The Scholarship Girl & The Rich Young Master

The entire cafeteria went silent when I walked in. Not because I was interesting. Because I didn't belong. My uniform was second-hand, the logo faded from too many washes. My bag was from a thrift store, the zipper held together with a paperclip. At Rosewood Elite Academy, where girls carried $5,000 handbags to class, that was basically a crime. "That's the scholarship girl," someone whispered behind me. "Mia Parker. Her mom cleans houses." I kept my head down and kept walking. I'd heard it all before.

For three months since I got the full academic scholarship to the most expensive private school in the state, I'd been invisible and hyper-visible at the same time. No one talked to me, but everyone talked about me. I just needed to survive this year. Get the grades, get the diploma, get into a good college and get out. My mother worked two jobs to keep a roof over our heads. I wasn't going to waste this chance because some rich kids were mean. I headed for my usual empty table in the back corner. The safe table. No one ever sat there because it was next to the trash cans. Perfect for me. I had just sat down and opened my cheap lunchbox when the double doors of the cafeteria banged open. And then he walked in. Jace Carter. Even if you had never met him, you knew him. Tall, handsome in that cruel, cold way. Black hair that always looked perfectly messy. Blue eyes that could freeze you. Captain of the basketball team. Heir to Carter Enterprises, which owned half this city. The Rich Young Master of Rosewood. Every girl in school wanted him. Every boy wanted to be him. And he knew it. He was followed by his usual group - Tyler and Chase, also rich, also handsome, also jerks. His cold eyes scanned the cafeteria like he owned it. Because, technically, his family donated the building. Then his eyes landed on me. On the empty seat across from me. My stomach dropped. No. No no no. Don't come here. He started walking toward me. Slowly. Deliberately. The crowd parted for him. My heart was beating so loud I was sure he could hear it. Why was he coming to the trash table? He had his own private table in the center. He stopped at my table. Looked down at my tray - rice and beans from home in a plastic container - and then at me. And smirked. That famous, arrogant smirk. "You're in my seat, scholarship girl," he said, his voice low and smooth, but loud enough for everyone to hear. The cafeteria erupted in whispers. I looked up at him. I was scared, but I was also tired. Tired of being looked down on. "I don't see your name on it," I said. Dead silence. His friends stopped behind him. Tyler's mouth actually fell open. Jace's blue eyes narrowed. No one talked back to Jace Carter. Ever. Especially not the poor scholarship girl. He leaned down, his hands on my table, his face inches from mine. He smelled like expensive cologne and winter. "Excuse me?" he whispered, only for me to hear. "I said, I don't see your name on it," I repeated, my voice shaking but I didn't back down. "So it's not your seat." For a second, something flashed in his eyes. Surprise? Anger? Interest? Then he stood up straight and his cold mask was back. He looked at my lunch, then with one quick flick of his finger, he knocked my plastic container off the table. Rice spilled all over the floor. "Oops," he said, not sorry at all. Tears burned my eyes but I refused to cry in front of him. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Everyone laughed. Someone took a video. Jace stared at me for one more second, like he was waiting for me to break. When I didn't, he turned and walked away, his friends laughing loudly behind him. I knelt down to clean up my food, my hands shaking. This was going to be a very long year. What I didn't know was that Jace Carter wasn't done with me. Not even close.