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I can hardly sit still in class just thinking about it. I keep anxiously checking my phone. Still, I’m praying for a miracle. Praying that now that the universe knows I’m going to actually go through with this, that I’m planning to accept Ethan’s offer, the paid internship will suddenly come through so I don’t have to.
Instead, in the middle of class I receive an email from school. The email freaks me out because it claims to be from the financial aid office. It must be an error because it says all my tuition and fees for the rest of the year have been paid for in full.
Fuck, I hope they didn’t try to charge my account without my authorization and forced me into overdraft. The fees will eat up all the money I’m saving for rent.
The instructor releases us and I head straight for the financial aid office forgetting that Chase is going to pick me up. Just as I’m walking into the office, Chase sends me a text asking me if I’m out of class. I shoot him a quick reply telling him I’ll be out in a couple of minutes then approach the front counter and ring for help.
In the back, towards the cubicles that have been set up there, I can hear a couple of girls giggling about some hot guy. I’m not normally impatient or rude but today my nerves are frazzled so I ring the bell again until one of them shows herself.
“Oh, hi.” A pretty blonde girl about my age appears, blushing profusely. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. How can I help you?”
“Hi,” I smile at her and try my best to be polite. If I’m bitchy because I’m stressed out, I’m sure she’s not going to want to help me. “I just received an email that said my tuition was paid in full while I was in class. I think it must be an error and needs to be corrected.”
“Okay,” she says, and gives me a look like she thinks what I just said is weird. She pulls the keyboard on the counter closer to her. “What’s your name and student id?”
I rattle off my name and student id and her fingers tap across the keyboard. “Hmm,” she frowns while she stares at the computer screen. “It does say your tuition was just paid in full about ten minutes ago.” Her lips quirk to the side as if she’s thinking then she turns her head and calls out, “Hey Ashley, can you come here a minute?”
Ashley appears, another pretty blonde about my age, and she’s still giggling from whatever the two girls were discussing a moment ago. “What’s up?” she asks as she steps up to the blonde and peeks over her shoulder at the computer screen.
“That guy you just helped? Is this the account he paid?” The girl helping me asks.
Ashley looks at the screen then glances over at me. “Yep, that’s the one. Is that you?”
I frown, confused. “What guy? Did a guy pay on my account?”
“Yeah,” Ashley giggles and the other girl starts giggling too. “Is he your boyfriend? Cause if he’s not, he’s smokin hot and I totally forgot to slip him my number.”
Who would do that? Ethan? To force me to work for him?
“What’s the name?” I ask.
It has to be Ethan, only he would do this to me.
“Just a second,” the girl helping me says and her fingers fly across the keyboard while I feel like I’m holding my breath.
It’s almost like I know, I just know what she’s about to say. I don’t want it to be true. I don’t want to think he would do this to me, especially after I just explained to him how much I do not want his money. He wouldn’t be a jerk and just force it on me, he wouldn’t….
“Chase Winters,” the girl helping me smiles.
“Fuck,” I curse loudly. They both gasp and I bite my tongue to keep from cursing again.
The two girls share a look then Ashley giggles nervously. “If a guy like that paid all my tuition, I’d marry him.”
“Me too,” the other girl chirps in agreement.
I suck in a deep breath through my nose then slowly release it through my teeth. These girls haven’t done anything wrong to me so I’m not about to take my frustration out on them. A light bulb goes off above my head. Maybe they can even help me fix this.
“Can you refund the money?” I ask slowly, trying to remain polite.
“I…I dunno,” the girl helping stammers and starts tapping on the keyboard again. “I think the only way to refund the money is if you officially withdraw from your classes.”
“Are you serious?” I ask her and she just squirms and giggles nervously.
“I’m sorry!” Ashley apologizes. “As long as you’re enrolled in school we can’t refund the money.”
“Even if it’s a mistake?”
Ashley bites her lip and shakes her head. “It wasn’t a mistake.”
