Stella soon caught wind of Michael's suspension and the harsh punishment that followed, but she refused to believe his allowance had truly been slashed. She continued to demand money from him as if he were a walking ATM. She didn't spare a single thought for how the suspension affected him; her only priority was maintaining her expensive look.
Michael eventually started ignoring her calls, knowing all too well that every ring heralded a new demand. She flooded his phone with messages and pictures of items she wanted, but he only viewed them in silence, never offering a reply.
Desperate, Stella used a new number to call him. Seeing an unfamiliar contact on his screen, Michael didn't hesitate to pick up.
"Hello?" Stella said softly the moment he answered. The voice was hauntingly familiar, and Michael prayed it wasn't the person he was trying so hard to avoid.
"Who is this?" he asked, his voice guarded but calm.
Stella giggled. "Your girlfriend, silly."
Michael squeezed his eyes shut in silent agony, his hope shattering instantly. "Hey... how are you doing, babe?" he said, forcing a fake smile into his tone.
"I'm not good. You've refused to pick up my calls or reply to any of my messages. What did I do wrong?" Stella asked with a calculated pout.
"You did nothing wrong," Michael sighed, rubbing his temples. "I just... kept my phone away for a while."
"That's alright. Anyway, there's this designer bag I saw recently. I really need it because it matches my new clothes and my—"
"Stella," Michael interrupted.
"Yeah?"
"I don't have enough money to give you for whatever you want right now."
"Well, you can give me what you have now, and you can complete the balance later."
"Don't you get it? I don't have any money to give you. I'm broke," Michael lied. He couldn't afford to hand over the little cash he had left. While he would eventually get more, it would never be the massive sums he was used to.
The reply was far from what Stella wanted to hear. she flared up instantly. "This isn't fair, Michael! You know I need that bag!"
"You have dozens of bags already. Why do you need another one?"
"I just want it! Please, can I just get some money?"
"Stella, are you trying to convince me that you're a gold digger?" Michael asked, his voice rising in anger.
"No," Stella whispered in a low tone.
"Then stop sounding like one." He hung up immediately.
Stella groaned and sank to the ground in frustration. She was desperate. She had already bragged to so many people that her boyfriend was buying her that bag; now, she would look like a liar. Her mind began to race, plotting ways to get close to other wealthy guys on campus. She thought of several seniors known for their deep pockets and realized she needed to look even more attractive to catch their eyes. She had the clothes, but she needed to enhance her facial features. She headed to a cosmetic store outside the school gates, searching for products to make her face flawless.
*****
Tia was also shopping for cosmetics, though they didn't notice each other until they reached the checkout counter. Stella glared at Tia with pure disgust, but as usual, she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
"Someone finally realized she's ugly and decided to do something about it," Stella sneered.
"What about you? Aren't you buying the exact same things?" Tia pointed to the basket in Stella's hand.
"Oh, please. You know I'm already beautiful. I'm just enhancing my perfection."
"Why? Doesn't Michael love you just the way you are?" Tia countered. Stella had no comeback, falling into a stunned silence. "I thought so. Excuse me, I have to pay for my things." Tia walked away, her head held high.
"At least I have someone, unlike you!" Stella barked, trying to get under Tia's skin. Tia didn't even look back, leaving Stella feeling like a fool.
As Tia stepped outside, a light drizzle began to fall. She hurried toward the curb to hail a cab before the rain worsened. Just as a taxi pulled up and she reached for the handle, Stella shoved her aside and slid into the backseat.
Tia lunged for the door, but the car sped off, leaving her standing alone in the street. She waited for another cab, but it seemed as though every driver had retired for the night. The drizzle turned into a heavy downpour, soaking her clothes to the skin. Shivering from the cold, she prayed for a miracle so she wouldn't be stranded all night.
A pair of headlights cut through the rain. As the car approached, Tia thanked God for the answered prayer. It wasn't a taxi, but she was desperate enough to beg for a ride. The car pulled up right in front of her, and the window rolled down to reveal Xavier.
"Hop in," he said calmly. She scrambled into the warmth of the passenger seat.
"Why... why were you standing out there in the rain?" Xavier asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"I tried to get a cab, but Stella pushed me out of the way and took it first."
"Why does she act like that toward you?"
"She's been misbehaving ever since I started being rude to Michael."
Xavier chuckled. "Speaking of Michael... why do you hate him so much?"
Tia lowered her head, the warmth of the car making her feel vulnerable. "He betrayed me by cheating with Stella. He was supposed to love me as his wife, not to—" Tia stopped abruptly, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had said too much.
Xavier glanced at her for a moment, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? You aren't married to Michael."
"Yes... yes, that's true," Tia stammered, trying to recover. "I guess the cold has messed with my head. What I meant was... I had a terrible nightmare about him doing something awful to me."
"That's all?" Xavier asked.
"Mhmm. When I woke up, the nightmare felt so real that I just started hating him."
"So you hate him because of a dream? You're funny."
"How?"
"Because... that doesn't make any sense."
"Well, it makes sense to me. Besides, he's a proud guy and I don't like dealing with people like that."
"Now, that makes sense," Xavier agreed, and they both shared a light giggle.
Tia felt a wave of relief. She had nearly let her secret slip. Even if she eventually told someone about her rebirth, it wouldn't be now—not while she was still figuring out who she could truly trust.
She sneezed the entire way back to the dorms. As soon as she arrived, she stripped off her drenched clothes and stepped into a steaming hot bath.
Once she was warm and dry, she examined her new cosmetics. She had been studying late every night to stay at the top of her class, but the lack of sleep had left dark circles under her eyes. She needed these products to hide the exhaustion; she wasn't about to let Stella use her tired face as an excuse to call her ugly in front of the whole school.