Keifer noticed where she was looking. He proudly shifted his weight, tapping the toe of his shoe on the floor. He thought she was admiring the shoes he bought using his scholarship stipend.

Bryn snapped her head up. Her voice rang out, sharp and cold. She demanded he pay her back for the shoes he ruined last week. Right now.

The hallway went dead silent. Every single pair of eyes shifted to Keifer's suddenly frozen face.

His eyes bugged out of his head. He stuttered, asking if she was joking, reminding her that they never kept track of money between them.

Bryn let out a harsh laugh. She told him that was when she was stupid, but from now on, every penny was accounted for.

She spoke clearly, enunciating every syllable. She stated the exact price of the limited-edition Jimmy Choo heels: eight hundred and sixty-five dollars.

Blood rushed to Keifer's face, turning his cheeks a dark, humiliated purple. He was a charity case at this school. He didn't have eight hundred dollars in his bank account, let alone in cash.

He dropped his voice to a frantic whisper. He reached out to grab the sleeve of her blazer, begging her to stop making a scene in front of everyone.

Bryn slapped his hand away like he was a diseased rat. She took a large step backward, putting a safe physical distance between them.

She raised her voice even louder. She mocked him, saying that if he was too broke to pay it all at once, she would accept a payment plan.

Bryn unzipped her designer bag and pulled out her iPhone. She tapped the screen a few times, pulled up her Venmo QR code, and shoved the bright screen directly into his face.

A low wave of laughter rippled through the crowd of students. For a narcissist like Keifer, being publicly exposed as poor was worse than taking a bullet.

Keifer clenched his fists. The veins in his neck popped. He convinced himself she was only doing this to humiliate him into begging for her attention.

Desperate to save face, he forced a tight, arrogant smirk. He pulled out his own phone, scanned the code, and hissed that he was sending the money, telling her not to come crying to him later.

Bryn watched the green notification pop up on her screen. She immediately hit accept. She looked up and loudly announced that their debt was settled, and they were officially done.

Before he could react, she added one last sentence. She wished him and Fabiola a very happy life together.

The hallway exploded. Gasps and shocked whispers bounced off the lockers. Students pointed at Keifer, their eyes filled with disgust at the implication that he was hooking up with her adopted sister.

Keifer's face went from purple to chalk white. He threw his hands up, stammering wildly, trying to explain that he and Fabiola were just like brother and sister.

Bryn didn't care to listen to his pathetic lies. She turned her back on him, her posture straight and untouchable, and walked away.

The loud, piercing shriek of the warning bell echoed through the hall, shattering the heavy tension.

The crowd broke apart, but every single student immediately pulled out their phones, furiously typing on Snapchat and the school's anonymous gossip forum.

Keifer stood frozen in the middle of the hallway like a statue. He felt the mocking stares burning into his skin. His massive pride was shattered into a million pieces on the linoleum floor.

Bryn walked toward her AP History classroom. Her chest felt lighter. The suffocating weight of her past life was finally starting to lift.

She reached the heavy wooden door of the classroom and stopped. Dominic was leaning against the brick wall right next to the frame.

He had clearly watched the entire execution. His dark eyes were fixed on her, analyzing her with a deep, intense curiosity.

Bryn didn't look away. She held his gaze and gave him a quick, playful wink, like they were sharing a private joke.

Dominic's breath hitched. He pushed himself off the wall so fast his shoulder bumped the brick. He let out a defensive scoff to cover his reaction.

But instead of throwing a cruel insult at her, he reached out and pulled the heavy wooden door open for her.

Bryn smiled. She whispered a soft "thank you" and walked into the classroom, her head held high, ready to start her new life.

Chapter 5 5

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