PlotlumeThe evening I finally saved enough from a month of waiting tables to buy those limited-edition Air Jordans, I went to the basketball court to find him, full of excitement.
As I passed the equipment room, I heard a girl from my dorm giggling through the half-open door.
“He does whatever I say. All I had to do was act sweet, and he replaced that poor girl's name with mine on the graduate school nomination list.”
“It's her fault for writing such a good paper for a top journal. She was getting in the way of my chance to polish my résumé abroad.”
“That country bumpkin thinks working hard will let her climb out of poverty. She ought to rot at the bottom, washing dishes for the rest of her life.”
Her friend fawned over her. “Our brilliant Mr. Pierce really is devoted to you. He even dared to tamper with the professor's computer.”
I clutched the paper bag holding the sneakers, feeling as though I had fallen into an ice cellar.
Because that impoverished, brilliant Mr. Pierce was my boyfriend.
And the journal paper written over three sleepless nights happened to bear my name.
1
“Oh, Stella, our brilliant Mr. Pierce really is devoted to you. He even dared to tamper with the professor's computer.”
My dormmate Eden Lawson's laughter drifted through the equipment room's half-open door.
“Of course.” Stella Ellison sounded smug.
“He does whatever I say.”
“All I had to do was act sweet, and he replaced that poor girl's name with mine on the graduate school nomination list.”
Eden chimed in.
“It's her fault for writing such a good paper for a top journal.”
“She was getting in the way of our Stella's chance to polish her résumé abroad.”
Stella snorted.
“That country bumpkin thinks working hard will let her climb out of poverty.”
“She ought to rot at the bottom, washing dishes for the rest of her life.”
I clutched the paper bag holding the sneakers.
My nails dug into my palms. Cold spread through my body.
Because that impoverished, brilliant Mr. Pierce was my boyfriend, Mason Pierce.
And the journal paper written over three sleepless nights happened to bear my name.
The laughter continued inside.
“Stella, are you really going to stay with Mason?”
“His family is so poor. He can't even afford decent sneakers.”
Stella giggled coyly.
“I'm just having fun. Who wants a real relationship with him?”
“He's smart, that's all. He can sort out the recommendation and the paper for me.”
“Once I get the place and get into a prestigious university abroad, why would I even remember who he is?”
Eden sucked in a breath.
“You really are something, Stella. You've got it all figured out.”
“But what if his country girlfriend finds out?”
“That Olivia Calloway is so stubborn. What if she makes a scene…”
Stella interrupted dismissively.
“What's there to be afraid of?”
“Mason said Olivia is an idiot who's never seen the world.”
“A few sweet words and she'll believe anything. She doesn't even know where the professor's office is. How could she find out?”
I stood in the dark corridor.
April's evening breeze felt cold enough to cut through bone.
The bag with the Air Jordan logo grew unbearably heavy in my hand.
To afford it, I had spent a whole month waiting tables and washing countless dishes, until my fingers turned white and peeled from soaking.
Mason had said he had never owned brand-name sneakers in his life.
He said that once he made something of himself, he would give me a good life.
I believed him.
The hinges creaked.
Stella and Eden pushed the door open and came out.
Instinctively, I stepped back into the shadows beneath the stairs.
Stella wore a new Chanel jacket and played with the latest iPhone.
“Let's go. Mason said he'd wait for me at the gate.”
“He insists on taking me for Japanese food tonight to celebrate securing the recommendation.”
Eden followed enviously.
“Japanese food isn't cheap. Where did he get the money?”
Stella scoffed.
“Who knows? Probably conned Olivia out of her part-time wages again.”
They walked away, laughing and talking.
Stiff all over, I mechanically took out my phone.
The screen was empty. Not a single message.