The Charismatic Student Heir

Marcus stared at the price tag again, praying the numbers would change.

But they didn't.

$14,899.

His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach and sweat dripped down from the corner of his head.

And then, his girlfriend's message sat at the top of his screen, bright and demanding.

“Baby, this is the wig I want. Order it before Friday. I must slay for Brenda’s birthday party. Don’t embarrass me.”

Marcus swallowed so hard that his throat ached.

Fifteen thousand dollars for a wig.

He wasn’t angry at Jane. At least, he didn’t want to be. He loved her. He had loved her since freshman year. She was bold, beautiful, confident, the kind of girl who lit up any space she walked into. Her presence was like perfume; it followed him everywhere, even in his thoughts.

But right now, her message felt like a stone on his chest.

He shut his phone slowly, like it weighed ten pounds, and leaned back on the shaky metal chair in his tiny hostel room. The ceiling fan squeaked above him like it was laughing.

Marcus exhaled shakily.

He wasn’t from money. He didn’t grow up with luxury. His mother's died a few years before he got into college and he had a sister to take care of.

Being a scholarship student didn't make things easier either. Every semester, he fought with everything in him to keep his grades high so he didn’t lose his scholarship. He skipped breakfast on bad days. Survived on noodles on very bad days. Worked shifts after classes. Cleaned floors, served drinks, tutored freshmen just to meet ends and take care of his love too.

And Jane wanted a fifteen-thousand-dollar wig.

Marcus rubbed his forehead. His textbooks for the semester weren’t even bought yet. He had been saving slowly, five dollars here, ten dollars there. He had maybe two hundred dollars in his account. He needed about four hundred more.

But now…

“I’ll figure it out,” he whispered to himself.

Because he loved her and was ready to do anything for her happiness.

He pushed out a long breath and grabbed his worn-out sneakers. The sole was taped at the bottom. He pressed the tape flat with his thumb and tied the laces tighter.

Then he grabbed his apron from the back of the door.

Tonight, he had a shift at the hall. A big party for the rich kids and he was going to get high tips, exactly what he needed at the moment.

And maybe he could plead with Jane to go for something... Lesser, she had never being the one to lack understanding.

He shut the door behind him, his phone buzzing again.

Another message from Jane:

“Baby, don’t disappoint me.”

Marcus smiled sadly.

He wouldn’t.

He never did.

---

The hall was already shaking by the time he arrived. Music thundered so hard the ground felt alive. Bright colored lights flashed through the windows. Students crowded outside, screaming, filming, trying to get in.

Inside, perfume mixed with sweat and expensive liquor.

Marcus clocked in and grabbed a tray.

“Move fast mutt,” the coordinator barked. “Don’t spill anything. These kids bite if they’re unhappy.”

Marcus nodded and stepped into the Choas of the hall.

He weaved through bodies, handing out drinks. People bumped him. Someone slapped his tray. A girl snapped her fingers at him like he was a maid.

His face twisted as he walked far off a point. The hall was flooded with half naked ladies, and boys doing their thing at almost every turn.

Moans filled with hall. High screams and laughter that almost caused Marcus ears to fold.

This wasn't the place any properly trained teenage should be.

And one thing he was grateful for was that his Jane wasn't like any of these.

They had decided to keep themselves until their wedding night. At least, her and he respected that decision and appreciated.

Her words from that night still clawed into his thoughts.

"It's going to be just me and you that night. Hands folded into each other, naked."

Goosebumps flooded every layer of hus skin at those thoughts.

The moans increased, but Marcus ignored it all.

He focused on the money, on Jane and on the wig.

While he walked, a strange sound flooded into his ears. One that caused him to pause in an instant.

It sounded so familiar. A name popped in his mind but he instantly shot it off.

There's was no way that it could be the person that popped in his head. He tossed off the thoughts and contained with his duties.

The sound came again. This time, stronger and sharper, slicing deep into the cores of his bones.

Marcus drew in a deep breathe. His head making an automatic spine towards the direction of the sound.

"Just need to confirm that it isn't who I think it is!" He reassured himself with a warm thug.

But even then, his heart hammered and the pace of his breathe fastened.

Marcus's eyes landed on a sight and his being froze.

Quivering, Marcus flinched backwards in his steps.

He pinched himself, twisted his ankle. Anything to wake up from this nightmare.

But it was true. He quashed his eyes. Maybe it was her lookalike. But he knew it was just another excuse. Even in the list of a thousand, he was going to pick out Jane any day and any time and that was her.

His girlfriend, barely clothed.

She sat on the lap of Frederick Russell; the campus billionaire prince. Her tiny black top barely covered anything. Her skirt was so short it looked painted on. Her makeup was smudged like someone had been kissing her hard.

And Frederick’s hands were all over her, focused firmly on the firm features on her chest as she moaned and screamed out his name desperately.

No.

No, he had to be seeing wrong.

He took one slow step closer, the tray in his hands shaking and the drinks splattering all over his clothes.

Then another.

A girl nearby shouted, laughing, “Where are the condoms? Freddy wants round two!”

Jane raised her hand with a rushed urgency, shaking even to her bones “Check my purse. The gold one! I kept some there!”

"Seems my dirty little slut came prepared!" Fred held her neck and snickered dimly.

Marcus stopped breathing.

The tray instantly dropped and every shred of glass shattered in the same manner as his heart.

The music didn’t stop, but his world did.

Heads turned.

Jane looked up, irritated at the noise that was interrupting her good time.

First a wave of shocks ran through her body seeing Marcus there.

There like a flicker, it was already gone.

There's was no hint of shame in her eyes, embarrassment of even guilt, only a stone cold annoyance.

She just frowned like he was ruining her fun.

“Marcus? What are you doing here?”

Her tone stabbed him.