1:30 pm, a few minutes after the lecture ended, the students gathered into pairs, and carried away in conversation. Hilary and his best friend Matthew stood together, the two have been inseparable friends since their first year in the university, as the year passes, they are beginning to look like twins.
Their family background was nothing to write home about, they were both poor and people bullied them a lot.
Hillary's gaze to Edna, who sat opposite to them, scrolling down her phone. She is Hillary's girlfriend and their relationship so far has lasted for six months and counting.
Hillary's heart skipped with joy as his eyes were all over Edna, words can't tell how overjoyed and proud he was, having Edna as his girlfriend. Edna had been rated the top 5 most beautiful girls in the entire school, making her popular as well. Hillary smiled and excused himself from Matthew, then strided to where Edna was seated.
"Hello beautiful!" His face radiated with joy.
Hillary's words echoed through the classroom, attracting eyes to the two lovebirds. Their classmates were disgusted by Hillary's voice and his audacity. But then again, they were all wondering why such a beautiful damsel could agree to date a lowlife such as Hillary, who could barely feed himself, let alone take care of a high-class girl. When there are many good-looking and wealthy guys flocking to be with her.
Edna, whose face was buried on her phone screen, lifted her head, her delicate features radiated beauty as Hillary approached. Her hair poured in loose waves, framing her face like a ring of light. With a gentle sweep, she brushed aside the strands, revealing more of her captivating features. Her deep blue eyes, shimmering with charm, met Hillary's gaze, causing a rare blush to tint his cheeks. She gave a sly smile, though she was embarrassed. She had asked Hillary to keep their relationship a secret but seems like he was carried away with her beauty.
"Hi!" Edna responded with a smile.
On the other hand, his classmates were busy mumbling. Edna's choice of boyfriend baffles them.
"Why Hillary?" someone voiced in disdain, though it was supposed to be mumbles but those around him clearly heard it, and they too wondered as well and began murmuring among themselves.
Hillary was one of the poorest students in the school, if the school accepts students according to their family profile, he wouldn't even be employed as a gatekeeper to talk more of a student. He is a brilliant student and came into the school via scholarship route.
Suddenly, a series of notification beeps echoed across the classroom room, prompting everyone to check their phones.
Edna's eyes widened as she read the message, and a wave of surprise spread through the group. However, Hilary remained oblivious; he didn't get the notification, so he moved closer towards Edna to take a look, but his long-sighted condition didn't permit him. He lost his glasses some days ago, leaving him struggling to make out the screen.
"Edna, what's going on?" Hilary asked, leaning in to catch a glimpse of her phone. But Edna was still in a daze to respond, her gaze fixed on the screen.
Meanwhile, Matthew wore a proud smile, As the others exchanged incredulous glances. No one could believe what was displayed on their phone screens. They were all short of words, you could see surprise looks on their faces as they kept alternating between making eye contact with Matthew and glancing at their phones repeatedly.
Hilary's confusion then deepened. "Edna, please, what is the notification about?" Hilary pressed, his curiosity lingered. With a shaky hand, Edna passed him her phone, and Hilary finally saw the cause of the commotion.
It was a photo of Matthew standing alongside Marcus Jones, the patriarch of one of New York City's wealthiest families. And below the image was an invitation that seemed too extravagant to be true.
"This can't be real," Francis objected, voicing the doubt that lingered in the air. Yet, as they scrolled through various news blogs, the evidence was undeniable.
Matthew had always been tagged poor since his arrival at the school, but no one had suspected his true origins. The revelation left them staggered, struggling to reconcile the image of their classmate with his connection to wealth and privilege.
As the shock settled, questions and judgments flew from all sides. Some expressed admiration, others envy, while a few couldn't help but wonder about Matthew's choice of friends. Wealthy people should associate with wealthy people, not low life such as Hillary.
Everywhere began buzzing as the students tend to find favor from Matthew, everyone wants to be close to him. Amidst the laughter and chatter, Hilary felt a pang of betrayal and confusion. His thoughts grew wild, he couldn't understand why his long-time friend treated him like a fool.
"I thought, he was my friend, my best friend. So why did I not get the notification as others did." Hillary speculated.
A voice from the other end of the class sounded. "Matthew, I admire you so much, but you have to quit associating with Hillary, he is not your type." Joe, one of the students, suggested that constantly bullied Hillary suggested.
Matthew didn't say a word but gave out a sly giggle, while the rest of the students laughed out loud.
Another voice among the students rang. "Why make a mockery of Hillary, he might as well come from a wealthy family, or perhaps a secret millionaire, you never can tell. Just as none of us knew Matthew's origin. Lucy, one of the smartest students said, interrupting their laughter.
There was dead silence in the room for some seconds as they were reflecting on Lucy's perspective.
"Haha, haha" a male voice of laughter broke out, it was Francis. Francis, among many others, always loves making a mockery of Hillary and Matthew's ordeal, but now Matthew is no longer on their list.
"No way Hillary could be rich, he couldn't even afford the cheapest meal in the school canteen, he looks hungry. Merely looking at him, one could tell that his ancestors were coursed with poverty and wretchedness." Francis words cracked everyone and there was a loud and uncontrolled laughter.
Matthew, Hillary's supposed friend, laughed along. Edna, on the other hand, didn't know how to feel at the moment.
Francis' words were harsh, but deep down, Hillary knew it was true, life has never been fair to him. Presently, he wished he were a lost son of a wealthy man, but unfortunately, he is an orphan, and he had lived all his life in an orphanage home. He was so ashamed of himself, even his friend Matthew couldn't at least defend him.
While he was hurting, he was wondering how his girlfriend was feeling, Edna was silent.
Hillary had done all he could to keep Edna as his girlfriend, and later he will make her his wife. "Could she be thinking of breaking up with me? Those thoughts lingered in his mind as he buried his head in between him knees and tears kept dropping.
As they were about to leave the classroom, Matthew made an announcement. "Next week on Thursday is my grandfather's birthday. And guess what? We share the same birthday." The class grew silent.
"He was not just Mr. Jones' grandson, he even shared a birthday with him. Without any doubt, Matthew must be his favorite grandson." Lucy reasoned in awe.
Matthew continued. "I will send the invites across to you all, but if you didn't get the invitation, it means you aren't invited and won't be allowed passage to the event center even if you try to attend. It's strictly by invitation." Matthew's words were filled with pride and egotism.
For some years and for reasons best known to him, Matthew has never celebrated his birthday since he became an undergraduate in the school and nobody knew why.
They all assumed it was because he was poor and couldn't afford to celebrate it.
….
In the dometry, Hillary and Matthew were discussing as though nothing had transpired between them. They were conversing and laughing as they usually do.
Hillary began scrolling through his phone. He tapped the school group chat to know the latest news. Hillary wasn't surprised that Matthew was trending. Matthew this Matthew, his name and heart emoji were all over the place.
The first comment he saw.
(Ruth) "Aww! Thank you, Matthew, for inviting me."
All the comments were thank you messages to Matthew. From their comments, one could tell that they were genuinely happy. I mean who wouldn't, His family was the third wealthiest. So getting an invitation from them seems like a lifetime achievement.
Hillary's heart skipped, and his eyes widened when he saw Edna's chat while he was scrolling down.
(Edna) A heart emoji followed by appreciation. "It's such an honor to be invited. Thank you so much, I sincerely appreciate it." Hillary's stomach boiled with jealousy as he felt like Matthew had already taken his girlfriend away from him.
Quickly, in anticipation to see whether he too was invited, he had to reload the page. "Edna was invited? I am sure I was invited too, so' he thought, but unfortunately, he wasn't.
Hillary swallows deep, his Adams apple popped out more visible, his mouth, and throat were dried off saliva, he kept questioning himself, "What's going on? Did I do anything to offend Matthew? By right I was supposed to be the first person to get the invitation, I am his best friend anyway."
Matthew, on the other hand, was scrolling through his phone, his cheeks were red in blushing. "Haha! Haha! So funny! I am honored too."
'He's probably responding to Edna's appreciation message.' Hillary thought. His stomach churned as he watched Matthew's laughter ripple through the room, his name conspicuously absent from the list of invitees. He clenched his fists, trying to mask the hurt that gnawed at his insides. How could his best friend exclude him like this? Every glance in Matthew's direction felt like a stab in the back, each chuckle a reminder of their fractured bond. The weight of betrayal hung heavy in the air, suffocating him with every breath.