Chapter 149 *
Zelda's POV
I spotted Paloma the second I walked onto the quad. She was sitting at one of the outdoor tables near the Starbucks, her pumpkin spice latte already half-finished.
"Zel!" She waved me over. "Oh my God, you look amazing. Is that the new Reformation?"
I slid into the seat across from her and set down my YSL bag. "This old thing? I just threw it on."
The dress had cost three hundred dollars and I'd spent twenty minutes this morning making sure it looked effortlessly perfect. But Paloma didn't need to know that.
"I swear you could show up in a trash bag and still be the hottest girl on campus." She took a sip of her latte. "How was the Hamptons? Your Instagram was insane."
I waved my hand dismissively. "It was fine. We ran into a few people. You know how it is."
By "a few people" I meant two A-list actors and a tech billionaire. But I kept my voice casual. Like bumping into celebrities at beach parties was just another Tuesday for me.
We talked about nothing for a while. Her summer internship. My family's charity gala. The new Gilded Delta pledges.
I was halfway through telling her about the rush week drama when my phone buzzed. Another Instagram notification. I glanced at the screen.
Three hundred new followers since this morning.
I smiled and slipped the phone back into my bag.
"Ready to head to class?" I stood up and grabbed my coffee. "I want to check out some of the activities fair booths on the way."
Paloma jumped up. "Yes! I heard Kappa is doing something with puppies."
We started walking toward the main quad. The campus was packed with students. Booths lined both sides of the pathway. Music was blasting from somewhere near the student center.
I felt eyes on me the second we stepped into the crowd.
A group of guys near the engineering booth turned to look. One of them elbowed his friend and said something I couldn't hear.
I kept my expression pleasant. Approachable but not too interested.
"Hey Zelda!" A football player I vaguely recognized waved from across the lawn.
I gave him a friendly smile and a small wave back. Nothing more.
We kept walking.
"I don't know how you do it." Paloma shook her head. "You've got like half the football team in your DMs."
I laughed. "I don't even check those."
That was a lie. I checked every single message. I just never responded to most of them.
More people recognized me as we walked. Someone asked if I was going to the party this weekend. A girl from my sociology class stopped to compliment my shoes.
I was polite to everyone. Sweet. Warm. Exactly the right amount of friendly.
This was my campus. My territory. I'd spent the entire summer building my social media presence and networking with the right people.
By the time fall semester started, I already had five thousand Instagram followers and invitations to every party that mattered.
Everything was going exactly according to plan.
We were almost to the academic buildings when I saw her.
Scarlett was sitting on the grass near the library steps. Lily was next to her. They were both laughing about something.
My smile faltered.
I felt my jaw tighten before I could stop it.
What the hell was she doing here? And why did she look so happy?
She should be miserable. She should be struggling.
Instead she was sitting there in the sunshine like she didn't have a care in the world.
"What's wrong?" Paloma's voice cut through my thoughts.
I forced my expression back to neutral. "Nothing. I just thought I saw someone."
But my brain was already spinning.
Scarlett was here. In public. Surrounded by students who didn't know her yet.
I could shape the narrative before she had a chance to tell her side.
All I had to do was plant a few seeds. Let people draw their own conclusions.
By the end of the week, everyone on campus would know exactly what kind of person Scarlett Romano really was.
"Come on." I grabbed Paloma's arm. "Let's go say hi."
Paloma blinked. "What?"
"To my sister." I started walking toward Scarlett. "I should at least be polite."
Paloma hurried to keep up. "Wait, that's your sister? The one who got kicked out?"
"Shh." I shot her a look. "Keep your voice down."
We crossed the lawn. I could feel people starting to notice. A few students near the library steps turned to watch.
Scarlett saw me coming. Her entire body went rigid. Lily stood up and moved slightly in front of her.
I kept my smile bright and warm.
"Scarlett!" I called out. "Oh my God, I didn't know you were starting here too!"
She stood up slowly. Her face was completely blank.
"This is such a coincidence!" I turned to Paloma. "This is my older sister. Scarlett, this is Paloma. She's in Gilded Delta with me."
Paloma gave a little wave. She was watching Scarlett with obvious curiosity.
More students were stopping now. I could feel the circle of attention growing around us.
"So glad you're settling in." I tilted my head. "Must be hard adjusting to college life on your own."
Scarlett's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm fine."
"Of course you are." I nodded. "Most freshmen have family support during move-in. You're so brave doing it alone."
Paloma picked up on my tone immediately. "Yeah, that must be really tough."
"Oh wait." I paused like something had just occurred to me. "You're not alone. I heard you have help. From someone older."
I kept my voice just loud enough for the people nearby to hear.
A few girls exchanged glances. Someone whispered something to their friend.
"What are you doing?"
"Just checking in on my sister." I gave her my sweetest smile. "That nice older gentleman who drops you off sometimes. Your family friend?"
I put air quotes around "family friend."
The whispers got louder.
Paloma's eyes widened. "Wait, like a sugar daddy?"
I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. "Paloma! Don't say that!"
But the damage was done.
I could hear people murmuring around us. More students were stopping to watch.
"I heard about her." Someone behind me said it just loud enough to carry. "Isn't she that girl from the scandal?"