My best friend likes to pretend to be
noble
Chapter 1
I had this friend, Ashley, who was so full of
herself.
Like, freshman year of college, some cute
upperclassman, Chad, offered to help her with
her luggage, and she straight–up turned him
down.
“I don’t just let guys help me like that,” she told
him, “Don’t even think about hitting on me.”
Her family wasn’t exactly rolling in it, so the
school offered her a grant, but she gave them
this cold shoulder, too.
“I may not have much,” she said, “But I have my
pride. I don’t take handouts.”
<
7:30
504
Later, after graduation, we both applied for the same job, but I was the only one who got the
offer.
And guess what she did? She tried to turn it down for me, saying something about how
working for someone else was for suckers, and
how we should be entrepreneurs like her.
I was about to lose it on her when she shoved
me off the roof.
Then, I woke up, and it was the first day of
college all over again.
“Jen, you got any water in your bag? I’m dying
of thirst.”
It was Melissa, dragging her suitcase, looking
like she was about to melt in the sun.
I snapped my head up.
<
7:30
จ
504
No more upside–down building looming over
- me.
Realizing what was going on, I glared at Ashley,
who was walking ahead.
Last time around, I’d poured my heart out to
her, and she repaid me by sending me to an
early grave.
Everything around me matched my memories
from four years ago.
Melissa was still calling my name.
I was about to answer when a tall figure started
walking toward us, Chad, the upperclassman.
He had a water bottle in his hand, heading
straight for Ashley and me. He offered the
water as he spoke.
“Need a hand with that stuff? I heard girls‘
<
7:30
suitcases were super heavy, so here, drink some water, and I’ll do the heavy lifting.”
604
He held the bottle out to Ashley, but she acted like he was holding a snake and stepped back.
“What do you want? How long have you been watching us? I don’t need your help, and you’re not getting my number. My mom taught me not to just let guys touch my stuff.”
She gave me this smug look.
She’d done the same exact thing last time, showing off her “holier–than–thou” attitude.
But after she rejected Chad, she’d dumped all
her luggage on me and said, “Jen, I just did you
a solid. If you start messing with guys on day
one, you’ll get a reputation of being trashy.”
Then she’d pranced off, leaving me with what
felt like a ton of bricks to haul up to the dorm.
<
7:31
((
504
I still remembered how my back had been killing
me for three days straight after that.
Snapping back to the present, I looked at her
stuck–up face, smiled at Chad, and practically
snatched the water bottle out of his hand.
“That would be amazing!”
Chad, after being rejected, smiled back, and his
whole face lit up.
Chad hoisted my suitcase onto his shoulder and
started hauling it up the stairs like a champ.
I was about to follow him when Ashley grabbed
my arm.
She was fuming, her eyes practically popping
out of her head.
“Jen, how could you just accept help from some
random dude? You can’t just accept things with
<
7:31
514
random dude? You can’t just accept things with
no strings attached. People will talk.”
She was yanking on my sleeve.
I shook her off and gave her a sweet smile.
“Get with the times, Grandma.”
Then I turned around, leaving Ashley sputtering
behind me.
After getting my stuff to the dorm, I thanked
Chad and dug out some snacks from my bag.
I even slipped in one of those heart–shaped
chocolates from See’s Candies.
Chad took the chocolate, and his ears turned a
funny shade of pink.
“Can I get your number, Chad?” I asked.
:
<
7:31
“Uh… yeah, sure.”
