**Jasmin Selene's POV**
I've been glancing at a group hanging out here on the field for a while now. I'm currently sitting on a bench, waiting for Kath.
Not that I'm nosy, but I can clearly hear their conversation about Basti—Sebastian. Everyone here at the university calls him Basti, even his friends. And I don't know why.
Apparently, he hit an expensive car. What could have possibly crossed his mind to do that?
But what's puzzling is that despite being a troublemaker, a rebel, a pervert, and all that, so many girls are still swooning over him. Like this group of girls here talking about him.
They even see him as a heartthrob. A heartthrob with no manners! Rude, arrogant, disrespectful to teachers. A delinquent, a troublemaker... not to mention how inappropriate he can be! Ugh! Why am I even bothering with him?
I should just think about my crush instead; it would brighten my day. When will I see him again? Ugh! It seems impossible to meet him again! I don't even know his name. We crossed paths, but we weren't meant to be. How tragic!
"Sorry, Miss Lin gave us a quiz, so I got delayed," Kath said as she arrived.
I frowned at her. "It's fine, I didn't wait that long—just about half an hour," I replied.
"I'll treat you to lunch," she said. I immediately stood up and clung to her arm.
"Forgiven," I answered with a smile.
"You're always so quick when it's a free meal," she said, laughing.
"You know I'm saving money," I said as I pulled her toward the cafeteria.
"Thanks for the lunch," I said, satisfied after we ate.
"How many days have you been doing that?" she asked, rummaging through her bag.
"Doing what?" I asked, confused, as I looked at her.
"That meal? You ate so much, hahaha," she said, laughing.
She placed a small mirror and lipstick on the table and looked at me.
"You're so focused on saving money that you're neglecting yourself. It's okay to save, but not at the expense of food. Look at you, you're so thin now," she scolded me.
"You're just chubby, that's why I look thinner when I'm with you, hehe," I replied, giving her a peace sign.
"Chubby is the new sexy," she winked at me. "Take care of yourself. If you get sick because of this, it will cost you more. All your savings will be for nothing," she said.
She looked into her mirror and applied lipstick to her lips.
"I'm not neglecting myself. I eat on time," I said.
She glanced at me through the mirror. "You eat on time when you're with me or at school. But when you're at work, you forget to eat. In the three years we've been friends, I know how you are. You prioritize work over meals."
I smiled awkwardly at her. "It's just more enjoyable to eat when I'm with you, especially when it's free."
"I don't mind treating you, even every day. I'm your best friend, after all. I'm just worried something like last year's incident will happen again, when you were hospitalized because you skipped meals," she said with concern.
I stood up and moved to the empty seat beside her. I hugged her.
"Sorry for making you worry. I promise I won't skip meals anymore and will eat three times a day at the right time," I said.
"You better, or I'll knock some sense into you."
I let go of the hug. "Promise," I said, raising my right hand.
After Kath finished fixing herself, we were about to leave when a scene unfolded in the cafeteria.
"WHAT THE HELL, BITCH!" a girl shouted at another girl. The other girl just kept her head down, repeatedly apologizing.
"Do you think your sorry can make up for dirtying my clothes? Do you even know this outfit costs more than your life?" the angry girl yelled, hitting the other girl on the head.
I was about to step in, but Kath stopped me and grabbed my arm. She shook her head.
"Just let it go. Let's leave," she said, pulling me out of the cafeteria.
"Why did you stop me?" I asked once we were far from the cafeteria. She was still holding my arm.
"I'm keeping you out of trouble. And remember, your scholarship is still at risk. Think about that before getting involved in other people's problems."
I reflected on what she said. She was right. My scholarship is on shaky ground, and the school could revoke it anytime because of the false accusations against me. That's why I'm working hard to save money. But even if I worked nonstop for a year, I still couldn't afford a semester's tuition here.
Graduating from Harrington University is a huge opportunity. It would make it easier for me to find a high-paying job, and I wouldn't have to take on extra jobs anymore.