Chapter 3
As soon as I got back to campus, Sophie transferred the money for my medical expenses and even checked in, asking if I was okay or needed to hit up the hospital.
I instantly sent her a bootlicker emoji. [No worries, my queen. Getting beat up for you is just what I do.]
Of course, to keep this kind of drama from happening again, I figured I'd just lay low in my dorm for a while.
It wasn't like those jealous guys were gonna barge into my dorm room, right?
My three roommates were out there, resumes in hand, hunting for internships.
If I hadn't met Sophie, I'd probably be out there with them, too.
But now, I was just chilling in my dorm, ordering takeout and gaming all day. Life couldn't get any sweeter.
The good times barely lasted two days before Sophie called me up again.
"Ryan, seriously, do you even know how to be in a relationship?" she said, sounding annoyed.
"Other couples do all that cute stuff, bring breakfast, study together, go for walks So what do you do?"
I was stunned for a moment.
"Wait, the contract never said anything about boyfriend stuff or breakfast deliveries! If you want that, it's gonna cost you extra!" I joked.
Sophie got pissed.
"Money, money, money! All you ever do is ask for more," she snapped.
Not even five minutes later, Sophie wired me 3 grand.
When my queen made a demand, I was all over it.
Early the next morning, I picked up some classic breakfast, milk and bread, and waited for Sophie outside her dorm.
When Sophie saw what I was holding, her face fell.
"I sent you 3 grand, and you show up with this?" she said, totally unimpressed.
Downstairs, a bunch of students were shooting me dirty looks.
Seriously? He was bringing breakfast to the campus queen, and it was just milk and bread?
Sophie grabbed the breakfast with a sour look and just took a tiny bite.
Her expression flipped from annoyed to delighted in an instant.
"Ryan, this actually tastes pretty good. I want the same thing tomorrow," she said.
I couldn't help but smirk to myself. This straight-laced campus queen probably never had greasy street food in her life.
And just like that, I passed the test and became Sophie's certified boyfriend.
Every day, I'd have breakfast with her, hit the library together, take walks, and even sneak in a few late-night dates at the playground.
No hand-holding, no kissing, still, we were pretty much a couple in everything but name.
Yeah, it was getting a little tedious, but honestly, with the kind of money she was throwing at me, I couldn't complain.
And on top of that, I got a 70-dollar bonus every day just for going out with her.
I was starting to feel like we were being watched or something. If all it took was a marriage certificate, why did we have to keep pretending to be crazy in love?
While everyone else was out there grinding, sending out resumes and chasing internships, my bank account was already stacked with seven figures, and getting fatter every day
When I got back to the dorm, all three of my roommates were there.
"Ryan, did you land an internship yet? My place is still hiring, want me to put in a good word for you?" Paul Grant asked.
He didn't beat around the bush.
Victor Lane piped up, "Ryan, man, internships are super important. If you don't land one, you might not even graduate."
Mark Powers, the guy with glasses in the corner, spoke up. "Ryan, you're not seriously planning to be the sucker who picks up someone else's baggage, are you? Sophie's family might be rich, but you don't have to sink this low!"
"Exactly, man, what's going on in your head?" Paul chimed in.
My friends all tried to talk some sense into me.
It was obvious they really cared about me.
We all came from similar backgrounds, same education, similar families, so there was no drama or scheming between us.
I snorted and pulled out my phone, showing off my bank balance.
Their jaws dropped.
"Godfather Ryan, I'd follow you to the ends of the earth!" Paul said.
"Why does stuff like this never happen to me?" Victor wondered.
"Guess you're just not packing enough heat for the campus queen," Mark teased.
"Shut up, man!" I shot back.
After all the noise, I just said, "Let's hit up the food stalls outside. Tonight, everything's on me."
Everyone was all for it.
Graduation was just around the corner, and we were all broke kids who couldn't ask our families for money anymore.
We finally scored some internships, but the pay was a joke. Now we had to hunt for apartments, cough up rent, and figure out how to survive.
Everyone was barely making ends meet.
So when someone offered to treat, nobody was about to say no.