Chapter 3
"You literally rely on Myla for everything, food, clothes, a roof over your head, and instead of being grateful, you throw shade at her in front of everyone over some petty drama, even going so far as to hurt her.
"Honestly, I bet you've been messing with her behind her back." Matthew Gallagher, my senior in the same major, scoffed.
"Myla's way too kind, that's the only reason someone like you gets to take advantage of her. You took money off her card, and now she's maxed out and can't pay. Do everyone a favor and just pay the bill already," he pressed.
"No royal blood, but you've got a full-blown princess syndrome. What a fake, dramatic little traitor," he spat.
I glanced up to see who was mouthing off at me.
When he caught my gaze, he snorted coldly and glared right back at me.
Seeing that look of deep disgust on his face, I couldn't help but think I must've been blind before for falling for his tall, handsome looks and even confessing to him in front of everyone.
After that, Matthew's buddies made it a running joke. "Kids from poor families only attract other poor kids."
Matthew always saw that whole thing as a stain on his reputation, and whenever he got the chance, he'd hold it against me, throwing shade, mocking me, and egging others on to bully me.
The rest of the crowd didn't hesitate to join in, piling on the insults.
"Wow, I always thought she was some rich heiress since she's always trying to dress like Myla, but turns out she's just a small-town nobody. No wonder she always has that broke vibe. Seriously, it's enough to make you gag."
"Only someone as shameless and thick-skinned as Karla could do something so low that no normal person would ever even think of."
"Poor Myla, stuck with a mooch of a relative who just leeches off her nonstop. I seriously pity her."
Just like in my last life, once everyone decided I was just some poor relative leeching off Myla, they iced me out all over again.
The crowd was all riled up, and Matthew jumped at the chance to show off, hoping to win Myla's favor.
He twisted his lips into a nasty smirk and dumped all the leftovers onto a single plate.
He tapped the table with one hand, making those mocking sounds like he was calling a dog.
"All this was paid for with Myla's money. Would be a shame to waste it, so I guess it's only fitting for a parasite like you to have it," he sneered.
"Hey, hick, get over here and lick the plate like a dog," Matthew taunted.
"Here's your dog food for the day, courtesy of Miss Donovan," he sneered.
Myla had been watching from the sidelines, her gaze icy as the crowd hurled insults.
But when Matthew pulled that humiliating stunt, she actually found it funny. Even her eyes sparkled with delight.
Seeing her reaction, everyone else jumped on the bandwagon, eager to copy his move.
The cafeteria erupted with mocking noises, everyone imitating Matthew's taunting dog calls.
Seething with anger, I strode right up to Matthew, hefted the heavy plate, and smashed it straight into his face.
"Eat up. Eat up!" I yelled.
"Since you like it so much, why not have seconds?" I snapped.
Myla let out a piercing scream.
I frowned and yelled at her, "Shut up!"
I moved fast.
Even though Matthew tried to dodge, he still got food scraps on his mouth, and his clean clothes were totally ruined.
His eyes were blazing with fury.
He opened his mouth to curse me, but he couldn't hold back the nausea. He just doubled over and threw up.
Seeing her lapdog get schooled, Myla felt her reputation take a hit in front of everyone.
She couldn't help but jump in to defend him.
"Karla, we're all classmates. How could you do something so messed up?" Myla snapped.
"If Matthew ends up sick because of this, you'll be the one to blame. You better apologize and beg him to let it go before he makes a big deal out of it," she demanded.
This time, I wasn't about to play nice or keep quiet for an ungrateful leech like her.
I gave Myla a frosty glare.
I snapped, "Myla, who do you think you're bossing around? I'm the real Miss Donovan here.
"Since you clearly forgot your place, let me remind you in front of everyone. You're just the maid's daughter in my house. I'm the one footing your tuition, so quit reaching for things that will never be yours."
She'd just been feeling smug, riding high on her fake heiress act, trying to make me look bad in front of everyone.
But when I caught her off guard and exposed her, her eyes flashed with pure hatred. She couldn't hide it even if she tried.
I wasn't affected at all.
I turned back to the crowd, keeping up my reveal of Myla's true colors.
"You know why Myla never pays and always waits for me to swipe my card?" I said.
"Because she's so broke she can't even afford a dime," I shot back.
"Myla's the real freeloader you all keep talking about. She lives off me for everything and never even says thanks. She's the true backstabber here," I snapped.
"You've all been played by her Oscar-worthy performance," I added.
To drive my point home, I whipped out my black card and flashed it between my fingers.
"Open your eyes and see for yourselves who's the real heiress here," I said.
Flashing that exclusive black card, I could see a bunch of people starting to second-guess everything they'd thought.
Eyes bounced between me and Myla, everyone sizing us up, unsure who to believe.
Matthew, though, wasn't buying any of it.
He'd just finished puking, face white as a sheet, but still managed to throw shade my way.
"Bet you scammed Myla's card with some dirty trick," he spat.