The Scholarship Girl & The Rich Young Master

caught me when I fell. He gave me a sandwich for my mom from Erewhon. My mom ate it and said, "Mia, this bread costs fifteen dollars?" I laughed. First time I laughed in a week. But Monday at

voice was shaking. "They think I faked falling off ladder. They think I kissed you. We didn't even kiss." "I know," he said. "Mia, look at me." I looked. "Want me to fix it? I will post that it's fake. That you slipped." "If you post defending me, they will think it's true. That you like me. Then gossip will be worse." He was quiet. He knew I was right at Rosewood. If Young Master defends scholarship girl, it means true love. And true love is gossip. "Then what do you want me to do?" he asked. "I can't watch you hide in art room." "I want to be invisible again," I said. "Before basketball court, before Principal, before detention. I was invisible and it was okay. I could study, work at Mama T's Bakery, go home. Now everyone knows my name for wrong reason." Jace walked to window. LA sun coming in, dust shining. "My mom used to say you can't be invisible if you are brave," he said. "Brave people shine even if they don't want to." "I'm not brave," I said. "I'm just poor. Poor people fight for books when rich boys step on them. That's not brave, that's survival." He turned. "You are brave, Mia Parker. You told Principal that Tyler stepped on your book even though you were scared to lose scholarship. You ate my expensive sandwich even though you are proud. You let me put Band-Aid on your hand." I laughed small, with tears. "And you," I said, "you are not Young Master in movies. You are just Jace. Who gets dust on his expensive shirt." He laughed too. "This shirt is $120 on sale, not $500." For a second we laughed in empty art room. The gossip photo didn't matter. Then bell rang. Lunch over. We walked out separately, not too close, so no more photos. Afternoon was Biology lab. Worst part of day. Ms. Lee made us do partner work. My partner was Madison. Of course. She smiled sweet smile, but cold eyes. "Hi, scholarship girl," she said loud enough for whole lab to hear. "How was detention? Cozy?" "Leave me alone, Madison," I said quiet. "Oh don't be like that. I cleaned your locker for you. You should thank me." She leaned over microscope, pretending to look at cells. "You know Jace kissed three girls last semester. All pretty, rich, blonde. He never kissed scholarship girl before. So if he kissed you, you should feel special. Even stolen kiss is special." "I didn't kiss him," I said, teeth tight. "Then why did his driver tell my driver he waited 20 minutes after detention watching you walk to bus stop on Sunset? So romantic. Rich boy waits for poor girl." I froze. How does she know driver story? Madison smiled, enjoying my face. "Rosewood is small, Mia. My family knows his family. Same country club in Malibu. You take bus from Inglewood. We are not same world. You can have stolen kiss in rumor, but you can't have him for