My Friend, the Fake Rich Kid

---- Chapter 2 Stripped of Dignity The next second, Daniel's impatient voice blasted through the line. "Serena, will you quit already? Calling nonstop like your life depends on it." The sound of his voice froze me in place. Before I could speak, the call cut off with a cold, flat beep. My face went rigid with fury. I raised my phone to dial again and shouted, "Daniel borrowed this jet from me for one dollar! Ihave the proof!" Clara's expression darkened. She snatched the phone from my hand, smashed it to the ground, and slapped me hard across the face. "Daniel? Borrowed a jet from you?

Who do you think you are? At least make your lies believable. A single dollar, and you expect anyone to believe you own a jet?" Her mocking gaze raked over me. "Serena, stop pretending. Just looking at your shabby self makes me sick." She pulled out her own phone and started dialing. On the screen, the name "Dan" flashed, sharp as a blade to the heart. The call connected almost immediately. I jumped in before she could speak. "Daniel, why is my jet-" ---- Another slap from Clara cut me off mid-sentence. Daniel's voice came, sharp and unfamiliar. "Who is this? Are you done?

And why are you holding Clara's phone? What did you do to her?" My chest tightened. Daniel and I had grown up side by side. For ten years, he had shielded me and cared for me. He knew how particular I was about cleanliness, and he would always wipe down my seat before I sat. Ten years. This same Daniel, the boy who used to slip painkillers and a chocolate bar into my backpack when I had my period, was now pretending he had never even known me. Clara's eyes glittered with triumph as she swung her arm, slapping me across the face again and again.

Then, she turned to the phone, her voice breaking into pitiful sobs. "Dan, hurry... Someone hit me. She's so mean. I'm scared." The moment Daniel heard Clara's voice, his tone softened, patient and tender. "Clare, don't be afraid. Who laid a hand on you? I'm coming right now." Around us, a few onlookers began whispering. "Wait, the tail really does have an engraving. It looks scratched." ---- "No way. That jet was a gift from Daniel. You must be blind." Clara hung up, her expression flickering, but she quickly recovered and raised her voice to the crowd. "You all heard him!

Daniel doesn't even know her! She's just jealous, pretending to own a jet so she can ride on our fame. Pathetic!" She jabbed a finger hard at my face. "Serena, have you lost your mind from being broke? How dare you covet the jet Daniel gave me?" Istayed silent, and Clara took my quiet as guilt. With a sudden shove, she knocked me back. "What's wrong? Out of lies already? Keep pretending! You show up in those ten-dollar canvas sneakers, taking a cab to campus, and you still have the nerve to talk about owning a jet?" Her entourage began to jeer. "Yeah! Lying parasite, get out of here.

Don't dirty our campus queen bee's spot!" "Probably never even been ona plane, and she's out here acting like some heiress." Icut in coldly, my voice steady. "Whether that jet is mine isn't for you to decide." Iturned, ready to board and retrieve my papers, but Clara yanked me back with a vicious grip. ---- She looked at me as though I were filth. "If you dirty my jet, could you even afford to pay for it?" Her pull threw me off balance, and I fell hard to my knees. "The leather seats on this jet cost more than your entire life." She sneered.

"Selling you wouldn't cover the damage." I gritted my teeth and forced myself up, ignoring the searing pain in my knees as I moved toward the boarding stairs. Inside the storage compartment were all the documents proving the jet was mine and even the treasured recording of my very first flight. However, the moment I set foot on the first step, Clara came charging after me like she'd lost her mind. She yanked my hair from behind with brutal force, dragging me down. With a sickening thud, I hit the concrete hard.

"Who said you could get on that jet, you worthless brat?" Clara ground her heel into the back of my hand, looming over me with a vicious glare. "Serena, be smart and admit you're a liar. Otherwise, you won't be walking out of this campus today." Iglared back at her, pain burning through me, and forced out the words. "My people are on their way. Let me go right now, orelse-"