Chapter 4 First Day At School

• THE NEXT DAY
• Haley had just finished her shower and walked to her closet, scanning through her clothes for something suitable for her first day of university.
• "I’m in university now. I should dress more attractive," she thought to herself, pulling out a wine-colored mini skirt with black bands. She then picked up a white turtleneck and placed it on her bed.
• She quickly slipped into her outfit, tucking the top neatly into the skirt and pulling it up to her belly button. She grabbed her white Nike sneakers and put them on, completing her look.
• “Haley!! Are you done? Philip is ready!” Gideon called from downstairs.
• “I’m almost done!” she shouted back, applying her red lipstick, face powder, mascara, and black nail polish before slipping them into her handbag.
• She sat on the bed to put on her shoes, grabbed her hair comb, and walked out of her room.
• Haley hurried down the stairs and found her parents already waiting in the living room. Philip was standing next to the car, leaning against it and engrossed in his phone.
• She noticed something different about him but decided to ignore it, her attention shifting to Gideon.
• “You look beautiful, baby,” he said, flashing a smile at her. Haley smiled back, nodding.
• “I know. You didn’t give me enough time for a little extra makeup,” she said, glancing at Kara, who returned her smile.
• “You don’t need makeup. You look beautiful just as you are,” Gideon added, and Haley nodded in appreciation.
• “I should head out now before he starts ranting nonsense,” she muttered, eyeing Philip, whose head was still down and focused on his phone.
• “Haley, be nice,” Gideon called out, his tone more of a suggestion than a command.
• Haley let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes.
• “Bye,” she muttered, walking out of the house with a confident strut, heading straight toward where Philip was standing.
• “Let’s go,” she said, trying to keep her tone neutral. Philip finally looked up, and Haley’s words caught in her throat.
• He was impossibly attractive—his hair perfectly styled, and there was something about the way he held himself that left her momentarily speechless.
• “You don’t tell me what to do,” he shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I shouldn’t have even waited for you.”
• He walked over to the driver’s seat, leaving Haley standing there, her frustration building.
• Before she could even react, Philip started the engine ready to speed off. Haley quickly jumped into the car, slamming the door shut to avoid being left behind.
• Philip didn’t ease up on the speed, the car flying down the road, forcing Haley to grip the seat in fear. Through the window, she could see Gideon and Kara watching in disbelief.
• “Why are you so difficult?” Haley asked, her voice a mix of anger and confusion, but Philip didn’t even acknowledge her. He just kept his eyes on the road, unaffected by her words.
• In a huff, Haley pulled out her phone and dialed Gideon’s number. He picked up almost immediately.
• “Philip’s going to kill me before we even get to school. It’s my first day, for crying out loud!” she complained, her voice full of frustration.
• Gideon’s chuckle came through the phone. “Don’t worry, Haley. Philip’s good at what he does.”
• Annoyed, she hung up and slumped back into her seat, exhaling sharply. Trying to calm herself, she grabbed her mascara from her bag, taking a moment to check her reflection in the car’s mirror.
• Philip purposely kept up the fast pace, secretly hoping for a bump in the road to jolt her makeup process. But, to his annoyance, the road was unusually smooth, leaving his plan unsuccessful.
• Haley, unbothered, finished applying her mascara and then slowly pulled out her lipstick, carefully applying it to her lips. She took her time blending it in, unaware of the glare Philip shot her from the corner of his eye.
• “Are you in pain or something?” she asked, turning her attention to him. But he didn’t respond, his eyes focused on the road.
• A few moments later, his phone rang. Philip answered it, and Haley braced herself for whatever nonsense was about to come next.
• “Hey, Philip!” a voice shouted from the other end. Haley rolled her eyes and looked out the window, trying to ignore the conversation.
• “What’s up?” Philip responded, his eyes still fixed on the road as they entered the school compound.
• “She’s so into you, man. She’s yours,” the voice on the other end said. Philip smirked, his eyes glinting with satisfaction as he bit his lower lip.
• “I knew she would be. I’m at school now,” Philip replied confidently, and Haley shot him an irritated glance.
• Philip parked the car and, without a word, Haley grabbed her bag and opened the door.
• She paused, checking herself one last time in the side mirror before stepping out of the car.
• Philip, not far behind, killed the engine, grabbed his phone, and got out of the car. The students nearby glanced their way as they both stepped out, the attention lingering on them.
• “Wow, he looks so hot. Is that his girlfriend?” some girls whispered, and Haley caught the conversation.
• “Eww,” she thought, grimacing at the mention of the word "girlfriend."
• Honestly, she found herself zoning out, staring at the building. She had no idea where to go or who to talk to.
• She glanced over at Philip, only to see he was already walking ahead, completely unaware of her struggle.
• “Hey…” Haley called out, jogging to catch up with him, but when she got closer, he didn’t even acknowledge her. He was too busy talking on the phone with his friend.
• “It’s not your fault,” she thought, feeling embarrassed but trying to brush it off.
• Haley fell silent and kept walking behind him, like some kind of shadow. They reached the main building, and he finally hung up the phone.
• “Do you know where our lecture room is?” Haley asked, trying again.
• “Do I look like I care about lectures?” he snapped, glancing back at her briefly. “I should be asking you that.”
• “Well, we’re both new here,” she muttered. “So we’ll need to ask for directions, okay?”
• He sighed, clearly not in the mood for any more conversation, and turned down a hallway. They stopped in front of a lady, most likely a student, and Haley watched as Philip leaned casually against the wall, clearly about to strike up another conversation.
• “Hey. How are you?” he asked smoothly, flashing a smile.
• She immediately lit up, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. “I’m good, and you?” she replied, her voice full of flirtation.
• Haley scoffed, rolling her eyes at the obvious display.
• “She’s wasting my time,” Haley thought, walking up to where they were standing. She didn’t hesitate to wedge herself in between them, putting on a fake smile that barely hid her irritation.
• “Please, can you show us to the Linguistics lecture room?” Haley asked politely, trying her best to keep her composure, but Philip let out an exaggerated sigh behind her.
• "It's down the hallway," the lady responded, her eyes still lingering on Philip, who seemed oblivious to everything around him.
• “Let’s go,” Haley said, stepping forward, eager to leave the uncomfortable situation.
• “Got to go,” Philip said with a smirk, winking at the lady before turning away to follow Haley.
• “I had her already. You didn’t have to intrude,” Philip muttered, his voice trailing behind Haley. She ignored him, determined to not get involved in his games.
• They walked down the hallway and soon reached the classroom. Haley stepped in first, feeling the weight of every pair of eyes in the room on her as she entered. She could already sense the judgment from the whispers.
• “Hey, Philip! Over here!” a voice called out enthusiastically from the other side of the room. Haley could practically feel the collective attention of the class shift toward him. Philip grinned and walked over, exchanging high-fives with a few people on the way.
• To Haley, it felt like a scene from a movie, with Philip playing the charming lead and her stuck playing the background character. She sighed and moved to the middle of the room, finding an empty seat.
• She sat down, trying to appear calm, but inwardly, she felt out of place.
• “Hey,” a voice beside her broke through her thoughts. Haley turned to see a dark-skinned girl with a friendly smile.
• “Hi,” Haley replied, offering a genuine smile in return.
• “Sandra,” the girl introduced herself, extending her hand.
• “Haley. Nice meeting you,” Haley said, shaking her hand.
• Sandra nodded, her smile warm and welcoming. “Looks like we’re in this together.”