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“Yeah,” she said. “I had to complete the statistic project report that’s due tomorrow morning. My laptop broke last week, so I had no choice but to use one of the computers in the library. Mom said she’d help me buy a new one at the end of the month, so I’m managing until then.”
She suddenly looked stricken. “Sorry, I rambled on. You probably don’t care about my stupid life.”
She was wrong. I wasveryinterested in her. It was amusing how she was still blindly oblivious to my obsession with her after four years of being in the same classes as me.
“I thought you were on a scholarship,” I said, using the opportunity to talk to her more. “Doesn’t that provide you with stuff like stationery and computers?”
A wry chuckle escaped her. “The scholarship only pays for my tuition. For the rest, I work part-time.” An exhausted sigh left her lips. “The money I make barely covers rent and food. For the rest, I still need my mom’s help.”
She fell silent, staring down at her knees.
Camilla Brown was unknowingly impressing me again. She wasn’t just an intelligent student but worked hard to manage everything else in her life. Her attitude to keep up her grades despite the obstacles in her way astounded me.
Milla wasn’t aware of this but I always kept an eye on her, the girl who always secured second place to me in the departmental ranks. Despite her haggard appearance and quiet demeanor, I was attracted to her.
She’d be pretty if she made a little effort but her small speech just explained why she looked frazzled on most days. It couldn’t be easy managing classes as well as holding on to a steady job to pay for bare essentials like food and rent.
There were plenty of pretty, smiling faces on campus but she was the only girl I was attracted to. I covertly watched her during the long hours in our shared classes. Sitting in the last row, I gazed at her while her attention stayed locked on the professor and the whiteboard.
Milla didn’t know this but I went through every paper and assignment she submitted. Her work was flawless and much better than mine, but cruel nepotism from the university professors always made sure an Elite kid was served better grades than a poor scholarship student.
Nearly four years passed but Milla Brown remained oblivious to my obsession with her. My brothers knew my secret, mostly because it was impossible to hide anything from them.
In the beginning, Corey and Caleb teased me mercilessly about my obsession with a nerdy girl like Milla but it wasn’t long before they were attracted to her as well. Milla Brown wasn’t the kind of girl who attracted attention in a crowd but once you laid eyes on her, it was hard to stop looking.
“Is there something on my face?” Milla asked in a low voice, nervously rubbing her cheek.
Her voice broke the spell and I realized I’d been staring at her.
“A smidge,” I lied and swiped the back of my hand against her cheek.
The pale skin immediately turned a shade of pink.
Heh, I thought, feeling amused.She’s blushing from a mere touch.How would she react when I had her pinned under me?
Closing my eyes, I gave myself a mental shake.
A scenario like that would never happen. Girls like Milla didn’t belong in my world.
Once this semester was over, we’d both graduate and move on to pursue different things. When that happened, she’d be out of sight and hopefully, out of my fucking mind.
“Is he going to be okay?” Milla asked, turning her attention toward one of the medics.
“His vitals look okay,” the man in brown scrubs answered. “He could have a concussion though. A thorough check-up is needed before confirming anything.”
Relief spread through me as I glanced at my brother. His jacket sleeves and jeans were torn up and he’d sustained bloody scratches on his knees and elbows. As long as he didn’t fracture a bone, he’d heal quickly.
The ambulance came to a stop. Glancing through the window, I looked toward the well-lit entrance to the hospital.
“Take this,” one of the paramedics handed me a form. “Take it to the reception desk and fill in the forms they give you. The information will help the doctors if they need to operate on your brother.”
Suddenly, I felt torn.
Corey was still passed out. Something deep inside me revolted against the idea of handing him over to two strangers.
A warm touch fell on my hand. Turning to the side, I found Milla staring at me with a worried gaze.
“It’ll be okay,” she said, her voice sounding genuinely sincere. “Since I came with you, I’ll go with him. I can’t fill out the hospital forms because I don’t know your brother’s medical history but I’ll keep an eye on him. Just call me when you’re done and I’ll tell you where we are. Okay?”
