Chapter 1
Alexis
It isa truth universally acknowledged that a woman without moneywillbe kicked out of college.
Which makes it highly unfortunate that my final pay stub is unceremoniously pressed into my aching hands, with my dream of becoming a teacher leaving the building at the same time as I do. Could I become a teacher without a degree? Perhaps. But much like Tinker Bell, I need external validation to live.
It’s a short walk to the local café, but I need every minute to mull over my options. I can pick up waitressing, but then I would be reliant on tips, and most of the students here have too little to tip well. There is a TA position open, but only with the professor who hates my guts. And the rest? Well, every other pamphlet on the board classifies their openings as aninternship, and we all know what that means.
Brownie & Brew is Brookside University’s most popular café, placed smack-dab in the center of campus, all paved paths leading towards it like it were Rome itself. In summer when all the windows are open you can smell the fresh coffee and baked goods from every classroom, the sugary treats calling your name until you have no choice but to obey. So far, I’ve beengreat about resisting the temptation—mostly because it doesn’t fit my budget—but when your siblings ask to meet there between classes, it’s hard to say no.
So here I am, lingering by the open door, unable to push myself to breach the threshold.
I know what’s about to happen—it’s the same every time. Levi slides into big brother mode immediately and offers to help pay for tuition, though a girl can only take so much charity until it starts to feel pathetic. As for Alissa, she’s always been a wild card. But no matter her reaction now, money will find itself popping up in my room starting tonight, with my twin claiming innocence.
I can’t let them worry about me. Not again. So I just won’t tell them. Not until I have something new lined up, anyway.
They spot me before I’ve steadied myself, the fake smile on my face wonky and awkward.
“Good morning,” I say, a little too chipper as I approach their table by the window. Brownie & Brew is like one huge shrine to the university’s sports teams, and while the black and gold color scheme looks high-end, it’s not enough to save this place from looking like a frat house.
Alissa raises a freshly groomed brow. “You got fired again, didn’t you?”
“Witch.” I slump in my seat with a sigh, though I perk up a bit as I notice the cup of tea waiting for me.
Right on cue, my brother pulls his phone from his pocket.
“How much do you need?” Levi’s silver-blue eyes darken with worry, the sight of it only making me feel worse. This is exactly why I didn’t want them to know. They shouldn’t have to worry about me, even if I’m the youngest. Then again, as the only one not here on a scholarship, we knew from the start things would be harder for me.
I snatch the phone from his hand and place it face-down on the table. “Nothing. I should have just enough to make tuition for this year, and I’ll find something new to cover my meals. I’ll be fine.”
That last part isn’t even a lie, as this isn’t my first time struggling to make ends meet. Worse comes to worse, I’ll live on saltines and tap water for a while and sneak apples from the health center.
“For now,” Levi says. “But what about next year? They’re raising tuition again, and not by a little.”
“For fuck’s sake.”
Those capitalistic fuckers. It’s not like they use the money to improve this place, seeing as the buildings are crumbling and the grounds unkempt. No, these people justhadto decide they deserved to be paid more to do fuck-all, and now I have to bear the consequences.
“Do you think schools would hire me if I had three-quarters of a degree?”
“Clown College would be lucky to have you,” Levi says and groans as my sister kicks him beneath the table.
“So dramatic.” Alissa shakes her head disapprovingly, her chin-length blond curls bouncing in the sunlight. “There’s a very easy way to get the money you need—we just need to find you a boyfriend.”
A piping-hot sip of tea makes its way into my windpipe, leaving me to cough right in her smug face. “What?”
My sister smirks at my panic as she leans down to pull something from her bright pink backpack, the color perfectly matching the tips of her hair. Her eyes hold a spark I have learned not to trust as she slams a sheet of paper on the table, looking triumphant as she slides it over the scratched wood. Levi leans in closer, a snort leaving his lips the moment it does mine.
Pinned underneath Alissa’s manicured nails is a pamphlet from the school’s media department, calling for couples willing to compete for a year’s worth of free tuition. The whole thing is framed like it will lift the spirits of everyone on campus instead of calling it what it is: a publicity stunt and popularity contest.
No, wait. They do allude to that last one, as everyone currently enrolled will be able to vote on their favorite couple after every televised date—I’m too scared to ask what that means—and the couple with the most votes by Valentine’s Day will win. Hence why it’s no use competing, as there will inevitably be a cheerleader-athlete couple that buys their way to the top using daddy’s trust fund.
So why does Alissa look so excited?
“You can’t be serious.”
She blinks, eyebrows knit in confusion like I offended her. “Of course I’m serious. You’re smart enough to play the game, pretty enough to woo the male and lesbian sides of the student body. Not to mention that winning this thing will solve, well, at least a big chunk of your worries. I don’t see an issue.”
