll change you in a month, just stay a bit more" she whispered to herself. 

The sun was blessing her with it's warmness so she wasn't breathing out thick smoke. She was happy and a sense of tranquility ran inside her nerves when she reached the university. 

This time she was more contented with the elevator door and stepped right in the moment it opened. On her way to class, she met Nancy who waved her from afar. 

She stopped in her way, for Nancy to join her. They both hugged each other and entered inside the class together. 

Nancy had to sit down at the front with Veronica. The lecture started as soon the teacher placed his bag on the floor beside rostrum. 

The class ended after two hours and suddenly the speaker in class vibrated, motioning that a announcement is going to be made. 

The students stopped for a moment. 

"Miss Veronica, you are requested in the administration office" her name was announced and she wondered if everything was okay. 

The students moved out of the lecture hall at once when they realized it was nothing important. 

Nancy guided her that the administration office was right to the building beside the auditorium and she would be waiting for her in the cafe. Veronica picked her bag and rushed in the direction which she was told. 

She was anxious as she couldn't figure out the reason for her sudden presence in the office. Why would they call her in particular?

She was running down the corridor and she turned her head to look at her back as someone waved her but to her bad luck, she bumped into a stone wall and fell down immediately on the floor. 

The first thing which crossed her mind was that how can a wall appear in the middle of the corridor?

She looked in front of her and she found a pair of black shoes. She looked up and found a man dressed in a black tuxedo. Only then she realized that she didn't bumped into a wall but his hard chest. 

He had a dapper personality, with clean-cut stubble beard. His eyes colored ice blue but dark than she imagined. The same smell which struck her nostrils before was floating in her senses. His expressions looked commanding and of a ascendant male. Compelling and decisive air around him which agitated her the moment she made an eye contact with him. His veiny hands larger and fisted as if he wanted to punch her. 

She clumsily picked up her bag from the floor and grabbed her phone which seemed to be broken from the screen. She stood up and didn't lifted her head up. 

"I'm sorry I was not looking" she muttered to him and tried to leap away from him as soon as possible. He was petrifying her from every angle she possibly looked. 

He didn't said a word in response and walked away as if she was some garbage in his way which people don't tend to notice while walking. 

Here eyes became wet and moistened around the edges barely holding back her tears. She had self respect but rich people like him only consider themselves superior over weak ones. She felt her guts churning in disgust for him. She won't even bother to spit on him. She loathed him when he didn't even replied to her apology. 

She collected her attention again in the direction of administration office and entered inside after knocking. 

"I'm Veronica" she introduced herself to the man sitting behind the table. 

"Please sit" He offered her. 

She sat down on the chair and waited for him to unfold the matter. 

"Your documents are incomplete as we need your identity card for confirmation. And please give your student advisor's contact so we can clear out our further queries" the man spoke.  

She took out her identity card from her bag and showed him. 

"Okay so you're complete 18 years old. Thankyou. If we had any more complications we might need to call you again" the man told her. 

"Feel free" she replied as she wrote down her student advisor's contact on the pad he forwarded her.