Chapter 9 Wine girl
Melissa’s POV
The subway ride to campus was really long. Every stop made me more nervous. I kept my head down with earbuds in, but I wasn’t playing music. I just didn’t want anyone to look at me.
My fingers tapped on my leg. I wore my favorite jeans, a black sweater, and my denim jacket. Nothing fancy. My brown hair was in a ponytail with some pieces loose. I wore eyeliner too. I always wear eyeliner now.
The train stopped and I got off. I walked to campus with everyone else. Whatever happened, I would deal with it. I already got through the worst night of my life.
The coffee shop was near campus. It was small and made of brick with plants on the walls. I saw Aria through the window. Her purple hair was easy to see. She wore a big band t-shirt and ripped jeans with lots of silver rings.
The bell rang when I opened the door. Aria looked up and smiled big.
“There’s my girl!”
I walked into her embrace, breathing in her familiar scent of paint and expensive perfume.
“Are you ready for this?” she whispered.
“Let’s go.” I said breathing hard , like I was walking into war.
She ordered coffee for both of us…vanilla latte for her, black coffee for me. We grabbed our drinks and headed back outside into the crisp morning air.
Aria linked her arm through mine as we walked toward campus.
We crossed through the main gates onto campus. The campus was made of old brick buildings that rose around us, with students everywhere…sitting on benches, walking in groups, sprawled on the lawn despite the cool weather.
I felt the stares immediately we walked in.
A group of girls near the fountain stopped talking as we passed. One of them whispered just loud enough: “Oh my God, that’s her. Wine Girl.”
I took a sip of my coffee and kept walking.
More voices followed us across the quad:
“I can’t believe she actually showed up.”
“I heard she’s already dating the mystery guy.”
“Did you see that dress? Practically naked.”
“Troy’s an idiot for cheating on her.”
“Please. She probably drove him to it.”
My grip tightened on my cup, but I kept my face neutral, kept moving forward. Aria’s arm tensed in mine.
“Slut.”
The word came from somewhere to my left. Heat crawled up my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking, to not react. These people didn’t know me. They didn’t know what happened.
Then another voice: “That video was legendary though!”
A guy walking past gave me a thumbs up. “Troy got what he deserved!”
I couldn’t help the tiny lift at the corner of my mouth.
“See?” Aria muttered. “ I’m glad some students aren’t as stupid as they look.”
We were halfway across the quad when someone slammed hard into me from behind.
Coffee splashed out of my cup, scalding my hand. I gasped, stumbling forward.
“Oops.” Tasha’s voice dripped with false sweetness. “Didn’t see you there.”
I turned around slowly. She stood there with two friends flanking her, with her perfect blonde hair, flawless makeup, wearing a tight pink crop top and high-waisted jeans. Her blue eyes glittered with something ugly.
I didn’t say anything. Just looked at her, coffee still dripping from my hand.
“Must be hard,” Tasha continued, stepping closer, “being the school’s favorite charity case. Everyone is feeling sorry for poor little Melissa.” Her voice rose slightly, making sure people nearby could hear. “But we all know the truth, don’t we? You’re just a frigid little…”
“Slut.” She said it louder, so everyone could hear. Students around us had stopped to watch. “That’s what you are. Everyone knows you’re just desperate for…”
A hand appeared from behind her.
Pink fuzzy earmuffs descended over my ears, blocking out Tasha’s voice mid-sentence.
I froze.
The world went muffled, Tasha’s mouth still moving but her words were lost. Then someone walked around her, and I found myself looking up at Ethan Cross.
He was really tall. Athletic. Dark hair and dark eyes. The kind of handsome that makes everyone stare.
He was looking at me, not Tasha, his expression unreadable. His hands were still on the earmuffs, adjusting them gently over my ears. His hands dropped away. He stepped back, gave me the smallest nod, then walked past Tasha like she didn’t exist.
The quad had gone silent.
I reached up, touching the ridiculous pink earmuffs, my heart pounding for entirely different reasons now. It felt like I couldn’t breathe properly or form any words.
Tasha stood there, her mouth open, her face cycling through shock, confusion, and then red, mottled rage. Her hands clenched into fists. One of her friends grabbed her arm, whispering urgently, but Tasha just stared after Ethan’s retreating figure like she couldn’t process what had just happened.
I slowly pulled the earmuffs down to hang around my neck.
The whispers erupted:
“Did Ethan Cross just…”
“Oh my God.”
“Since when does he talk to anyone?”
“Tasha looks like she’s going to explode.”
I looked at Tasha. Her perfect facade had completely crumbled. She looked… small. Humiliated.
I knew that feeling.
But I didn’t feel sorry for her.
I turned and walked away, with Aria hurrying to catch up to me.
“Holy shit,” Aria breathed once we were out of earshot. “Did that actually just happen?”
I touched the earmuffs again, still trying to process it. “I think so.” My voice came out calmer than I felt.
“Ethan fucking Cross. He just…in front of everyone…” Aria was practically vibrating. “Do you know what this means? You just became campus royalty by proxy.”
We reached the humanities building steps. My hand was still sticky with coffee, and I could feel the eyes still following us.
“Come on,” Aria said, pulling me inside. “Let’s get to class.”
We climbed the stairs to the second floor. I kept the earmuffs around my neck.Professor Chen walked in moments later. Everyone's attention was finally off me for the first time today.
“Good morning. Let’s begin with chapter seven.”
I opened my notebook and started taking notes. My hand moved across the paper steadily. The coffee stain on my sweater was cooling. The earmuffs rested soft and ridiculous against my collarbone.
For the next hour, I focused on debits and credits, on balance sheets and financial statements. And slowly, the tight knot in my chest loosened.
Class ended. Students filed out. A few nodded at me as they passed.
Aria linked her arm through mine. “One down. Are you good?”
“Yeah.” I was surprised to find I meant it. “Yeah, I’m good.”
We headed back out into the morning light. I still couldn't stop thinking of Ethan and why he did that. I shrugged, pushing it to the back of my mind. It probably meant nothing.