Chapter 2
It was clear to me now that Cole was just toying with me, treating me like I was nothing but his plaything.
Tessa was in the class next door, so she must've caught wind of the drama this morning.
I received a message from her that read, [Nicole, you have to keep an eye on him for me.]
Right after that, she sent me 300 dollars.
I accepted the money and replied, [Anything for you, boss lady.]
Writing a love letter for someone was nothing to me after all.
When I got home, I penned a thousand-word love letter with all the flair I could muster.
The next day, Cole tilted his chin at his lackey, telling him to read it out loud for everyone to hear.
It was clear that he just lives to see me humiliated.
I grabbed the letter right back and cleared my throat. "I wrote this for you. I'm the one who should read it."
The whole thing was written with only Cole in mind and praised him like he was some kind of legend. Reading it out loud would serve nothing but to make it awkward for him.
Sure enough, when I finished reading, Cole did not look pleased at all.
He gave me a look full of contempt. "Is what the smartest in class comes up with for a love letter? It's pretty lame."
Well, he got exactly what he deserved since it was unpaid labor.
With me playing the girlfriend role, but really just simping for him like a fool, some of Cole's admirers started to lose interest in him.
I guess they finally saw him for who he really is. That was good for them.
I finally made it to the weekend.
I put on my best pitiful face. "Baby, I won't see you for two whole days. What if I miss you so much I can't even eat?"
Cole clicked his tongue and shot me a look of pure disdain. "Isn't my contact info in the class group chat?"
I lowered my eyes. "I know I'm not quite girlfriend material yet, but I'll work harder."
With that, I turned and bolted, not even looking back.
Writing love letters was just one of my side hustles. I also did tutoring on the weekends.
That Saturday, I was helping the kid I was tutoring with some math problems when my phone on the table wouldn't stop buzzing.
I glanced at it and saw Cole had sent me a message.
Not wanting to deal with his antics, I clicked into it.
His message read, [Nicole, be here in half an hour.]
Seriously, this guy was so troublesome.
After replying, I just went back to what I was doing.
By the time I wrapped up the tutoring session, two hours had gone by.
In all that time, Cole only sent me one sarcastic message that read, [Wow, Nicole. You're really something, huh. Did you really think I wanted you to show up anyway?]
Honestly, he probably just wanted to watch me embarrass myself. Guys like him just love messing with people for fun.
My throat was dry from all the tutoring, so when I passed a bubble tea shop with a buy-one-get-one-free deal, I drank one right away and saved the other for tonight.
My plan was just to show up, say a few words to appease Cole, and bounce.
As soon as I walked into the private room, Cole was sitting there looking all grumpy. "So, you think just because you've got me, you can take it easy now?"
Cole was too easy to read. His simp had made him wait, and now he was pissed off because I embarrassed him in front of his friends.
I glanced around. Everyone was just here for the show. Birds of a feather sure flock together.
After cursing him out in my head, I put on my best innocent face and said, "Don't be mad, okay? I was tutoring today and made 30 dollars. I even walked two blocks just to get you a bubble tea for ten dollars."
In actual fact, I had made 200 dollars.
Cole's face softened a little. "You made 30 dollars and only spent ten on me? Nicole, your love is pretty cheap."
I put on my best repentant act. "I'm such a cheapskate. I should've spent all 30 dollars on you. Please forgive me, Cole. Just give me another chance."
All he wanted was to watch me embarrass myself anyway. That was nothing to me. Being broke was way worse.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification.
I stared at the screen in disbelief. Cole had just sent me 300 dollars.
No way, did hell just freeze over? He actually sent me money?
"As if 30 dollars means anything to Cole," one of his buddies snarked.
"30 dollars for two hours? I tip my waiter more than that," another chimed in.
Everyone in the room started laughing and throwing shade.
Cole sneered, "This 300 dollars is your reward for all that effort."
Ha, I can't believe I made money from this. With the app voucher and the buy-one-get-one deal, each bubble tea cost me less than two dollars each.
I shot Cole a grateful look and set the bubble tea down on the table.
"I'll have to hustle even harder for you. I'll leave you guys to it. Wouldn't want to kill the vibe," I said, laying it on thick.
Once I made sure there weren't any other girls near Cole, I could text Tessa right away.
Just as I was about to leave, someone called out, "Aren't you always broke? How about we play a game? I'll give you 4 thousand dollars if you drink this whole bottle of alcohol."
That was such a cliché prank. There was no way I would drink alcohol. I've got another tutoring gig later today after all.