Move-in day, first day of freshman year. I’d brought welcome gifts for my new roommates. “Oh my god, is this a Tom Ford lipstick set? This has to be, like, two hundred bucks!” “Seriously, this is way too much.” “It’s fine, really. My family’s in retail—department stores. It’s nothing.” I waved it off, just as our last roommate pushed the door open. I smiled and held out the same gift box to her. She glanced at the box, and her face went cold. “What is this? Trying to buy your friends?” She crossed her arms. “Look, just because I’m on financial aid doesn’t mean I take handouts.” “Is this what you rich people do? You think money solves everything? Flashing your wealth on day one. You feel superior?” “If you have so much money, why aren't you donating it to a children's hospital? Why not help people who actually need it? Or do you just get off on showing off in front of poor people like us?” 1 She got more and more worked up, like I’d just committed a federal crime. My own enthusiasm, which had been buzzing all morning, just… died. Was I wrong to try and be nice? “Are you always this much of a bitch?” I’m not a doormat. I pulled the gift back. Her eyes went wide. “You just swore at me!” “You just spent a solid minute ripping me a new one, and I’m not allowed to talk back? It’s day one.” “Fine, don't take it. God, all that drama. It’s not like I was begging you to.” I turned and shoved the extra set into my desk drawer. “Seriously, she was just being nice. Who cares if her family has money?” Mia, one of the roommates who’d accepted the gift, spoke up. “Yeah, it’s her money, she can spend it how she wants. It’s not her fault other people are poor,” the other one, Chloe, chimed in. “Exactly.” Seeing the three of us united, the new girl’s face went white, then red. She just glared at us. I was done with her. I pulled my wallet out, slapped a hundred-dollar bill on my desk. “I’m exhausted. Whoever wants to make my bed gets this. Think of it as a tip.” In an instant, Mia and Chloe’s eyes lit up. “I’ll do it! I’m amazing at hospital corners!” Mia yelled. “I can do it! Or I can unpack your bags!” Chloe offered. “My lady, I am your humble servant from this day forth!” They were both laughing, completely over-the-top, as they practically fought over my sheets and duvet. I was laughing too, so I pulled out another hundred and tossed it on the desk. I’ll admit it. I was doing it to piss her off. I have a terrible streak like that. You tell me not to do something, I’ll do it twice as hard. The "financial aid" girl, seeing her moral high ground evaporate, looked like she was about to explode. Finally, she just snapped. “You’re both just pathetic gold diggers!” “I will never be a slave to money.” She stormed out, slamming the door so hard our pictures rattled. That night, to get us all on the same page, I offered to take my new roommates out to dinner. I was thinking somewhere nice, but they insisted on a casual place near campus, and we all split the bill. We were already in the class-wide group chat. That night, an anonymous message popped up: [Anon_User_1]: Yo, I heard someone in our year got dropped off in a Rolls-Royce. Anyone know who the mystery millionaire is? Mia and Chloe pounced on it. [Mia]: LOL, she’s in our dorm! And she’s super pretty and nice! [Chloe]: She’s literally the BEST. So sweet, not stuck up at all. We stan! [User_2]: Omg I want to be in your dorm! [User_3]: Crying in my single room. [User_4]: Does she need a personal assistant? I’ll carry her books! I was reading the chat from my bed, smiling. I didn’t say anything, just dropped two $100 Venmo payments into the chat. [Ava W.: Coffee’s on me. Welcome to college. ☕] My phone was still in my hand when Mia and Chloe both shrieked. They ripped open their curtains. “I got the notification! You are a literal angel!” They were bowing. “We’re not worthy!” The vibe was great, right up until a loud, sarcastic “Hmph” came from the other side of the room. A low mutter: “Just buying people. Pathetic.” She didn’t want the money, fine. As long as she kept to her side of the room, we could co-exist. But the next morning, my advisor @-mentioned me in the all-freshman Slack. I had to report to her office. I had no idea why, but I went. When I opened the door, she was already in there: my charming new roommate. Her eyes were red and puffy. My advisor, Ms. Davis, looked at me over her glasses. Her expression was serious. “Ava, this is Sarah. She has filed a formal complaint, alleging that you are leading a campaign of bullying and exclusion against her in your dorm room. She’s requesting a room transfer.” I raised an eyebrow. So, her name was Sarah. I looked at her, and she immediately stared at the floor. “Now, Ava,” Ms. Davis said, “your family’s status doesn't matter here. This university values an equitable and fair environment.” “I’d like you to apologize to Sarah so you two can move forward.” I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Ms. Davis, with all due respect, did she tell you what this 'bullying' was?” Ms. Davis blinked. Clearly, she had not. “You must be swamped with orientation,” I said, giving her an out. “You probably just forgot to ask for the details.” She cleared her throat, embarrassed. “Sarah, since Ava is asking for clarification, why don’t you describe the incident?” Thinking she had the faculty on her side, Sarah stood up straight. “She came in and started handing out expensive gifts to everyone but me… wait, no, she tried to give me one, to buy my loyalty. When I refused her handout, she insulted me.” “She called me sick in the head!” “And then, to humiliate me, she flashed a wad of cash and paid my other roommates $200 just to make her bed! That’s degrading! It’s… it’s a microaggression against low-income students!” She was so indignant, so genuinely outraged, that Ms. Davis was silent. I, on the other hand, was trying not to snort. Seeing me smile, Sarah’s voice rose. “See! She’s laughing! She doesn't even respect you, Ms. Davis! She thinks her money puts her above the rules! I demand she be expelled! She’s a toxic presence!” “That is enough!” Ms. Davis finally snapped, but at Sarah, not me. “Sarah, stop causing trouble. A gift is a kind gesture. You are not obligated to accept it, but you have no right to attack someone for giving one. And you call it 'exclusion' when you were the one who started shouting?” “I almost filed a formal reprimand based on your one-sided, manipulative story.” Ms. Davis turned to me, her eyes apologetic. “Ava, I am sorry you were dragged into this.” She then dismissed Sarah with a sharp wave. Sarah looked absolutely stunned. As she was pushed out the door, she looked back at us, her face twisting with rage. “You’re all the same! She bought you, just like she bought them! You’re all blinded by her money! But I won’t be!” I just sighed. She was nuts. I left and went to find Mia and Chloe to buy supplies for O-Week. 2 Two days later, freshman orientation (O-Week) began. This being Austin in early September, it was a hundred and five degrees. The university, in its infinite wisdom, had scheduled three days of mandatory outdoor "team-building" and campus cleanup, all run by a terrifyingly loud ROTC instructor. After one hour of marching in the blazing sun, my throat felt like I’d swallowed sand. The air was so thick and humid, every breath was work. The instructor finally called a ten-minute break. The entire platoon just collapsed under a few sad-looking trees. I opened the imported sparkling water I’d brought. The cold carbonation was bliss. I looked over and saw a few kids whose lips were already cracked. One girl looked pale, like she was about to pass out. The student union was a mile away. No one would make it there and back in ten minutes. I looked at a few of the orientation leaders—upperclassmen—lingering nearby. I had an idea. “Hey guys, it’s brutal out here,” I called out. “I’m gonna see if I can pay one of the O-Week leaders to make a run to the market for us. Drinks are on me.” Our whole group, which had been half-dead, erupted in cheers. I was about to stand up when a sharp voice cut through the noise. “Ava, that’s enough!” Sarah scrambled to her feet, swaying a little from the heat. She looked at me with this... this profound hatred, like I’d just suggested we burn down the library. “Are you trying to buy everyone? Again?” “Is this all you know how to do? Flash your daddy’s dirty money?” “I feel sorry for your father, having a daughter who’s this obsessed with being better than everyone!” 3 Her shout was so loud that everyone within fifty yards stopped, including our stone-faced ROTC instructor. The cheers died. Everyone just stared at her. Is she for real? I was so tired of this, I just laughed. “My dad works hard precisely so I don't have to be miserable.” “And he taught me not to be like... well, like some people, who are so twisted up inside that they see kindness as an attack.” “And for the record? My dad would be thrilled to know his daughter was this popular.” I turned my back on her and walked over to one of the O-Week leaders. He was tall, with gold-rimmed glasses, and had been watching the whole exchange with a small, amused smile. “Hi,” I said. “Could you do us a huge favor?” He pushed his glasses up. “I’m listening.” “Our group is dying of thirst. I was wondering if I could pay you to run to the PCL and grab as many waters and sodas as you can carry? For this whole platoon. I’ll pay.” I pulled out my phone to Venmo him. “That’s not necessary.” He smiled, pulling out his own phone. “Hey, this is Noah, Student Government. I’m at the south field with the new ROTC group... Yeah, can you send a few cases of cold water and Gatorade over? For all the freshman platoons.” He paused, then looked at me. “Oh, and throw in a hundred Häagen-Dazs cups.” He hung up and winked at me. “Student Government sponsorship. Welcome to the university.” I blinked. I knew exactly what he’d just done. “Wow. I... thank you. But I can still pay—” “Ava,” he said, his voice low, glancing pointedly at Sarah, who was fuming in the distance. “Sometimes, just accepting a nice gesture is its own form of kindness.” I got it. I smiled. “Well, thank you, Noah.” Ten minutes later, a university golf cart loaded with coolers pulled up. The whole field exploded. “What? Is this real?” “I LOVE this school!” “I heard it wasn't Student Gov, it was that girl from the platoon next to us!” “Which one? The really pretty one? Oh my god, an actual angel.” Our platoon was practically beaming. Mia and Chloe flanked me, handing out the goods like bodyguards. “Courtesy of Ava! Everyone grab one!” “Thank you, Ava!” “Ava, you’re the best!” I was a little embarrassed, but it felt good. In this sea of happy, sweaty freshmen, Sarah was an island. She just stood there, fists clenched, watching everyone. She didn't take a drink. She didn't take an ice cream. When the instructor blew his whistle, he gave me a long, thoughtful look, then glanced at Sarah. That afternoon, he was noticeably harder on her. “Jones! Straighten that arm! Are you even trying?” 4 After orientation, I was a campus legend. "Rolls-Royce Girl," "The Ice Cream Angel," "The Dorm Room Goddess." People said hi to me everywhere. The cafeteria ladies always gave me an extra scoop. Mia and Chloe were loving the reflected glory. “Ava!” Mia said, waving two tickets. “Student Gov is hosting the Welcome Back Bash tonight. Are you going? Noah personally asked me to invite you.” “Noah?” I pictured the guy with the gold-rimmed glasses. “You have to go!” Chloe said. “He’s, like, the campus king. Student Body President, full-ride scholarship, and he’s hot. The line of girls trying to get his attention is a mile long.” They wore me down. I agreed. In our room, Sarah was at her desk, headphones on, pointedly ignoring the world. We didn’t bother her. The party was huge. Noah had saved me a seat. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and it gave him a sharper, more handsome look. “Ava. Settling in okay?” he asked, handing me a water. “Yeah, it’s been good. And thanks again for the save during O-Week.” “Happy to help,” he smiled. “But I have to ask. Your roommate... she really has it out for you, doesn't she?” I shrugged. “I guess I just have a very punchable, capitalistic face.” He laughed, a real, barking laugh. “I’ve seen her type before,” he said, his smile fading. “She’s insecure, so she’s arrogant. Sees the whole world as an enemy. Don’t let her get to you. Just stay away.” I was surprised. He’d read her perfectly.
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