Scarlett's eyes flickered open, and she stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to recall what day it was and where she was. A loud gasp escaped from her lips when she finally realized that it was Monday—a school day!
She immediately turned her head to look at the clock, and it was almost nine in the morning.
“Shit!!” She cursed and jumped out of bed, angry at herself for oversleeping. Her lecture was in the next thirty minutes, and she hadn't gotten anything done yet. Everywhere was a mess, and she hadn't the slightest idea where to begin.
She leaped into the bathroom and rushed through, brushing her teeth and taking her bath. She came back into the bedroom and picked out a pair of jeans and a crop top to match. She put on sneakers and then grabbed her purse and notebook before heading downstairs. She left the room in its messy state, deciding to leave it there until she came home.
“How did I oversleep!?” She groaned, digging into her purse and searching for her keys. It took her only fifteen minutes to get ready, but by the time she was about to reach for the elevator, she realized that she had left her phone behind. She ran up the stairs again to take it.
Scarlett was trying to meet up because the professor handling the first class that Monday morning was a strict and harsh man. Professor Mack was his name, and he was taking them on investment management, which was a three-unit course. She wished it was Professor Willam; then she wouldn't be rushing this way. She got her phone and went downstairs again.
She was in the elevator when her phone started to ring, displaying Nelly's name. She answered immediately.
“Hi, Nelly.” She spoke breathlessly into the phone.
“Hey Scarlett, where are you? Do you know whose class we have? You have barely twelve minutes to spare.” Nelly sounded really concerned.
“I know, I know. I fucking overslept.” Scarlett groaned again.
“When will you get here?” Nelly questioned.
“I'm already on my way. Can you keep a space for me?”
“Sure, get here quick.” Nelly hung up, and Scarlett tucked the phone into her purse. The elevator stopped, and she ran out, heading to her car. She got into the car and drove to school as quickly as she could, almost hitting a couple of pedestrians on the way.
While she was driving, her phone rang, and she took it out. The caller was Adrian, and as much as she wanted to answer him, she couldn't because she was in such a rush. She ignored the call and drove to her lecture hall.
Scarlett got down and raced towards the class. She had barely three minutes to spare and was praying that she got there before the professor.
Unfortunately, by the time she got to the door of the class, the professor was already there lecturing, and all eyes were on her. She waited at the door, the professor staring at her.
“Why are you just coming?” He threw a question at her. She tried to come up with an excuse, but nothing useful was coming into her head.
“You are Scarlett, right? Scarlett Davenport?” Professor Mack proceeded to ask her.
“Davenport?” He murmured before raising his head. “Which Davenport is yours?”
“Just some ordinary Davenport, sir,” Scarlett answered boldly.
“I thought as much.” The professor let out a chuckle and went ahead to lean on the podium.
"Miss Davenport, since you graced us with your presence, perhaps you can enlighten the class. What is the difference between stocks and bonds?" He questioned her, staring intensely at her.
"Certainly, Professor. Stocks represent ownership in a company, while bonds are debt securities where investors lend money to corporations or governments." Scarlett answered, refusing to be intimidated by the professor.
"Ah, Miss Davenport, what do you know about mutual funds and ETFs?” He continued, determined to catch her off guard.
"Mutual funds pool money from multiple investors to invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other securities. ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, are similar but trade on stock exchanges like individual stocks." Scarlett got the question right again. She locked eyes with the professor, and it seemed like they were in a battle.
The professor was impressed, but he still went on to test her: "Let's see if our knowledgeable student knows about risk and return. Can you explain the relationship between risk and return on investments?"
"Of course, Professor. Generally, higher-risk investments have the potential for higher returns, but they also carry a greater chance of loss. Lower-risk investments typically offer lower returns but more stability." Everyone was impressed by now. The way she was so smooth with her answers was what interested them the most.
"Let's delve into risk management. How can investors mitigate risk in their portfolios?"
"Investors can mitigate risk through diversification, as we discussed earlier. They can also use techniques like stop-loss orders to limit losses or invest in assets that have negative correlations to reduce overall portfolio risk." Scarlett was smirking by now.
"Miss Davenport, what advice would you give to your fellow students about starting their investment journey?” The professor smiled, leaning away from the podium and facing the class.
"I would encourage everyone to start early, diversify their investments, stay informed about market trends, and, most importantly, invest according to their risk tolerance and long-term financial goals."
By the time she finished speaking, the whole class erupted in applause, with a lot of people aspiring to be like her. The professor's face flushed; Scarlett had proved his assumptions about her wrong. She went to take her seat next to Nelly.
He continued teaching, taking occasional glances at Scarlett until he was done. He gave them assignments before leaving the class.
After he left, Nelly turned to Scarlett and stared at her for a long time.
“You're so hot, beauty with brains. That was awesome.” Nelly exclaimed, looking dazzled. Scarlett only giggled. She was about to speak when she started hearing girls chanting a particular name. She needed no soothsayer to tell her who it was.
Ethan walked up to Scarlett, ignoring the fleet of girls who were literally begging for his attention.
“Hey babe,” Ethan said, and he greeted Nelly too.
Scarlett replied to him with a warm smile.
“You want to come watch me and my team play this evening?” He asked, requesting her presence.
“Sure.” Scarlett shrugged.
“Great. See you there.” He pecked her cheek and then left. Nelly stared at them in disbelief.
Scarlett decided that they should move their conversation to the coffee shop and get some lattes since they had a free period. They drove to the coffee shop in her car and ordered their drinks while they talked.
“Tell me, Scarlett,” Nelly started, unable to control her curiosity. “Are you and Ethan dating?”
“Dating? Ethan?” Scarlett scoffed.
“We're just friends.”
Nelly nodded, trying to let the whole thing sink in. They continued to sip their lattes, and both of them focused on their phones. Scarlett looked up briefly and saw Mabel walking into the coffee shop. Mabel saw her too and threw her a hateful glare.
Mabel went ahead to sit with a group of girls next to Scarlett's table.
"Sorry, I'm late, guys. I was spending some time with my sweet boyfriend, Ethan.” She said it dreamily. She made sure that Scarlett heard her, but Scarlett just smiled, refusing to even look her way.
****
Scarlett's lectures ended around 4 p.m., and she went home to shower and change so that she could leave for the game. Nelly told her that she would meet her there, so she got into her car and started driving to the football pitch. On her way there, Adrian's call came into her phone, and she answered it through Bluetooth.
“Where have you been? You didn't take my calls.” He immediately queried her as soon as she answered the call.
"Sorry, Dad, I was rushing off to a lecture when you called in the morning.” She answered, keeping her eyes on the road. She felt butterflies in her tummy, knowing that he was concerned about her.
“You're driving? I can hear cars. Where are you off to?” He asked again.
“A football game.” She answered, pulling into the parking lot. She stepped out of the car and saw Ethan talking to some of his teammates near the parking lot.
“Ethan!!” She called out his name, making sure that Adrian was still on the call. Ethan turned and started walking towards her.
"Sorry, Dad, I have to go now. We'll talk later.” She ended the call and grinned to herself before going to hug Ethan.
“Hey, I'm glad you could make it.” He smiled.
“Of course. Have you seen Nelly anywhere?”
“Nelly? The girl who is always with you? I think I saw her. Oh, here she comes.”
They both turn and see Nelly walking up to them, smiling broadly.
“Ethan!” A female voice suddenly yelled out his name, and they both turned to see who it was. Mabel was angrily marching towards them and stopped right in front of Scarlett. She shot a glare at Scarlett before turning to Ethan.
“I was calling you, but you just walked past like I wasn't even relevant.” She pouted.
“Are you?” Ethan raised a brow at her, and Scarlett muffled a laugh. Nelly was standing beside her already.
“Don't you freaking laugh, you bitch!” Mabel snapped at Scarlett, who immediately furrowed her brows.
“Excuse me?”
“I don't even understand why you can't stay in your lane. Do you think Ethan wants anything to do with you? You're simply one of those shameless whores who throw themselves at him. He's simply going to use you and throw you away like he does to the rest of them.” Mabel continued, trying to break Scarlett's confidence, but she kept a straight face.
“Just like he used you, right? Oh, darling, we know. And yet you think you mean something to him. Are you really that dumb?” Scarlett asked, tilting her head and looking sorry for her.
“How dare you!?” Mabel raised her hand to hit Scarlett, but Ethan held her hand and flung it away.
“Don't you ever… ever! Think of laying those filthy hands of yours on my girl.” Ethan warned. He grabbed Scarlett's wrist and dragged her away from the scene.
Mabel stormed off in anger and embarrassment. Nelly, on the other hand, stood there in shock, her palms folding into fists.
“My girl?” she mumbled, looking at their departing figures.