Chapter 8 Tom Cruise

She blinked her charming, big eyes. "If a beauty like me gets drunk, what do you think a normal man would do?" I thought for a moment. "Probably take you to a hotel and do whatever you want to do." She slapped her thigh. "Exactly." "Ow!" I winced, rubbing my thigh, because she had slapped mine. "Guess what Owen did?" she asked, clearly annoyed. "He didn't take you to a hotel?" "He took me to a drive-in theater! We stayed there until dawn! My back is killing me!" "So you two just watched movies all night?" That does sound exhausting. She sighed. "Not exactly. I think I just slept sitting up the whole night." "Why would he take you to an all-night movie? That's seriously lacking in romance!" "This morning, I asked him why he brought me there." She huffed. "And he said that as soon as I got in the car, I clung to him, calling him Tom Cruise. So he took me to watch Mission Impossible. But we barely watched anything before both of us passed out. When we woke up, it was almost nine! So much for a steamy night ... " She looked utterly devastated. I was stunned. "Well ... at least he was thoughtful in his own way." "Enough about me! What about you? How did things go with that older guy last night?" Yara gave me a playful glance. "He looked pretty decent, and at his age, he should have plenty of experience, right?" Saying that, she reached for my collar, trying to check for hickey marks. Her sudden move caught me off guard. "Yara, I know you're frustrated, but you can't take it out on me!" She lay on her side next to me, her eyes glimmering as she glanced over. "So, tell me how it was." I hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yara, I don't think he does this for a living." "What do you mean? Not professional enough?" She blinked her big eyes at me. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I think he's actually pretty rich." "Ohhh! So what you're really saying is that his skills were decent, huh?" She grinned suggestively. How did someone this bad at grasping key points even get into Agreste University? "Can you stop looking so damn unsatisfied? What I'm trying to say is, the guy is probably loaded. We picked the wrong target last night." I rushed to explain before she let her imagination run wild again. She didn't seem to care. "So what? No big deal. It's not like I even spent that 150 bucks. I checked my bag this morning, and it was still there. Consider it a fortunate opportunity. You got a man for free." Not just for free; I even made a profit. Plus, I got an entire set of Prada clothes out of it. Come to think of it ... Wasn't I the one who got slept with by a rich guy? No. This had to stay buried forever. If my parents ever found out, they'd kill me. "Yara, let's just pretend last night never happened. My parents can never know about this," I said seriously. "Not like I'll ever see him again, anyway. I won't be doing anything this ridiculous ever again. I'll follow your mom's example—focus on my studies and become a rich woman myself!" "Nice! I love this ambition. Men only slow down my GPA!" Yara was clearly still bitter over Owen. "Oh, right. Let's treat ourselves to a nice dinner tonight. My treat. I just made a little windfall." I glanced at my bank balance. I definitely deserved a reward. "Did you win the lottery?" "Tiffany paid off all the money Colin owed me—17,550! Isn't that worth a celebratory feast?" Yara shot upright. "Damn, look at you! I thought that money was a lost cause, but you actually got it back. Turns out that guy was a walking piggy bank." That's why she's my best friend—we think alike. We spent the entire afternoon napping in the dorm, and by the time we woke up, I felt completely recharged. After a quick wash-up, we got ready to go out for some food. When I opened my closet, my eyes fell on the Prada outfit hanging inside. A strange feeling crept over me. I had a feeling I wouldn't be wearing it again. I slipped it into a garment bag, folded it carefully, and tucked it away in the deepest corner of my wardrobe. Let's just treat last night like a dream. As for that 15,000—I'd find a way to pay him back someday. Holding onto that money didn't sit right with me. Still, at least he did me one favor. I no longer gave a damn about Colin. Maybe the internet was right about some things after all. As Yara and I stepped out of the dorm, we spotted Ronald Chamber, the finance department's heartthrob, standing near the entrance. The moment he saw me, a bright smile spread across his face as he walked over. "Marcella, my name is Ronald Chamber. I'd like to get to know you." He stood tall and confident, and as he brought his hand from behind his back, he offered me a single blue rose. The meaning behind his "get to know you" was way too obvious. Yara was already eyeing me like she was watching a live drama unfold. So, he found out about my breakup with Colin and decided to line himself up as my next boyfriend without missing a beat? I had heard of Ronald before. He was incredibly popular among the girls. With his wealthy background and the fact that he’d never dated anyone, he was even more sought after than Colin. Word was that while his family wasn't on the same level as Tiffany's, he was still a rich son. But we'd never interacted before, so why was he suddenly interested in me? "Sorry, but we don't even know each other, and I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now. You'd be better off not wasting your time on me," I replied politely. Yara was right. Men would only slow down my GPA progress!